News Releases
Saint Paul, Minn - The unexpected death of four pet rabbits in Hennepin County was linked to Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2 (RHDV2), which was confirmed in one of the carcasses. The positive rabbit was lethargic, quiet and limp before its death and was submitted to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL) in late July to determine a cause of death. The VDL observed
Saint Paul, Minn - The Minnesota Board of Animal Health releases its temporary poultry exhibition ban today, Friday, July 1. Animal health officials first enacted the ban in April and extended it twice to reduce the potential risks of spreading Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). The ban included all poultry swaps, fairs, exhibitions and other events where live poultry and susceptible birds
Saint Paul, Minn - The Minnesota Board of Animal Health extends the statewide ban on poultry events until Friday, July 1, 2022. Animal health officials first enacted the ban in April and extended it once already to reduce the potential risks of spreading HPAI. The ban includes all poultry swaps, fairs, exhibitions and other events where live poultry and susceptible birds are brought together and
Saint Paul, Minn - The Minnesota Board of Animal Health’s temporary statewide ban on poultry events is extended until Wednesday, June 1, 2022. The state and federal response to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Minnesota has been underway for more than a month since the virus was first confirmed on March 26, 2022. Animal health officials enacted the temporary ban last month for all
Saint Paul, Minn - Dr. Beth Thompson, State Veterinarian and Board of Animal Health Executive Director, announced she is resigning from her position effective May 8, 2022. She accepted the state veterinarian position in her home state of South Dakota. Current Assistant Director, Dr. Linda Glaser will begin serving as Interim State Veterinarian on May 9, 2022.
“When the state veterinarian position
Saint Paul, Minn - Due to multiple detections of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Minnesota and surrounding states, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health is issuing a 31-day statewide ban on all poultry sales and exhibitions effective Friday, April 1 through Sunday, May 1. The ban includes all live poultry community sales, swaps, fairs, exhibitions and other events where live poultry and
Saint Paul, Minn - H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been confirmed in poultry flocks in Meeker and Mower Counties. Samples collected from both flocks were tested on March 25 at either the Minnesota Poultry Testing Laboratory (MPTL) or the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL) and were confirmed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary
Saint Paul, Minn - H5 LPAI does not pose a health risk to the public, and there is no food safety concern for consumers
Routine testing by the Minnesota Board of Animal Health found H5 low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) in a commercial turkey flock in Kandiyohi County, which has been confirmed by the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratories. H5 LPAI does not pose a risk to the public, and
Saint Paul, Minn - In response to the recent confirmation of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2 (RHDV2) in Ramsey County, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health is authorizing licensed veterinarians to order and administer a RHDV2 vaccine manufactured by Medgene Labs. The vaccine is available in 25 dose vials and could start shipping to Minnesota veterinarians as early as next week.
“After consulting
Saint Paul, Minn - Two Ramsey County indoor rabbits died suddenly and inexplicably earlier this month from a highly contagious rabbit disease detected for the first time in Minnesota. When the second rabbit died shortly after the first, the owner, a veterinarian, submitted it to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL) to investigate the cause of death. The VDL described
Saint Paul, Minn - Horses in two Minnesota counties have been confirmed with two different equine diseases after they were euthanized following deteriorating conditions. An Itasca County mare was confirmed to have Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), which is spread to horses by mosquitoes. A Washington County mare tested positive for Equine Herpesvirus (EHV-1), which is easily spread between horses
Saint Paul, Minn - A 3-year-old Quarter Horse filly in Wadena County tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV) last week. A veterinarian was called to examine the horse on August 19th because it was unable to stand on its rear legs. The filly did not have an elevated temperature and was eating and drinking while down. The veterinarian decided to collect samples for WNV testing and provided
Saint Paul, Minn - The special meeting of the Minnesota Board of Animal Health scheduled for Wednesday, July 28 to review farmed Cervidae rulemaking has been postponed. New statutory language from the 2021 special session grants concurrent authority of farmed white-tailed deer to the Board of Animal Health and Department of Natural Resources. Crafting the bounds of that shared regulatory oversight
Saint Paul, Minn - Twelve additional white-tailed deer tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in the infected Beltrami County farmed deer herd, five adult does and seven fawns. The Board of Animal Health (Board) first reported this CWD positive herd in April when a 3-year-old doe tested positive for the disease. Earlier this month, the remaining 54 animals in the herd were depopulated
Saint Paul, Minn - During its quarterly meeting on Wednesday, April 21, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health approved a measure allowing its farmed cervid program to use a streamlined process to change one of its rules. Minnesota Rule 1721.0420, subpart 3, currently allows a farmed Cervidae herd owner in a CWD endemic area to continue moving animals if they meet certain criteria like having
Saint Paul, Minn - A 3-year-old white-tailed doe at a Beltrami County farm has been confirmed CWD positive by the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratories. This herd was quarantined in October 2020 as part of the Board of Animal Health investigation of the previously reported Houston County CWD detection. The Beltrami County herd owner purchased 11 animals from the Winona County herd also
Saint Paul, Minn - Test results following the late-January depopulation of a Houston County white-tailed deer farm confirm nine additional cases of chronic wasting disease (CWD). Results from the National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed the detection of CWD in five does and four bucks. The farm first detected CWD in a 2 ½-year-old white-tailed deer in October 2020 (read the 2020 release
Saint Paul, Minn - A Minnesota tiger is confirmed positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, based on results from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories. The tiger lives at The Wildcat Sanctuary in Pine County, Minnesota. The sanctuary veterinarian reports the 21-year-old female Sumatran/Bengal tiger received supportive care and has
Saint Paul, Minn - Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been confirmed at a Houston County white-tailed deer farm. A 2 ½-year-old white-tailed doe tested positive for CWD after it died; all farmed cervids that die or are slaughtered must be tested for CWD. The herd has been quarantined and the herd owner is cooperating with the Board of Animal Health’s (Board’s) CWD investigation, which includes
Saint Paul, Minn - A reindeer herd on exhibit in Dakota County has eight confirmed cases of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD), which affects members of the deer family, Cervidae. The herd’s veterinarian first noticed a male reindeer appeared sick in late August and when it died, they quickly worked with the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory to determine the cause. The