Hawthorne: Sixth horse euthanized due to equine herpesvirus

A horse trained by David Reid had to be euthanized Friday morning at Hawthorne, the sixth equine life lost at the track since an equine herpesvirus outbreak began Oct. 14.

The deceased horse already had been diagnosed with the EHV-1 virus and was being housed in the Hawthorne EHV-1 isolation barn, according to Illinois state veterinarian Dr. Dawn Folker-Calderon. The animal had a fever that was reported to the state vet’s office on Saturday, Dec. 1, at which time a sample to be tested for EHV-1 was taken, later returning a positive result.

Friday’s fatality does not reset the quarantine that’s been imposed on Hawthorne by the Illinois State Department of Agriculture, according to Folker-Calderon. The quarantine will be lifted 28 days after the most recent EHV-1 positive horse displays the disease’s serious neurologic symptoms. A horse trained by Mike Reavis was euthanized Dec. 1 and later tested positive for EHV-1, and the quarantine clock remains set with that date as a starting point.

The horse that had to be put down Friday followed a different pattern than the other horses that have suffered the most severe manifestation of the virus. Previous cases have moved into the dire neurologic phase of symptoms with little or no warning; the Reid horse had remained stable for several days after running a fever until being stricken with a loss of coordination Friday.

Folker-Calderon also said new policies are in place governing horses shipping into Hawthorne, a practice that has been allowed during the quarantine. Folker-Calderon said 2-year-olds, which are at greater risk of contracting the EHV-1 virus, no longer would be permitted to ship to Hawthorne, and that any such horse that has arrived at the track during the quarantine will be moved to an isolation area.