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Equine Medicine: CEM Quarantine

At our CEM Quarantine Facility, each horse is provided with a large stall, access to an outside paddock and is kept separate from other animals during the quarantine period. 

Stalls are heated in the winter. We pride ourselves in offering specialized care to our CEM client horses. The fees include this customized care.

Federal law requires that all imported breeding horses over the age of two from any country that is known to have Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM) go to a CEM quarantine facility for rigorous testing and treatment. Geldings are not considered breeding horses. The EHC-SP serves as the only North Carolina site for the US Department of Agriculture’s CEM Quarantine and Treatment Program. CEM is a venereal disease of horses caused by bacteria and spread through breeding. Ultimately, CEM results in a mare’s inability to conceive. Stallions can carry the bacteria, but do not show clinical signs of the disease.

To Schedule Your Horse(s) for CEM Quarantine:

Call Mona Gardella at 910-692-8773, Monday through Friday (excluding holidays), between 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM EST. Space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please call for a reservation as early as possible.

Costs listed below are estimates, for more detailed information and a quote* please call Mona Gardella, Facility Manager, at 910.692.8773. *Receiving a quote does not constitute a reservation.

Stallions: $6,531 approximate cost. Length of stay is 35 days.*

Mares: $2,900 approximate cost (without foal). Length of stay is 21 days.*

Mare and foal: $ 3,056 approximate cost. Length of stay is 21 days.*

*Actual number of days is dependent on the actual date of arrival to the facility and federal/state holidays, if any, during the horse’s stay.

If additional charges accrue (e.g., additional board, farrier work, foaling fee, etc.), we will notify the owner in advance and payment must be made before the horse can be released from the facility.

Once you have scheduled your horse for CEM Quarantine, send a signed consent form, along with the booking deposit within ten working days. The $1,000 booking deposit (per horse) must be paid within ten working days of scheduling; otherwise, the reservation will be cancelled and the slot made available to the next person on the waiting list. The deposit is applied towards the total cost of the quarantine. Payment may be made by check or credit card. Checks should be made payable to “NCSU”.

Horses that arrive at the CEM Quarantine Facility have been treated and tested prior to departure from their respective countries. They are tested further at the port of entry (usually New York) for Equine Infectious Anemia (Coggins), Dourine, Glanders & Equine Piroplasmosis. If results are satisfactory, they are transported under seal to the CEM quarantine center. The owner or the shipping agent arranges for transportation to and from our facility. Upon arrival, the horse(s) identification is confirmed and a general clinical inspection is performed. The CEM testing and treatment process then commences as soon as possible. An EHC-SP staff person will contact the horse owner (or authorized agent) on the first working day (Monday through Friday) following the horse’s arrival at our facility to coordinate any special care needs.

If your horse should require any other veterinary treatment, we will notify you and a staff member of the NCSU, College of Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital will provide treatment. Please advise us if you wish to have your horse de-wormed, vaccinated or treated for any condition while in quarantine.

The price of $6,531 per stallion includes board for 35 days, use of two test mares, cultures, blood tests and cleaning required for the CEM testing protocol. To complete testing of each stallion, two mares must be maintained and tests performed to establish their CEM-free status. Ovariectomized (no ovaries) mares are used for the test breeding so that they can be easily synchronized and no pregnancy can result. They are bred to the stallion, then cultured and a blood sample taken to establish that no CEM bacteria have been transmitted from the stallion to the mare. Cultures must be incubated for 7 days each. This procedure is essential to validate a negative result. Once all these procedures are completed, the stallion may be released.

The price of $2,900 per mare includes board for 21 days, cultures and cleaning required on a defined schedule throughout their quarantine period. Mares can be started on their testing schedule Mondays and Thursdays. They are cultured on Day 1, Day 4 and Day 7. Cultures have a 7 day incubation period. The mare then must go through a 5-consecutive-day cleaning process. Once all cultures are reported to be negative and the cleaning process is completed, the mare may be released.