Arkansas agricultural officials are warning horse and cattle owners in the state about a potential bacterial outbreak.

Recent cases of pigeon fever have surfaced in horses near Fort Smith and El Paso.  Consequently, officials with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service say livestock owners should look for abscesses, or deep tissue infections usually near the pectoral region, that cause the appearance of a protruding breast similar to a pigeon’s.  Although the disease is unpredictable and contagious, it is curable in most cases.