What You Need to Know About EHV-1 Neurological Horses and the 2025 Outbreak With Dr. Bruno Karam

If you watched videos last fall of horses stumbling and struggling to stand, what happened with EHV-1 neurological horses during the 2025 outbreak was more complicated than social media suggested. In this episode of the NOËLLE FLOYD Podcast, Noëlle sits down with equine internal medicine specialist Dr. Bruno Karam for the clearest explanation of what EHV-1 is, why it sometimes turns neurological, and what every horse owner needs to know before the next outbreak.

You'll learn how nearly every horse already carries EHV-1 latently, how stress and travel trigger shedding without symptoms, and why EHM — equine herpes myeloencephalopathy — begins in the respiratory tract and ends with blood clots cutting off oxygen to the spinal cord. Dr. Karam also explains why the western show circuit created a near-perfect storm in November 2025, how the EHV vaccine reduces risk even though it doesn't prevent EHM, and why taking your horse's temperature twice daily — and knowing their individual baseline — is one of the most powerful tools you have.

You'll walk away knowing how to monitor your horses, why reaching for Banamine too fast can mask early warning signs, and which biosecurity habits at shows make the biggest difference.

Subscribe to the NOËLLE FLOYD Podcast — formerly Dear Horse World — wherever you listen.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN

• Why nearly every horse already carries EHV-1 latently — and what triggers shedding with no visible symptoms
• The exact biological pathway from respiratory infection to spinal cord damage that causes EHM
• Why the western show circuit's travel structure created exponential exposure chains in 2025
• What the EHV vaccine actually does and doesn't do, and why it still matters for herd immunity
• How to take and interpret your horse's temperature using their individual baseline, not just 101.5°F
• Why giving Banamine at the first elevated temp can mask early outbreak warning signs
• The most overlooked transmission vector at shows: human hands moving between horses

To find out more about Dr. Bruno Karam DVM - Pilchuck Veterinary Hospital - Equine

This episode is sponsored by Pegasus Training & Rehabilitation Center

Here at Pegasus, our mission is to run a first class horse training, rehabilitation, and conditioning facility; provide horses of all disciplines with full and complete care of the highest quality; partner with our clients to ensure that we not only meet, but exceed, their individual goals and needs; and maintain our facility and equipment with the highest level of care.

To find out more about Pegasus - website | instagram | facebook

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CHAPTERS & TIMESTAMPS

[00:00] Introduction to Dr. Bruno Karam, Equine Internal Medicine Specialist

[00:38] What an Equine Internist Does and Why It's Unique

[02:00] Memorable Cases — From Yellow Fat Disease to Aspiration Pneumonia

[09:34] What Is EHV-1 — Horse COVID Explained

[11:10] How EHV-1 Spreads and What Recrudescence Means

[13:11] Why Some Horses Go Neurological and Others Don't

[16:00] Shedding Explained — Subclinical Carriers and Transmission

[18:06] Vaccines for EHV — What They Do and Don't Protect Against

21:00] Vaccine Risk, Hesitancy, and How to Think About Risk Assessment

[24:28] The 2025 Outbreak — What Really Happened in Texas Before NFR

37:38] What Horse Owners Can Do — Monitoring and Biosecurity at Shows