Falmouth Farm Animal Rescue Temporarily Closes After Horse Dies

FALMOUTH, MA — Serenity Farm, a farm specializing in animal rescues, adoption and education, has temporarily closed after a horse died from a possible virus. The farm's owner Anne Jennings said in a Facebook post a horse had to be euthanized, and for precaution, the farm is closed pending test results to make sure other horses do not get sick.

Jennings said the Johnny the 12-year-old horse belonged to a friend was euthanized Sunday after developing the neurological virus Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM). Last week two horses, including Johnny, had slight fevers and were lethargic.

Jennings said the fevers passed after three days, but Johnny then became weaker, wobbly on his feet and wasn't eating. He eventually fell down and couldn't get back up.

Johnny already had week hind legs and was being given vitamin E supplements to help with it, but the virus likely made the horse's condition much more debilitating.

"It's surreal. It's literally a nightmare, you want to scream and yell ..." Jennings said on the farm's Facebook page. "This is Renee's (Jennings' friend) first horse, he is very special, the sweetest man without a mean bone in his body ... "Please please keep Renee in your thoughts, hug your horses, so cliche but so so necessary."

The farm paid for testing for 16 infectious diseases. Jennings said she doesn't expect anything else to show up, but is doing this out of caution. She said test results should start coming in Tuesday.