What is Equine Infectious Anemia?
Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) is a contagious, viral disease. EIA affects all members of the Equine species, including horses, ponies, donkeys, and mules. Once animals become infected they are life-long carriers of the virus. What are the clinical forms of EIA? There are three clinical forms of EIA, acute, chronic, and inapparant. The majority of the clinical signs of the disease are related to the reaction of the animal’s immune system to the viral infection. Clinical signs of the acute form include high fever, depression, loss of appetite, small areas of hemorrhaging on the mucous membranes, stocking up (swelling of the legs), and edema (collection of fluid) along the ventral abdomen. Clinical signs of the acute form of the virus usually appear seven to 30 days after exposure to (or infection of) the virus. Clinical signs of the chronic form of EIA include reoccurring intermittent fever, depression, lack or loss of appetite, weight loss, anemia, weakness, and incoordination of the h
