2016-03-31

The Saskatchewan horse community has begun an education program to combat an HIV-like disease that affects horses and has no cure, although at least one riding club is opposed to the testing.

Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) is a viral disease affecting horses, mules and donkeys. Once horses are infected, they remain lifelong carriers and are a potential viral source. There is no cure or commercial vaccine.

EIA is a reportable disease in Canada. Detection is through voluntary industry testing, called a Coggins test, while the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is responsible for a mandatory response. CFIA demands that any horse found infected by destroyed.

According to the CFIA website, in 2015 there were eight areas in Saskatchewan with one or more EIA-infected premises, with 31 EIA-positive horses. The infected areas were the RMs of Loon Lake, Meadow Lake, Corman Park, Sasman, St. Louis, Birch Hills, Buckland and Torch River.

Commencing an educational project

The Saskatchewan Horse Foundation (SHF) always attempts to ensure horse owners are aware of EIA yearly, explained Krissy Fiddler, executive director for SHF. Keeping horse owners informed is an ongoing project.

At SHF’s annual general meeting on March 12, members put forward and passed a motion requiring mandatory EIA testing of all horses attending SHF-sanctioned events, beginning Jan. 1, 2017.

The SHF’s governance committee is still looking into the motion and heavily studying it, said Fiddler. This was not a motion the SHF itself, nor was it an agenda item.

Outbreaks of EIA occurred in 2015 due to a decline in testing, Fiddler explained. To educate and inform the horse industry, the SHF has begun hosting free equine information sessions. The next equi-sessions are on April 6 (North Battleford), April 13 (Melfort) and April 27 (Saskatoon).

“Many horse owners have a lot of misconceptions about EIA, and if we as a whole industry don’t start being proactive, we could see some very serious consequences,” explained Dr. Fernando Marqués, associate professor and large animal internal medicine specialist at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan.

Phase two of SHF’s EIA program will see recognized facilities be used as testing areas for horses. Phase three of the program, in 2017, will see SHF publicly recognize facilities, ranches and organizations as leaders in Saskatchewan’s horse community for implementing mandatory testing in 2016.

The testing focus will be on horses travelling to co-mingle facilities, said Fiddler. If a horse receives a positive diagnosis, it could spread the disease to other horses.

SHF has recommended that co-mingling facilities get negative Coggins tests from horse owners before accepting outside animals, Fiddler added.

Familiarity with the disease

Ellen and Greg Frick with Sabre Quarter Horse Ranch north of Whitewood are familiar with Equine Infectious Anemia.

Both horse breeders dealt with EIA 20 years ago when it appeared then, explained Mrs. Frick, noting EIA is most common in central Saskatchewan. Greg has been in the horse business for 40 years and doesn’t know of anyone in southern Saskatchewan with EIA-infected horses.

The Coggins test was performed on horses then, but the situation obviously hasn’t been resolved, Frick said. Many horse owners in central Saskatchewan were against the tests then, as some are now. She understands the arguments on both sides of the debate.

“Right now (the Coggins test) is the only thing we have to detect the disease,” said Frick. “It’s better than nothing.”

The Fricks raise seven colts a year, while also providing riding lessons and hosting events for their own riders. They will get their horses tested once they get more information from their veterinarian.

They will also hold a clinic day where people can bring their horses to be Coggins tested, she said. They want to get all testing done before fly and show seasons season begin.

The Fricks are taking the situation seriously and not panicking, Frick added. They will test their horses and ensure their barns are cleaned regularly. Having a Coggins test isn’t a big deal for the Fricks, who ship their horses to the United States regularly.

Protecting businesses and horses

Clearview Livestock and Arena will be a testing arena for EIA, Connie Chaplin, co-owner with husband Jim, said on Facebook recently.

If horse owners board there, haul in there, come to clinics there, are in 4H or belong to the Ultimate Horsemanship Challenge Club, they are encouraged to book a time to test their horses. The vet will be at the arena from April 1 to 3 starting at 9 a.m. each day; more than 150 horses will be tested.

Clearview Arena is southwest of Fort Qu’Appelle.

Mrs. Chaplin explained she didn’t believe people were too worried about having their horses tested. The process is one of surveillance to protect the health of the horse industry.

“People are being careful,” she said. “It’s like flu season.”

Clearview Arena will require a negative Coggins test from horse owners in the future, said Chaplin, who owns 10 horses. That’s not unusual, since other provinces require similar mandatory testing.

Getting a horse tested is voluntary, but owners aren’t doing the industry any good not testing their horses, explained Chaplin. This surveillance process would hopefully ensure the situation doesn’t get out of control.

EIA is controversial, admitted Fiddler, as many people have an opinion on it. That is why “very qualified” and experienced veterinarians from the U of S will be at the equi-sessions to answer questions and clear up misconceptions.

An opposing voice to EIA testing

After 40 years of following research on EIA and talking with scientists who have done the work, Karen Brown, director of Northeast Riding Club near Choiceland, came to the conclusion current testing is flawed and should be halted.

Choiceland is located in the RM of Torch River.

Brown operates the website www.eiahorse.com/Home_Page.php, which has the tagline “Infected does not mean infectious.” The website contains information refuting the idea a Coggins test is effective and infected horses need to be destroyed.

Brown explained in an email that after six years of the original test-and-slaughter program in the United States, members of the nine research facilities gathered to discuss the situation. Seven of the nine scientiests agreed it was impossible to eradicate the disease by this method alone.

EIA is not a new disease, said Brown. It was identified in France in 1843, a country founded on the back of the horse and which had high horse populations.

“If this disease was as highly communicable and devastating as the pro-kill group implies,” wrote Brown, “we wouldn’t have any horses left to worry about.”

Brown quoted Dr. Stewart McConnell, a U.S. researcher, who said if all the inapparent carriers of the disease were removed — the ones whose immune systems were able to keep the virus from reproducing — society would be left with a more vulnerable group of horses.

“Pro killers seem to want some kind of guarantee that will ‘protect’ the horse … ,” said Brown. “This group not only continues to share misinformation, but tries to make others feel guilty if they don’t test. It is like a form of bullying.”

The cost to test horses

The SHF intends to cover half of the $60 testing fee horse owners will be charged by vets at recognized EIA testing sites, said Fiddler.

Paying $30 for a Coggins test is reasonable, said Chaplin. It’s just another expense horse owners will add to ensure the health and safety of their animals.

“In the grand scheme of things, this is not expensive,” she added.

During a period from 2006 to 2010, Brown was able calculate how much money was spent testing horses.

During the five-year period, 66,956 horses were tested at $45, translating into more than $3 million spent by horse owners. Brown was unable to determine how much the federal government spent.

“We would like to see the program stopped in its current form,” said Brown. “The Coggins test would then have the potential to be used as a horse health management tool instead of a death warrant.”

Fiddler reiterated that education on EIA is important. At the information sessions, the knowledgeable veterinarians will ensure owners understand what happens if a horse is infected with Equine Infectious Anemia.

“After communicating with many people who have had positive horses,” Brown added, “looking at herd health management efforts, looking at vector population and climate changes in different years, we believe there are better options.”

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