Hi,
my name is Alyssa and just recently my little pony became very ill. we don't really know whats wrong with her but we think that it might be west nile virus so... i was just wondering if anybody knew anything about how it can be treated and what you can do..
Thanks

Hello Alyssa,

Welcome to AP. I apologize for having seen your question much sooner. You did not say in your post what symptoms your pony is experiencing to help sort the issue at hand. Any information that we could give you, would be at best . . . a guess. A hands on examination is necessary to correctly diagnose and treat an illness. It is best to seek advice from a veterinarian when a pet is ill.

Below is the basics about West Nile Virus


It is important to realize that not all horses that show clinical signs of WNV have been infected with WNV. There are other diseases that have similar symptoms such as equine protozoal myeloncephalitis, Eastern, Western, and Venezuelan encephalitis, botulism and rabies to name a few. West nile has been noted since 1937 in Africa and Europe, but is fairly new to the U.S. Documented outbreaks were first noted in 1999

Mosquito’s are the primary transmitter of West Nile. Mosquitos become infected when they feed on birds which have the infection. The virus is then transmitted to the next target of what ever happens to be within biting reach of the mosquitos.

Birds are a favorite target of mosquitos and are prone to severe infection. Horses are also prone to severe infection. From what I have read, it is my understanding that the infection cannot be transmitted from animal to animal or animal to people.

In horses, the virus impedes the normal function of the central nervous system causing inflammation of the brain. Symptoms of WNV in horses include lack of appetite, depression, fever, weakness, paralysis of hind legs, muscle twitching, impaired vision, lack of coordination, head pressing, aimless wandering, convulsions, inability to swallow, circling, excitability, or coma.

Currently there is no specific treatment for West Nile in horses. Immediate Veterinary care is highly recommended and necessary.

There are vaccines against WNV available from veterinarians only and it is imperative that horses are vaccinated yearly. Horses that are stressed, such as show and race horses, should have two boosters annually, in April and late July. Horses vaccinated against eastern, western, and Venezuelan equine encephalitis are not protected against WNV.


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