PRESS RELEASE
CONTACT: Ben J. Character, DVM
1-877-662-5838
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HORSE TESTS POSITIVE FOR RABIES IN TENNESSEE
A horse stabled at the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration in Shelbyville, Tennessee
was recently diagnosed with rabies. Even thought the horse did not participate in the event,
because it was ridden around the grounds the Tennessee Department of Health and the U.S. Center
for Disease Control are working to contact over 150,000 people that may have come in contact
with the rabid horse.
“Rabies in a horse is not a common occurrence”, says Dr. Ben Character, local veterinarian and
owner of Mobile Veterinary Service*. “Most cases of rabies are in wild animals such as bats or
raccoons. Rabies is contagious to all mammals, which means that it can be contracted across
species lines.” This most recent case of rabies in a horse may stress the importance of vaccinating
horses for rabies.
When deciding about risk of rabies, horse owners should be aware of horses that may have a high
potential for being exposed to other animals that could possibly have rabies, such as those
mentioned earlier, as well as skunks and coyotes, says Dr. Character. In addition to this, many
times the symptoms of rabies mimic other diseases such as West Nile virus, sleeping sickness
(Eastern Equine Encephalitis), or even colic and choke, which can delay diagnosis. Vaccination is
an easy and inexpensive way to protect horses, he adds.
The Tennessee Department of Health is using media outlets to notify attendants of the Celebration
to the possible risk factors for human contraction of rabies from the horse. These include, being
bitten by the horse, having a fresh wound contaminated by saliva from the horse, or having
infective saliva come in contact with eyes, nose, mouth or other mucus membranes.
When asked if owners should vaccinate their horses, Dr. Character responds: “ Some owners do,
some don’t. I try to approach each horse, or stable, on a case by cases basis. Considering the
abundance of wildlife in Alabama and potential for rabies, I always have the vaccine on hand and
never dissuade an owner from vaccinating their horses against rabies”.
* Because all services are provided on site, they are by appointment only. For more information, or to schedule an
appointment you can contact Mobile Veterinary Service at 1-877-MOBLVET (1-877-662-5838) or through the
practice website www.mobilevetservice.net.