What Vaccinations Does Your Horse Really Need?

I’m sure you have read many articles where the author recommends this or that or a combination of these vaccinations without really explaining why your horse really needs them. This can be eliminated if you simply answer a few basic questions of what you wish to do with your horse.

The one most important vaccine is the Encephalitis and Tetanus. This vaccine is important to ALL horses of all ages because infection with the Eastern variety of encephalitis and also with Tetanus is usually fatal. The vaccine usually comes with the Eastern, Western varieties combined with the Tetanus. If a mare is pregnant, she should be of course be vaccinated every six months but also at the first of the tenth month of pregnancy to get a higher level of protection to the foal in the milk. The foal should then be vaccinated at 2, 3, 4 and 6 months of age and thence every six month. If you acquire a new horse and are unsure of its vaccination history, vaccinate it with EWT upon acquisition, repeat in 4-6 weeks and then every six months. In Florida I recommend adding the Venezuelan variety (VEWT).

Influenza and rhinopneumonitis are upper respiratory viruses that can make a horse really sick. This is recommended for horses that are around a lot of other horses, go to shows, travel a lot or are stressed a lot. Again, vaccinate initially with two vaccinations, the second 3-4 weeks after the first. This vaccine should minimally be given annually, but given more often is a lot of showing is done.

Strangles is a bacterial infection that causes a severe illness of horses. Again, recommended for horse in crowds, for showing, traveling a lot or in an area where there has been reported cases of Strangles. It too, should be started off in pairs 3-4 weeks apart and boostered on an annual basis.

Potomac Horse fever is an intestinal condition of horses causing extreme diarrhea. It too should be given to horse that mix with horses outside your area, showing, traveling a lot or in endemic(areas where it occurs a lot). Initially given in 3-4 week pairs then annually is usually adequate.

Rabies is gaining in demand due to the increasing exposure to raccoons that seem to come up around the house or barn. Any horse in a high raccoon population area or in woody rural area should consider the vaccine. Given only in one shot each year, the horse gets adequate protection.

Should you have questions of which is best for your particular horse please contact us and we’ll be happy to assist you.