You can find a lot of misleading, incorrect or opinion tainted information searching on the internet. Have you thought about where you might look on the internet to find factual data or information? When you have agriculture or equine disease questions, visit the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services website, FreshFromFlorida.com.
For horse lovers, owners, and breeders, FreshFromFlorida.com has a section devoted to the horse/equine industry. The quickest way to find it is to go to the ag department’s home page and do a search for “Horse/Equine.” Under this heading, there are four helpful subsections, Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM), Equine Movement Requirements, Florida’s Reportable Equine Disease Map, and Marks and Brands Registration.
https://www.freshfromflorida.com/Divisions-Offices/Animal-Industry/Agriculture-Industry/Horse-Equine
The Reportable Equine Disease Map is an interactive way to look at disease occurrence within the state. The map shows the number of occurrences by county for each month and a running total for the state.
Florida’s reportable equine diseases are
-Strangles
-Rabies
-Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE)
-West Nile virus (WNV)
-Equine herpes virus (neurological form)
-Equine infectious anemia (EIA)- This is the disease Coggins test checks for.
-Equine piroplasmosis
You can stay informed on what is happening in your area (equine and non-equine related) by subscribing to Commissioner Putnam’s e-mail updates.
Another great source of factual equine information is The American Association of Equine Practitioners at www.aaep.org. This site has articles covering a huge variety of topics, horse health guidelines, and recommendations and allows you to search for a veterinarian in your area.
This column is sponsored by Polk Equine
BIO: Dr. Katie Hennessy graduated from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in 2008 with a degree in large animal health and equine medicine. She completed an advanced internship at The Equine Medical Center of Ocala and is currently the owner and practicing veterinarian at Polk Equine. Her expertise ranges from small and exotic creatures to large animals, specializing in equine medicine.