A Quarter Horse stabled at Los Alamitos, which will hold its next Thoroughbred meet in December, was discovered to be suffering from Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) in late September and has been euthanized. An additional six horses, all Quarter Horses who also tested positive for EIA, were euthanized at the California track Wednesday and Thursday.
The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) issued the following advisory late Thursday afternoon:
“The California Horse Racing Board was notified on September 24 that Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) was identified in a Quarter Horse at Los Alamitos. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is currently overseeing the situation and monitoring the ongoing investigation.
“Under the order of the CDFA and dictated by state and federal standards, that first infected horse was euthanized, and biosecurity measures were put in place. Nine additional horses were placed in a quarantined cohort group and subsequent testing identified six additional confirmed positives. Of the six additional confirmed positives, four horses were euthanized on October 2, and the remaining two were euthanized on October 3, again under the order of the CDFA and dictated by state and federal standards. The other three horses that tested negative will remain quarantined and retested in 60 days. Additional details of these deaths can be found on the CHRB website under the Veterinary tab.
“All fatalities are reported on the CHRB website on a weekly basis consistent with existing statutory requirements. More information about EIA is available at equinediseasecc.org.
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