Flu likely cause as 102 horses die at BLM facility in Canon City
CAÑON CITY, Colo. (KRDO)-- Eight more horses are dead Friday at a correctional facility in Cañon City, bringing the total number of animals lost to 102. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is now saying it is tied to a strain of horse flu.
The Colorado Department of Agriculture put out a release Friday, trying to explain to horse owners what this all means, and if it could spread to their horses.
Thursday night, the BLM chalked up the recent spate of deaths to a highly contagious strain of horse flu, H3N8. According to the BLM, the horses were more vulnerable than they would normally be, after having their respiratory systems weakened by last year's wildfire smoke.
State veterinarians say the H3N8 virus is highly transmissible amongst horses, with an incubation time of about 1- 3 days.
The horses in Cañon City are now under strict quarantine, and the state believes the illness won't escape the facility. But, the state says horses could still be exposed to the virus elsewhere, as the strain is common in both domestic and wild horses across the country and world.
