West Nile Virus

We were fortunate last summer. We did not see any cases of West Nile Virus this far north along the Pacific Flyway. As of 2003 the virus has been documented in all but 2 states, not including Alaska and Hawaii. Both Washington and California, which lie on the Pacific Flyway, have had documented cases since 2002. The states covering the Central Flyway, which cover the Prairie Provinces into Alberta, have had documented cases since 2001.

I believe there is still a lot of controversy going on in regards to the West Nile vaccine but we have to ask ourselves, what is my Equine Companions worth to me? Do we want to take a chance? Those were my questions when I first started doing research on the West Nile virus over a year and a half ago.

We started vaccinating our horses last spring because the virus had entered the Pacific Flyway. The vaccines were given in March of 2003 to the whole herd including a yearling and pregnant mares. The mares have since given birth to healthy foals which were in turn inoculated against the West Nile virus.

Find out more about the vaccine which has been proven safe with millions of doses given. It is also the first and only vaccine fully-licensed in Canada and the United States to prevent West Nile virus in horses. This site has several links you can check out.