NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In the rural sector, the animals that most commonly attract rabies are raccoons, skunks, bats and foxes. But horses?

Last month, Tennessee State Veterinarian Samantha Beaty confirmed a horse in Bedford County that died tested positive for rabies. In October of last year, after presenting for neurologic symptoms, a horse in Cocke County was euthanized, and a necropsy conformed a positive rabies infection.

Just a week earlier and along the Tennessee-Georgia state line, a 5-year-old Paint gelding in Habersham County, Ga., was confirmed positive for rabies. The horse, along with six others, was observed grazing near a skunk three weeks prior to developing clinical signs.

“Incidence of rabies in horses is relatively low, but we’ve seen two cases in Tennessee in the last five months,” Beaty said. “This neurologic disease is fatal, so livestock owners should consult their veterinarians about protecting their animal through vaccinations, as that is the easiest and most effective means to protect against the disease. Additionally, it is strongly advised against feeding or housing wild animals as pets.

“Rabies in horses is invariably fatal. Clinical signs of rabies in horses vary, are easily confused with other diseases, and often progress rapidly. The rabies vaccine is recommended as an annual core vaccine for all equids.”

According to the American Association of Equine Practitioners, rabies is rare among horses, adding that equines account for less than 1 percent of all rabies cases in the U.S. More than 90 percent of rabies cases are transmitted by the animals mentioned above. Every year, about 30 to 60 cases of rabies in horses are confirmed in the United States.

“We’re not certain how the horse in Bedford County contracted rabies, was it rats or raccoons? We’re not certain,” Beaty said. “The most common route of exposure is through a bite wound from an infected wild animal such as a bat, skunk or raccoon.”

In Tennessee, rabies vaccines must be administered by a licensed veterinarian. Cattle and horses are the most frequently reported infected livestock species. The most common symptoms can include neurologic deficits such as circling, head pressing, or paralysis and behavioral signs such as anorexia, irritability, or hyperexcitability. Other commonly reported clinical signs include colic, lameness, urinary incontinence, muscle tremors, fever, depression, aggressiveness, convulsions or hyperesthesia.

Beaty said no treatment for horses currently exists and without a cure, rabies prevention becomes crucial.

While rabies is primarily transmitted from animal to animal, Beaty warns that the human population is at risk as well, and horse owners could be infected by their own horse if it has rabies.

“Human exposure to rabies does not have to involve a bite from an infected horse. Contact of skin or mucosa with the horse’s saliva could transmit the disease.

“People who have been potentially exposed should seek prompt medical attention,” Beaty said. “The rabies virus is transmitted through direct contact, such as broken skin or eyes, nose or mouth with saliva or brain tissue of an infected animal. The most common route of exposure is through the bite wound from an infected animal. It is possible, though rare, to get rabies from non-bite exposures such as scratches, abrasions or open wounds that are exposed to saliva or brain tissues from an infected animal. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), other types of contact, such as petting a rabid animal or touching blood, urine, or feces of a rabid animal are not associated with risk of infection.”

According to Beaty, diseases associated with horses include Salmonellosis, ringworm, anthrax, brucellosis, cryptosporidiosis, Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), St. Louis Encephalitis (SLE) and tickborne diseases.

Small rodents (like squirrels, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, chipmunks, rats and mice) and lagomorphs (including rabbits and hares) are almost never found to be infected with rabies and have not been known to transmit rabies to humans.

The incidence of rabies in both wild and domestic animals is on the rise. Veterinarians across the nation agree that it’s not uncommon for pastured or stalled horses to be unknowingly exposed to wildlife. Most exposures aren’t noticed, and most bite wounds aren’t found. Most importantly, vaccination of horses against rabies is generally safe and highly protective.