{"id":5711,"date":"2026-06-26T22:01:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T22:01:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=5711"},"modified":"2026-06-26T22:01:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T22:01:22","slug":"texas-confirms-contagious-equine-virus-case-in-parker-county-donkey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=5711","title":{"rendered":"Texas confirms contagious equine virus case in Parker County donkey"},"content":{"rendered":"<div> <!-- --> <!-- --><p><span><strong>PARKER COUNTY, Texas<\/strong> &#8211; <\/span>Texas animal health officials have confirmed a case of Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHM), a neurologic form of Equine Herpesvirus-1, in a rescue donkey located in Parker County, just west of Fort Worth.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=5707\">Confirmed case of West Nile Virus reported in Montgomery County<\/a><\/p> <p>The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) is urging horse owners across the state to closely monitor their animals and follow strict biosecurity measures to help prevent the virus from spreading.<\/p> <!-- --><h2>EHM case confirmed in Parker County donkey<\/h2> <!-- --><div><\/div> <!-- --><div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5709\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/5bfa6b6379b6db093c09c5fb954119fe-768x432.webp\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/5bfa6b6379b6db093c09c5fb954119fe-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/5bfa6b6379b6db093c09c5fb954119fe-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/5bfa6b6379b6db093c09c5fb954119fe.webp 932w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n <\/div> <!-- --><p>What we know:<\/p> <!-- --><p>The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) confirmed the case on June 24, 2026, and said the affected animal is a rescue donkey.\u00a0<\/p> <!-- --><p>Officials said their epidemiological investigation indicated that the exposure is not linked to large equine events, such as rodeos. They are working with the owner and attending veterinarians to investigate the case, protect exposed animals and prevent additional spread across the region.<\/p> <!-- --><p>Owners of exposed equine have been notified and are under a hold order while the investigation continues.<\/p> <!-- --><h2>Symptoms of Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHM)<\/h2> <!-- --><p>Big picture view:<\/p> <!-- --><p>EHM is the neurologic disease associated with EHV-1. While the virus most commonly causes respiratory illness, abortion and neonatal death in equines, some infected animals develop neurological disease when the virus damages blood vessels in the brain and spinal cord.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=5705\">Johns Hopkins University lays off 110 workers after losing some federal funding<\/a><\/p> <!-- --><p>Officials are encouraging horse owners to watch for clinical signs. These may include:\u00a0<\/p> <!-- --><ul><li><span>A fever of 102 degrees or higher, which often appears before neurological symptoms,<\/span><\/li><li><span>Nasal discharge<\/span><\/li><li><span>Loss of coordination<\/span><\/li><li><span>Hindquarter weakness<\/span><\/li><li><span>Lethargy<\/span><\/li><li><span>Head tilt<\/span><\/li><li><span>Urine dribbling<\/span><\/li><li><span>Diminished tail tone<\/span><\/li><li><span>Penile paralysis<\/span><\/li><\/ul> <!-- --><p>These symptoms are not unique to EHM, laboratory testing is required to confirm infection. Horse owners who suspect exposure or observe these signs should contact their veterinarian immediately.<\/p> <!-- --><h2>How does EHV-1 spread?<\/h2> <!-- --><div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5710\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/84b55c074bdfb4113e22917e93824061-768x432.webp\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/84b55c074bdfb4113e22917e93824061-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/84b55c074bdfb4113e22917e93824061-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/84b55c074bdfb4113e22917e93824061.webp 932w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n <\/div> <!-- --><p>What they&#8217;re saying:<\/p> <!-- --><p>According to the TAHC, the virus is most commonly spread through direct horse-to-horse contact, including nose-to-nose interaction, as well as contaminated equipment, feed and water buckets, trailers and even people whose hands or clothing have come into contact with infected horses. They also state that airborne transmission is generally limited to short distances of less than 30 feet.<\/p> <!-- --><p>The TAHC tells Texans that EHV-1 typically has an incubation period of two to 10 days. Because infected horses may continue shedding the virus after becoming ill, officials recommend isolating confirmed EHM cases for at least 21 days.\u00a0<\/p> <!-- --><p>What&#8217;s next:<\/p> <!-- --><p>State officials said the investigation remains ongoing and additional confirmed Texas cases will be reported through the Equine Disease Communication Center.\u00a0<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=5702\">Man, 18, accused of dragging Sugar Land police officer during traffic stop<\/a><\/p> <!-- --> <!-- --> <!-- --> <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Texas animal health officials have confirmed a case of a contagious neurologic equine virus in a Parker County rescue donkey, prompting an ongoing investigation and warnings for horse owners to monitor their animals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5708,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,40,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-pets-and-animals","category-texas"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - 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