It’s springtime, and with it brings the riding season and the bugs as well. As horse owners, if we haven’t already, we need to start thinking about protecting our riding buddies against the diseases that are most likely to affect them. So, let’s talk about the diseases our horses get, who should be protected, and when we should vaccinate them.
All horses need what are called the “core” vaccines. These protect against the diseases that horses get from just being in their environment. These diseases include Rabies, Eastern and Western Encephalitis, West Nile, and Tetanus. We all know that Rabies is passed via a bite from a rabid animal, Eastern and Western encephalitis and West Nile are passed through mosquitos, and Tetanus comes from wounds. However, most people don’t know that the bacteria causing Tetanus can actually be found in the soil, so it can actually be contracted while eating. Previously, protecting your horses from these core diseases required giving three shots. However, Zoetis, the manufacturer of the vaccines we buy here at Hayes Equine, have come out with a new vaccine called Core EQ Innovator™. This combines all of the protection against these core diseases into one easy to give vaccine. Also, through their special filtering process, Zoetis has been able to make the Core EQ Innovator™ even less likely to cause reactions than other vaccines.
While every horse should be vaccinated for the core diseases, there are some horses that should be vaccinated for the “Risk Based” vaccines. These vaccines protect against diseases that horses might get in certain situations. The most common diseases we vaccinate for here in Texoma include Equine Influenza and Equine Herpesvirus or Rhinopneumonitis (rhino-new-mo-nitis). These are both respiratory diseases that horses get when they come into contact with other horses. Herpesvirus has other forms besides the respiratory form such as the neurologic form and the abortive form. We can vaccinate pregnant mares for the abortive form, but we can’t vaccinate for the neurologic form. You may have also heard about several outbreaks of Herpesvirus in Las Vegas, Colorado, and Minnesota. The challenge with these outbreaks is they are causing neurologic symptoms without having the neurologic mutation. The best thing horse owners can do is to vaccinate for the respiratory form, even though it won’t give total protection from developing neurologic symptoms. Herpes should be vaccinated for every six months, but for those horses travelling extensively, consider boostering every 3 months. Vaccinating in the spring for the core diseases and flu/rhino involves a simple 6-way vaccine and a rabies shot.
Other risk-based vaccines that you may consider are the Pneumabort-K given to pregnant mares at 5, 7, and 9 months of gestation to try and avoid abortion, and Leptospirosis. Leptospirosis is a bacterium that likes to live in stagnant water, and can cause shifting lameness and uveitis (inflammation of the eye). Some people also like to vaccinate for Strangles, however this comes at some risk to the horse, so be sure to discuss it with your veterinarian before choosing to vaccinate. Mares might also be vaccinated for rotaviral diarrhea, but this is for babies that are in areas that have rotavirus problem.
Many people are starting to worry about over-vaccinating their animals. We’ve had many requests to start doing titers instead. However, the problem with titers is that nobody has studied what a “protective” titer is in the horse. So, we can send off a blood sample and test how many antibodies for a certain disease are in a sample of blood. However, when we get a number back, we have no idea if that number is high enough to actually prevent disease.
One other thing to think about is that vaccine companies 100% back their vaccines. So, if you’ve properly vaccinated your horse for West Nile, and your horse comes down with it, Zoetis will pay for up to $5000 for diagnostics and treatment of your animal. HOWEVER, this is only if your veterinarian administers the vaccine. This will not be done if you buy your vaccines at Valley Vet or Tractor Supply and give them yourself. Even if you buy the vaccine from us and give them yourself it won’t apply.
As we are starting to prepare for the hot months, be sure to get your horses vaccinated for those core diseases. Those of you doing lots of travelling or having issues with specific diseases, be sure to include your risk-based diseases. And don’t forget your boosters! Immunity for the mosquito diseases starts to wane after about 7 months, so it’s not a bad idea to at least booster West Nile in August or September, since Texas has a long mosquito season. Also, horses that are receiving their first vaccines, or have an unknown vaccine history, should be boostered several times at one-month intervals before they are considered protected. Foals can be vaccinated as young as 2-3 months, especially if the mare wasn’t given her pre-foaling shots or if you don’t know the mare’s history. Otherwise, foals can be started at 6 months and given their boosters at 1-month intervals. If you have any questions about what diseases your horse should be vaccinated for or when, please call your veterinarian to discuss your options.
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