What are the signs and symptoms of West Nile encephalitis in horses?
In horses that do become clinically ill, the virus infects the central nervous systems and causes symptoms of encephalitis. Clinical signs can include: loss of appetite, depression, fever, weakness of hind limbs, paralysis of hind limbs, impaired vision, ataxia, head pressing, aimless wandering, convulsions, inability to swallow, circling, hyperexcitability or coma. Many of these symptoms are similar to horses with rabies, Equine Protozoal Meylities (EPM) equine encephalitis and other serious neurological diseases. If symptoms are present, a veterinarian should be contacted immediately.
