About Coggins Horse
Disease
Coggins horse disease is the common name for equine infectious anemia (EIA). The test used to diagnose EIA in a horse is known as the Coggins test, and thus sometimes EIA is also called Coggins. Other common names for EIA are horse malaria and swamp fever. EIA is an often fatal disease that is highly contagious to other horses.
Cause
EIA is caused by a virus. The EIA virus is most often spread by mosquito, deerfly or horsefly bites. The insect bites a sick horse, becomes a carrier of the EIA virus and then bites a healthy horse, which becomes infected. EIA can also be transmitted through needles or other veterinary equipment that hasn't been properly sterilized. The equipment touches a sick horse and then when it touches a healthy horse, the virus is passed on.
Symptoms
Symptoms come on swiftly and intensely. They include high fever, lack of energy, anemia, trouble breathing or heavy breathing even while at rest and pounding heartbeat even while at rest. If a horse presents these symptoms, a veterinarian should be called immediately.
Time Frame
Once a horse has the EIA virus in its system, it becomes a carrier of the disease for the remainder of its life. Sometimes horses will seem to recover spontaneously after a few weeks but then these symptoms reoccur (called attacks) regularly for the remainder of their lives.
Significance
A horse with EIA does not often have a long lifespan because the virus not only enlarges the spleen but can cause significant weight loss. Also, the horse is technically considered dangerous to other horses because they are a carrier. Owners of a horse with EIA face the grim choice of keeping the animal in isolation from other horses and addressing the ongoing symptoms of the disease or having the horse euthanized.
Prevention/Treatment
There is no vaccine or any other known way to prevent EIA other than to keep EIA horses away from healthy horses and to maintain protection from biting insects. There also is no specific medication to treat a horse suffering from EIA, other than intravenous fluids and painkillers to treat symptoms.
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