Equine Infectious Anemia can be equated to that of AIDs, only in horses.  Equine Infectious Anemia is a viral disease and we have no vaccine or cure for the disease.  Many horses succumb quickly to EIA and other horses may appear to recover, although the virus is still lurking in their bodies.  This is very similar to HIV and AIDS in humans.  Some people will succomb quickly while others will live for years and never seem to miss a step.

Equine Infectious Anemia is spread through horseflies.  The large horsefy is of main concern as they are the most common form of transmission.  The fllies bite an infected horse and then they bite a healthy horse.  That is all it takes for one horse to catch the virus.  The virus will not live very long in the horsefly, only about 15 to 30 minutes so the newly infected horses are usually very close tothe infected horse.  This disease can occur anywhere that a horsefly lives.

There are different symptoms that occur and are ranked by the horse's condition.  Acure infection will cause a horse to have a fever, be depressed and have no appetite.  The acute horse is the most difficult to diagnose because the symptoms are general and can appear to be anything.  The horse will not test positive with a Coggins Test for more than a month and a half.  Approximately one third of all acute horses will die within a month.

The chronic horse will have bouts of illness.  They will have weight loss, swollen legs and bellies and be anemic.  They will test positive on a Coggins test and many of these horses will live a year or longer before they succumb to the disease. 

Asymptomiatic horses do not show signs of the disease but will test positive on a Coggins test.

The Coggins Test was designed to ensure that horses were not harboring the virus and showing no signs of illness.  The Coggins Test test for Equine Infectious Anemia antibodies in the horse's blood.  The blood samples must be taken and sent to a state approved laboratory.  Many vets at auction houses and stockyards are able to provide immediate results for owners who are buying or selling horses at the facility.  Some states are also requiring that the horse tests negative before the horse can be sold to a different owner.  You must also check to see how often the test is to be performed when hauling animals into different states.  Most boarding barns, shows and transported horses must be tested and be negative.

EIA killed a large number of horses every year in the 1970s.  This was before the test was developed and the testing has been very successful in reducing the number of horses that are diagnosed each year.  For the safety of your own horse, only board at barns that require a negative Coggins and only allow horses on your property that have tested negative as well.