The importance of shots???

[midwestrocket]

Soooooo...if you're on this forum alot you will of already read my previous post about a lease horse returning to me with a whole list of problems...:mad: He is underweight, has a hoof issue and NOW I find out that he did not receive his spring vaccinations!!!!!!!(ewee, west nile, strangles, potomac horse, rabies blah blah blah).

Seriously? Wow. That is just SUPER! ................not.

My question is a direct result of the recession! :(
I am wondering if it is absolutely necessary to vaccinate this horse now....I understand some shots cannot be given if they were done only a few months prior...so if I do get him vaccinated can he be vaccinated next spring with the rest of my horses with no negative effect? Or do I let it slide and not vaccinate and pray a ravid fox doesn't chew on my geldings ankle....sigh...need to find that money tree.....:(

[Laurierace]

Assuming he was vaccinated regularly in the past I would make sure his tetanus is still good and that he is in complance with the law as far as rabies goes and leave it at that. Some places say every year, some places say every three years with rabies. If his rabies is still valid yet you wanted to make yourself feel better you could get him a five way. That is less than $20 most of the time.

[midwestrocket]

Its 18 bux through jeffers. But the vet is coming out monday to examine his messed up hoof and whatever is ABSOLUTELY necessary I'll have her stick her with....I hate to have to pinch pennies like this but its been a baaaaaad year :(

[ChocoMare]

I would never skip Rabies and Tetanus. And since you're in Maryland, don't miss Potomac ;)

[hoopoe]

in my opinion the most essential is tetanus, particularly if there is going to be any work on the hoof that might open a wound ( old abscess dig out etc)

The other ones can wait, I personally would not bother with strangles myself. West Nile rabies and Potomac you can talk to the vet. Rabies is more an issue of state regulations that that waining protections.

[Androcles]

Assuming he was vaccinated regularly in the past I would make sure his tetanus is still good
How do you make sure his tetanus is still good?

Some places say every year, some places say every three years with rabies. If his rabies is still valid yet you wanted to make yourself feel better you could get him a five way. That is less than $20 most of the time.

I know vets have gone to a 3 year schedule with dogs (with the same vaccine) but I haven't heard that for horses yet.

[deltawave]

I'd default to doing a tetanus booster right away. They're dirt cheap at TSC. Tetanus is totally dreadful and virtually totally preventable, with minimal risk.

[Ghazzu]

How do you make sure his tetanus is still good?

I know vets have gone to a 3 year schedule with dogs (with the same vaccine) but I haven't heard that for horses yet.


I don't know anyone who vaccinates dogs for tetanus--they're pretty naturally resistant.


Vaccination intervals for rabies vaccines are set by the regulatory authorities.
Rabies vaccines have to go through fairly rigorous testing to get a label claim for DOI.

Most vaccine companies aren't going to pend the $$$ on DOI tests in horses in order to show that you need to use their product less frequently.

There is a new equine labelled rabies vaccine with a 14 month labelling.

[Ozone]

Flame me if you want but I ONLY give a rabies (for show purposes) to my horses. Some of the ones that do not leave the farm get nothing.

This being that ALL shots are only 60%/40% ... our end being on the 40% which tells me they are not effective at all.

I will do everything and anything for my horses but I do not believe in shots.

I've had a few situations where brood mares go to breeding farms (we all know the mare has to be shotted, boosted and re-boosted before they step hoof on breeding farms) well, we lost a prize girl from something she caught at the breeding farm and endured a few other situations.

The shots did NOTHING for the mares. :no:

[Androcles]

I don't know anyone who vaccinates dogs for tetanus--they're pretty naturally resistant.
.

That part of the discussion was about rabies, not tetanus.

[Ghazzu]

That part of the discussion was about rabies, not tetanus.

I thought it might be, but the two (rabies and tetanus) were comingled such that it wasn't entirely clear.

[Ghazzu]

Flame me if you want but I ONLY give a rabies (for show purposes) to my horses. Some of the ones that do not leave the farm get nothing.


Might depend on where you live.
I've submitted enough rabies positive wildlife to the state diagnostic lab to want to make sure my horses *are* vaccinated.


This being that ALL shots are only 60%/40% ... our end being on the 40% which tells me they are not effective at all.

I'm not sure what ratio is represented by this number--60/40 what?
Rabies vaccine has to be way more than 60% effective to get a license.
Some other vaccines are pretty useless, IMHO.



I will do everything and anything for my horses but I do not believe in shots.

Believe or not, they do exist.
Intelligent usage is the key.


I've had a few situations where brood mares go to breeding farms (we all know the mare has to be shotted, boosted and re-boosted before they step hoof on breeding farms) well, we lost a prize girl from something she caught at the breeding farm and endured a few other situations.

Was it something that she was vaccinated for?
If so, what?


The shots did NOTHING for the mares. :no:

Did the horse die of rabies?

[midwestrocket]

Tetanus and rabies it is than. :) thx guys :D

[Ozone]

Might depend on where you live.
I've submitted enough rabies positive wildlife to the state diagnostic lab to want to make sure my horses *are* vaccinated.

That's great for piece of mind, I agree. I do vacc. my show horses for rabies, that one I do get.

I'm not sure what ratio is represented by this number--60/40 what?
Rabies vaccine has to be way more than 60% effective to get a license.
Some other vaccines are pretty useless, IMHO.


60% NOT Effective. 40% are, this is coming from my vets and I am only stating what I was told from a licensed Vet

Believe or not, they do exist.
Intelligent usage is the key.

True, and I am making the intelligent decision not to use shots.


Was it something that she was vaccinated for?
If so, what?

Yep Up and down vaccinated for everything. Rhino, very sad ending.


Did the horse die of rabies?

Nope read above.

[Ghazzu]

60% NOT Effective. 40% are, this is coming from my vets and I am only stating what I was told from a licensed Vet

Well, it's a totally meaningless number.
Efficacy of vaccines varies widely.
Rabies vaccine is pretty damn effective.
Rhino vacccine considerably less so.



Yep Up and down vaccinated for everything. Rhino, very sad ending.

I imagine it was.

[Laurierace]

Horses don't die of rhino. Well I guess you could be the incredibly rare exception. Maybe you meant the neurologic form of EHV-1? If so was the entire barn put under state mandated quarantine until everyone tested negative 21 days after the last signs were gone?

[Ghazzu]

Horses don't die of rhino. Well I guess you could be the incredibly rare exception. Maybe you meant the neurologic form of EHV-1? If so was the entire barn put under state mandated quarantine until everyone tested negative 21 days after the last signs were
gone?

I would suspect that it would depend on where and when the event took place.

[AKB]

Ozone, whether or not your horse is showing probably doesn't substantially influence the risk of rabies. I'm not sure why you only give rabies vaccine to the show horse. A show horse who never leaves the stall is at less risk of rabies than a horse who is turned out. Where we live, in Virginia, raccoons, bats, cats, groundhogs and other outdoor critters commonly have rabies. If your horse is bitten and hasn't had the vaccine, he may get rabies. Then, you will have a dead horse and will have to spend thousands of dollars on multiple shots of rabies immune globulin and rabies vaccine for anyone who was around the horse.

I see people with rabies exposures regularly. The immune globulin shots and the vaccine are not fun. I don't understand why people won't pay a few dollars for rabies vaccine for their horses instead of taking a chance of going through the ordeal of a rabies exposure. I saw a family a few months ago who lost both of their unvaccinated dogs to rabies. It was awful.

[hank]

If I could afford only ONE vaccine for my horse, it would be rabies. This is because it is the only disease with a vaccination that YOU can get from the horse. AND, it seems to work, I have not in my lifetime ever witnessed a dog, cat or horse with rabies. Wildlife, yes, and it's pretty ugly.

[SFrost]

I am not sue why people don't vaccinate against rabies. There are A LOT of people who never even think about it. My horse was 5 before he ever got a rabies vaccine. He was in AL and for whatever reason, vets don't vaccinate against rabies unless you ask. I think that is just crazy.

I literally just re-vaccinated my horse for rabies. (As he was due.) It was $12. I find it hard to believe that people would take that chance of having an unvaccinated horse. It puts risk to yourself, other horses and other people. It is simply not worth it.

[MistyBlue]

Rabies is something I never ever miss getting done. Mainly because I have seen animals in late stage rabies. :no: Damned horrendous...let me tell you any written or spoken description can''t even come close to that horror. :eek: :no:
So no, rabies is something I'd never ever assume is not needed. No, we don't hear often of many pets getting rabies and sometimes we get complacent thinking it only happens to wildlife or strays. But that's not true, and unless you can guarantee 100% that your animals will never ever come into any contact at all with wildlife or strays, pay the few bucks and get the vaccine done in a timely manner on a regular basis. Because if it does ever happen to a pet, the image of what rabies does to an animal will haunt you for the rest of your life. It does me, and none of the animals I've ever seen with it were mine. Can't even imagine if any were my own well loved pets. :cry:

[JB]

I don't know why anyone wouldn't vaccinate against rabies AND tetanus.

Tetanus is everywhere in the soil, and horses are particularly susceptible to it.

Both vaccines work, and work well.

[Ben and Me]

Not to mention, animal rabies vaccines are ~$20/each...Human rabies vaccines are around $300/each. If you have good health insurance, not an issue (other than the fact that they're pretty painful!) but if you dont....:eek: Why take the risk of a potential exposure to a fatal disease? Rabies isn't uncommon. Plus, there was a post on hear a few weeks/months ago from a woman who had to quarantine her horse for 6 MONTHS because he hadn't been vaccinated and was exposed to another animal with unknown vaccine history.

[luckeys71]

If you are in MD, then you definitely want to vaccinate for EEE and WNV, unless you keep your horse in a Ziplock bag. I am just a bit south of you and every year we have cases in the area and the Health Depts. keep flocks of "sentinel chickens" to monitor for exposure to both. I have seen just recently in the local paper, stories of a horse death from EEE in Chesapeake (unvaccinated) and the Norfolk Health Dept. finding EEE in the sentinel chickens. EEE and WNV are not quick or pretty deaths, either.

We, also, see reports of rabies in wildlife on a regular basis throughout the entire area and just this week there was a case in a dog locally.

[midwestrocket]

Is EEE the same as the one they as ewee??? I'm sure I'm spelling that wrong...lol

[JB]

midwest, there is EEE, WEE, and VEE. All are Equine Encephalomyelitis.

E is Eastern, W is Western, and V is Venezuelan (which is not necessary in the vast majority of the US - just if you're in proximity to South America.

[Ozone]

Ozone, whether or not your horse is showing probably doesn't substantially influence the risk of rabies. I'm not sure why you only give rabies vaccine to the show horse. .


You have to provide a rabies certificate at shows that's why my show horses get the shot.

[deltawave]

Where is it that shows require proof of rabies vaccine for horses? I've shown (showed?) in probably 15 different states in the US--never been asked to show proof of rabies vaccination. :confused:

[Bluey]

I have seen a horse die from tetanus and one survive after months of intensive care and a few calves die with it.
I think that not vaccinating horses for tetanus, when they are so very susceptible to it and the vaccine is very effective and safe, is foolish all around.:eek:

[Ghazzu]

Where is it that shows require proof of rabies vaccine for horses? I've shown (showed?) in probably 15 different states in the US--never been asked to show proof of rabies vaccination. :confused:

Deerfield Fairgrounds in NH requires it, I believe Eastern States strongly recommends it.
Some local shows here (including 4-H) require it, as well.

[deltawave]

Well good for New England, I say! :)

[Ghazzu]

Well good for New England, I say! :)


Being knee deep in an epizootic "helps".

[deltawave]

My poor little niece and nephew, who live in CT, and spend weekends in NH, had to get vaccinated because their mom found a bat "acting strangely" in their room and the kids both had "unexplained" scratches and nicks all over them--probably nothing, the kids had spent the weekend outdoors, but nobody was taking chances. :no:

[JWB]

Rabies isn't required by law down here. I was in my teens before it even became common practice to vaccinate for it! That said, it's not expensive and it's just scary enough that I don't mess with it.

Does anyone run titers on their horses? I know it is commonly done in dogs when people don't want to expose their pets to unneeded vaccines but want to ensure that the animal still has protection. It doesn't save any money since the test is a bit pricey but I have a friend with an epileptic whippet - they don't like to put anything in her that can trigger seizures. She's been four years without any vaccines because they get the exemption through her titers every year which show she has natural immunity built up.

[midwestrocket]

he got a 5 in 1, a rabies and west nile... topped with a laminitis exam lol

[gypsymare]

Where is it that shows require proof of rabies vaccine for horses? I've shown (showed?) in probably 15 different states in the US--never been asked to show proof of rabies vaccination. :confused:

Many state parks/national forests require it, too. I know I needed one for a CTR clinic in the NJ pine barrens awhile back.

[Nibs]

I was just about to sytart a thread asking this very question! Thanks COTHers, Rabies and Tetnus it is!

[Drummerboy]

Rabies is required by law in MA and you must present proof to show, along with the coggins.

[Ghazzu]

Rabies is required by law in MA and you must present proof to show, along with the coggins.

It is not required by MA law to have a horse vaccinated for rabies. (It is highly recommended.) It may well be a requirement of show management.

[pezk]

Some states will not recognize titers. Ma.is one of them. That means a dog owner must vaccinate against rabies as per the State Brd of Health's Vaccination schedule. Even with a history of vaccination, an encounter with wildlife where the dog is bitten or scratched must result in a 1yr booster and quarantine in the owner's home for 2 weeks.
So check with your state about titers being legal. I don't know if the schedule applies to horses but with rabies I wouldn't take the chance. I wouldn't want to be liable for anyone coming in contact with a horse that has been exposed to rabies and not vaccinated.
pezk