La. horse owners put on alert for equine disease

Posted: Oct 27, 2009 1:04 PM by sleonard

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Horse owners, beware.
Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain says a tick-borne disease has shown up in Texas and that horse owners in Louisiana should be on the alert.
The disease is called equine piroplasmosis, or EP for short.
It's a tick-borne disease caused by microscopic parasites of the red bloods cells.
Texas animal health officials say 101 horses at a ranch in Kleberg County, Texas, have tested positive for EP. The ranch is near Corpus Christi. EP symptoms include weakness, loss of appetite, fever, anemia, jaundiced mucous membranes, swollen abdomen and labored breathing.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Topics: horse, death, tick, disease, texas, louisiana, agriculture, mike strain