Board of Animal Health announces change of leadership

The Board of Animal Health announced today that Dr. Marion Garcia will no longer serve as Executive Director and State Veterinarian for the Board, effective immediately. The members appreciate Dr. Garcia’s service protecting the health and welfare of Minnesota’s livestock … Continued

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza confirmed in Meeker County

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been confirmed in a Meeker County commercial turkey flock. Samples were tested over the weekend at the Minnesota Poultry Testing Laboratory (MPTL) and were confirmed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services … Continued

Board appoints new executive director

The six-member Minnesota Board of Animal Health has named Dr. Marion Garcia as its new executive director and state veterinarian. The Board selected Dr. Garcia to succeed Dr. Beth Thompson, who left the agency in May of this year and … Continued

CWD confirmed in quarantined Winona County deer herd

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has been confirmed in a four-year-old doe in a Winona County white-tailed deer herd. This herd has been officially quarantined since October 2020 and is part of the Board of Animal Health’s (Board’s) investigation into the … Continued

West Nile virus confirmed in Kandiyohi County horse

Postmortem test results confirmed Minnesota’s first reported West Nile virus case of 2022 this week. In late July, an unvaccinated 4-year-old Quarter Horse mare from Kandiyohi County was euthanized due to deteriorating neurologic conditions. Tests were ordered to confirm a … Continued

Minnesota poultry exhibition ban released

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 … Continued

Minnesota poultry exhibition ban extended to July 1

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. … Continued

Temporary ban on Minnesota poultry exhibitions extended

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 … Continued

State veterinarian stepping down to serve in South Dakota

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. … Continued

Vaccine authorized for recently confirmed rabbit disease

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 … Continued

Highly contagious disease confirmed in pet rabbit

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 … Continued

Two different horse diseases detected in Minnesota

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 … Continued