New Brunswick horse virus scare shows need for public large-animal care, says vet

New Brunswick’s recent health advisory about a virus impacting horses underscores the need for publicly funded services for large animals, say two industry advocates.

The province’s chief veterinary officer issued a health advisory Sunday warning of a potential exposure to the Equine Herpesvirus Type 1 at a horse show in Sussex, N.B., last month.

Jordan Koivu, owner of Maritime Equine Veterinary Services, said Tuesday some horse show operators have cancelled their events, and the virus appears to have been contained.

2:16 New Brunswick horse owners warned about potential virus exposure

But she and others say the situation shows horse owners need quick access to veterinary care that may no longer be available after New Brunswick stops funding that service at the end of March 2027.

“There’s extra stress for the horse community in New Brunswick right now due to the termination of the provincial vet service in 2027,” Koivu said by phone.

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The province’s Liberal government has said public tax dollars shouldn’t be used to subsidize hobby farms, non-commercial livestock and equine facilities.

The government announced earlier this year it would cut its provincial veterinary field and laboratory services as part of its budget plans, citing an annual deficit that has since grown to $1.66 billion.

Critics have said the some $4 million in savings isn’t enough to justify scrapping the public program.

Koivu, who practices in two Maritime provinces, says some New Brunswick veterinarians have already left for jobs in other jurisdictions, leaving rural horse owners worried about what comes next.

“If the horse is sick and they need to have a veterinarian see it, it might take three or four days to get a veterinarian out to see the horse,” she said by phone Tuesday.

“And, by then, it could have already got eight other horses sick.”

Deanna Phelan, president of the New Brunswick Equestrian Association, agreed.

“The problem is that our province is very large geographically, and there’s a lot of time between calls,” Phelan, who also owns Geary Hill Stables outside Fredericton, said.

“And it’s hard to make money because you’re in the truck driving more than you’re seeing animals.”

A spokesperson for the New Brunswick government did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Phelan said the worst-case scenario would be the Equine Herpesvirus spreading “like wildfire” without being addressed, leading to euthanasia.

Nicole Wanamaker, the province’s chief veterinarian, issued the warning to exhibitors and horse owners and trainers who attended the 4-H Round Up Show at the King’s County Fair Draft Horse Show on Tuesday.

Her notice said a horse that participated in the show had been in the same boarding facility as another horse that recently tested positive for the virus.

The virus, known also as EHV-1, is highly contagious and can cause respiratory disease, neurological disease and pregnancy loss in horses.

The veterinarian has urged attendees to isolate horses that were at the show from those who were not for 14 to 21 days, and monitor their animals closely for signs of fever, lethargy or reduced appetite.

Phelan said she expects Wanamaker to give an update in the near future on how containment of the virus is going. She noted that if other horses had caught the virus in Sussex, they would likely have started showing symptoms by this point.

“We might be out of the woods by then if there’s been no other cases reported” by Friday, she added.