Hendra virus diagnosis

Unfortunately mid last week there was another Hendra diagnosis made at Newcastle

The horse presented as lethargic & off feed with some minor neurological symptoms. The attending veterinarian did a fantastic job and wore full PPE & administered basic pain relief as allowed & took samples.

The horse passed away within 24 hours. After this the samples sent to DPI NSW returned a positive diagnosis for Hendra (for the original strain). The horse was unvaccinated.

Unfortunately there was high exposure of the owner to the horse prior to veterinarian attendance and no doubt this will be a scary time for them

So far there has not been a vaccinated horse contract Hendra virus. This still remains the best way to keep your horse, you, your family and your veterinarian safe.

Yes Hendra is uncommon & I realise & respect that not everyone wishes to vaccinate but the reality is if contracted results in death - to humans (50%) and horses (100%). This is an incredibly high risk to take.

You will also not have access to a referral hospital if your horse is not vaccinated until exclusion can be returned.

We do attend Hendra unvaccinated horses however as per Workplace health & safety requirements are only allowed to provide basic pain relief and take samples. Samples need to be send to Sydney DPI and are not tested on weekends, so it can take 2-4 days to get samples returned.

The major signs of Hendra are as follows: (note that some horses only display one of these signs).

- Lethargic, dull, off feed - Temperature - Colic symptoms - Nasal discharge & trouble with respiration. - Neurological signs

If you have any questions and would like to talk about vaccinating your horse against Hendra virus please call / txt Nikita on 0459 594 753