Louisiana officials have confirmed at least 10 horses have died from Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), and another 10 are believed to have had the mosquito-borne disease.

Equine owners in East Texas, or persons who plan to haul their animals to the area, should make sure their horses have been vaccinated against the disease.

Planning to take equine animals to events, or transporting pack animals to Colorado or New Mexico for hunting?

Due to the continuing Vesicular Stomatitis (VS) outbreak in Colorado and New Mexico, animals traveling into Colorado or New Mexico must have an examination by an accredited veterinarian prior to returning to Texas. The negative examination results by the Colorado or New Mexico veterinarian may be recorded on the certificate of veterinary inspection that accompanied the animal, if the certificate is still valid (less than 45 days old). Otherwise, a new certificate of veterinary inspection must be issued by the accredited veterinarian in Colorado or New Mexico.

The following statement and the accredited veterinarian's original signature must be recorded on the certificate of veterinary inspection: "The animals represented on this certificate of veterinary inspection have not originated from a premise or area under quarantine for vesicular stomatitis or a premise on which vesicular stomatitis has been diagnosed in the past thirty days. I have examined each animal and have found no signs of vesicular stomatitis."

The Colorado Department of Agriculture lists cases and affected counties on its web site at: http://www.ag.state.co.us/animals/VSV/VSVWebsite.html For information on cases in New Mexico, contact the state veterinarian's office at 505-841-6161.

If you have any questions, please call the Texas Animal Health Commission's permit department at 1-800-550-8242, ext. 777.

Do you have Texas heifers going to a Colorado feedlot? Import requirements:

Texas heifers one year of age or younger are to be officially calfhood vaccinated against cattle brucellosis prior to entering a Colorado feedlot.

If the Texas heifers are NOT vaccinated, they must enter the Colorado feedlot under a Colorado entry permit. These heifers will then be permanently identified in the Colorado feedlot by cropping the distal on third of the left ear. If heifers are NOT vaccinated, this fact should be noted on certificates of veterinary inspection issued prior to movement from Texas.