Horse owners in Vermont are asking veterinarians how to protect their animals from West Nile virus. West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne neurological illness. In the last two months, the virus has been found in three horses in Vermont – in Franklin, Addison and Orleans counties. One of the horses had to be euthanized.
Todd Johnson, the state veterinarian, says so far it doesn’t appear that cattle, sheep or other large animals will get sick. Johnson says the risk to horses is relatively low. He points out Vermont has twenty-thousand horses, and only three have been infected.