But on any day the potential exists for someone to do the wrong thing unwittingly and bring the disease here. A highly transmissible virus of animals caused foot and mouth disease. It affects cloven-hoofed livestock such as cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, deer and wild ruminants. It does not affect horses or companion animals such as cats and dogs, and does not affect humans. Signs of foot and mouth disease in animals are high temperatures, drooling of saliva, and the presence of blisters on the tongue, in the mouth and around the hooves.
Affected animals appear lame and are sick.