08/21/2020
WHAT IS A COGGINS TEST AND WHY DOES YOUR HORSE NEED ONE?
Most horse owners know that a negative Coggins test is a document required to be able to transport their horse across state lines, enter them in a competitive event, or board at someone's barn.
Does this mean your horses don't need to be tested if you keep them at your place and don't travel with them? The answer is: NO.
A "Coggins" is a blood test that can only be performed by USDA-approved laboratories and checks for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) antibodies in the horse's blood. EIA is a potentially fatal blood-borne infectious viral disease that produces a persistent infection — which means that infected horses become lifelong carriers, as there is no vaccine and no treatment.
EIA is transmitted by biting flies, particularly horseflies, so your horse is at risk even it never travels or lives in a closed herd. If a horse becomes infected, the clinical signs of disease can vary dramatically, from an acute infection with slight to high fever for a few days and perhaps small hemorrhages, to progressive weakness, weight loss, depression, and disorientation. EIA also has an inapparent form; affected horses might only show a slight fever for a day or be totally without clinical signs of the infection.
If a horse tests positive for EIA, they will serve as a lifelong source of disease transmission to other equids; at that point the owner can only choose between quarantine and isolation for the rest of the horse's life (minimum 200 yards away from all other horses), or humane euthanasia.
Bottom line: yes, a Coggins test is a necessary travel document; but it's also first and foremost a way to identify and remove EIA carriers, to ensure that large outbreaks of the disease don't take place.
To learn more about EIA, visit our website at https://aaep.org/horsehealth/equine-infectious-anemia