California's horse owners are being urged to make sure their animals are vaccinated following the confirmation of this year's first equine case of West Nile virus.

The 3-year-old quarter horse stallion from Tulare County died July 4, and hadn't been vaccinated.

Last year, 456 horses in California were known to have contracted the disease, and 200 of them died. In the great majority of those cases the horses either were not vaccinated or were vaccinated improperly.

"This case is a signal to all of our state's horse owners that West Nile is active again this year and vaccination is the best way to protect horses," said California State Veterinarian Dr. Richard Breitmeyer. "If your horses are not vaccinated or you are not sure of their status, contact your veterinarian as soon as possible to make sure your animals' vaccinations are current," he said.

Signs of West Nile virus in horses include stumbling, stag

gering, wobbling, weakness, muscle twitching and inability to stand.

Horses contract the disease from carrier mosquitoes, and are not contagious to other horses or people. Not every horse exposed to the virus will die.

For more information, click on www.cdfa.ca.gov or call the Equine West Nile Virus Information Line at (800) 268-7378. Questions may be e-mailed to CDFA at WNVirus@cdfa.ca.gov.

This story provided by StatePoint Media.