Coat Color and West Nile Virus in Horses
Ever been outdoors with a group of people and noticed how some seem to end up mosquito bait while others aren’t bothered at all? I’m Jeff Keane and I will be back in moment to tell you that it’s like that as well with horses. Susan, you’ve mentioned that mosquitoes don’t seem to bother you but that they eat your husband Kelly up alive, isn’t that true with horses? Maybe I’m just sour or something ! But yes Jeff, researchers from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Canada have discovered what I find to be fascinating . Light colored horses; grays, whites, palominos, buckskins and duns are at a higher risk of dying form West Nile than dark colored horses; (browns blacks and sorrels.) What is odd though is that the darker horses are infected more often with West Nile but typically recover. Light colored horse were 4.4 percent more likely to die or be euthanized. Why would that be? Researchers aren’t sure but the study suggests that that there might be a genetic link between the horse’s immune system and its coat color. I wonder what category my mare would fall under,like the horse in the Wizard of Oz she is a horse of a different color, black in the winter, blue in the fall and silver in the summer? Got me! … if she is light in the summer she won’t attract as many mosquito’s and if she turns dark she’d have better odds of surviving the disease. Hey, Just keep her vaccinated, it’s cheap protection!
