WAUPACA COUNTY (NBC 26) — A highly contagious equine disease has been reported in the Fox Valley, prompting the Waupaca County Fair to cancel all horse-related events this year as a precaution.
Strangles, a bacterial infection that affects horses, has raised concerns as county fair season gets underway across the region. The disease causes swelling in a horse’s lymph nodes, along with fever and fatigue, and can spread quickly when animals gather at shows and fairs.
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Veterinarian Rob Blohowiak, founder of Great Lakes Equine, has been treating horses in the Valley for 20 years. He said the disease spreads easily through direct contact and shared equipment.
“Simply a horse blowing at another horse, sharing water sources, nose to nose contact, that’s how it gets passed,” Blohowiak said.
Blohowiak said 92-98% of horses recover, but some cases can become severe.
“This isn’t something that should cause panic, and for the most part because this is a disease that doesn’t have a high mortality rate,” Blohowiak said.
A single case has been reported on a Neenah-area ranch.
“It also shouldn’t be taken lightly,” Blohowiak said.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, or DATCP, strangles is caused by the bacteria Streptococcus equi and can spread through direct horse-to-horse contact or contaminated equipment and materials.
Fair officials said the decision was made after project leaders learned one or potentially more Waupaca County Horse & Pony Project horses may have been exposed to a confirmed case of equine strangles in a neighboring county. As of the announcement to families, no Waupaca County project horses had tested positive.
Because fairs and horse shows bring together horses from multiple farms and locations, organizers said avoiding that gathering was the safest option to reduce the risk of transmission.
Waupaca County Fair Board Member Sadie Ritchie confirmed all horse events have been canceled for this year’s fair.
“We did have to cancel all the horse shows, so we won’t have any horses here this year,” Ritchie said.
The cancellation impacts members of the Waupaca County Horse & Pony Project, many of whom spent months preparing for the fair. Organizers said the horse show originally scheduled for August 28 has been rescheduled for October 10.
“We still will have all our other animals, so there’ll still be plenty to see,” Ritchie said.
For the first time, Waupaca County Fair will have elephant and sting rays for people to see, along with their usual fair animals.
Fair officials emphasized the remainder of the Waupaca County Fair will continue as planned. The fair begins August 25.
