Infectious equine anemia was recently detected in the Racehorse population in California, according to a June 6 announcement from the California Jockey Council Executives, Dr. Scott Chaney and Dr. Timothy Grande, Official CHRB Veterinarian.
On May 2 and May 26, respectively, two Quarter Horses were confirmed positive for EIA when tested for entry into the racecourse. In addition, 24 cases were confirmed EIA positive on May 20 among exposed horses.
A previous investigation conducted by the California Department of Agriculture and Foodstuffs identified a population of Quarter Horses at high risk of participating in unregulated racing. Risky practices are believed to have contributed to the transmission of this disease, such as sharing needles and other medical equipment or using illegally obtained contaminated foreign blood products. Based on the increase in detection, the CDFA recommends increased surveillance for the High-Risk population and requires evidence of recent negative Coggins testing of horses new to the facility.
Effective immediately, any Quarter Horses who are not continuously placed in the CHRB enclosure must have a negative result (EIA test) within 90 days prior to arrival date in order to be allowed entry into the CHRB enclosure. This includes both interstate and domestic shippers.
Furthermore, any Quarter Horse originating from a property in Tulare County must have a negative Coggins 30 days prior to the date of arrival in order to be allowed entry into the CHRB enclosure.
Bilingual information on EIA can be found at CDFA website.
