CLAY COUNTY, MINN. (KFGO) – The Minnesota Board of Animal Health says a six-week-old quarter horse was euthanized in Clay County and post-mortem tests confirmed it was infected with a highly contagious disease known as E-H-M which affects horses.
A veterinarian examined the foal which had a number of symptoms including a loosely hanging lower lip, stumbling and an inability to rise on his own, leading to the decision to euthanize the animal.
The University of North Dakota Veterinary Diagnostic lab confirmed the infection, the first E-H-M case in Minnesota since 2015. The farm has been placed under quarantine to closely monitor the remaining horses for E-H-M.
The disease is commonly spread from nose-to-nose contact between horses or contaminated objects like tack, feed, water buckets, and a person’s hands or clothing.