By Morgan Donnelly
Published: July 18, 2011

The gate to the Roanoke Valley Horse Rescue is closed, and it won’t open again for another month; due to a voluntary quarantine.

“We just wanted to make sure no on gets infected because of these horses being infected,” says rescue owner, Pat Muncy,

The number of horses with equine strangle is up from 5 last week to now 8. Equine veterinarian Chris Sumner says with this contagious illness, the quarantine is a safety precaution for other horse owners.

“It would be really risky for them to come in and than carry it back home. It could cause a larger outbreak if she allowed horses or people in,” says Sumner.

Equine strangles is so contagious no one except Muncy and the vet can go near the horses.

“When I am helping pat at the rescue this has to be my last call everyday,y and than I have to go clean up everything vigorously before I go see other horses,” says Sumner.

Pat Muncy, the owner of the rescue, believes some one came to the rescue who had come in contact with the illness. While people can carry the illness, they will not experience symptoms because we cannot be infected with it. It does not affect us the way it does horses. Muncy says once the quarantine is lifted, things are going to change.

“When they first come in it is wash your hands and we will have to be a little bit more dilegent about doing that again,” says Muncy.

Muncy believes the horses will make a full recovery and hopes they can re-open the rescue by mid august.