On May 6, 2026, veterinarians confirmed that an 8-year-old Quarter Horse at a private facility in Douglas County, Nebraska, tested positive for the respiratory form of equine herpesvirus. The gelding, which had recently been purchased at a sale in Iowa and transported to Nebraska, began showing clinical signs on April 6. The attending veterinarian reported that the horse had a cough, snotty nose, petechiae (tiny dots on the skin, caused by the leakage of blood from tiny capillaries under the skin) inside the muzzle and gums, and swelling of the limbs, sheath, and other parts of the body. He is currently affected and alive.
EDCC Health Watch is an Equine Network marketing program that utilizes information from the Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC) to create and disseminate verified equine disease reports. The EDCC is an independent nonprofit organization that is supported by industry donations in order to provide open access to infectious disease information.
EHV 101
Herpesvirus is highly contagious among horses and can cause a variety of ailments in equids, including rhinopneumonitis (a respiratory disease usually found in young horses), abortion in broodmares, and EHM.
In many horses, the first or only sign of EHV-1 infection is fever, which can go undetected. In addition to fever, other common signs of EHV-1 infection in young horses include cough, decreased appetite, depression, and a nasal discharge. Pregnant mares typically show no signs of infection before they abort, and abortions usually occur late in gestation (around eight months) but can be earlier. Abortions can occur anywhere from two weeks to several months following infection with EHV-1…