*A New Study Suggests......

Light Colors - Greater Risk?

Got a light-colored horse - white, gray, palamino, dun or bucksin?  All the more reason to make sure you keep him adequately vaccinated against the mosquito-borne West Nile virus.

Results of a recent study indicate that light-colored horses infected with WNV are 4.4 times more likely to die of it or be euthanized than their darker counterparts.  The study was conducted at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatchewan, Canada.

Although reason for the difference remains unknown, the researchers suggested that immune reponse in horses might be linked genetically to the coat color.

*Reference:  Horse & Rider April 2008