Some Pawnee, Creek County Horses Test Positive For EIA

By Tara Vreeland, The News On 6

UNDATED -- Humans aren't the only ones getting sick right now. Horses in Pawnee and Creek  counties have been testing positive for Equine Infectious Anemia.

Twelve horses over the past two years have tested positive for EIA and have had to be put down.

Oklahoma vets say it's a startling reminder for horse owners to get their horses tested. The danger is that horses can be carriers of the disease and may not show any signs of being sick.

Dale Woodrell has been breeding and selling Quarter Horses since 1962. He has several young horses he plans to sell at a Tulsa sale barn on November 5th, but that might not happen.

"They are all quarantined right now. And them two donkey's are quarantined," said Dale Woodrell, Pawnee County Horse Owner. "I've got to get that quarantine released or I can't move my horse."

The horses on the neighboring property next to Woodrell's tested positive for Equine Infectious Anemia, a retrovirus that is transferred through blood, mostly by horse flies. There is no vaccine and no treatment for the disease and horses that have it must be euthanized.

The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture has been paying close attention to this particular area. Agents are going door-to-door offering to test horses through the EIA Eradication Program.

State law requires that horses be tested if there is a change of ownership, if they are taken to an equine event, or if they cross the state line. 95,000 horses are tested each year in Oklahoma, with an average of 15 testing positive per year. Which means half have come out of southern Pawnee County and northern Creek County.

Vets say the biggest problem is people think their herds are safe if they stay on their land. Woodrell's horses will have to stay on his ranch, under quarantine, until the tests come back negative.

Woodrell's horses are scheduled for testing on Wednesday.

The test is widely known as a Coggins' test. Vets and horse experts recommend horses should be tested once a year. They can cost about $20 to $25 per horse. A negative Coggins' test proves that your horse is safe to have around other healthy horses.