Equine Immunizations
Equine Immunizations
The key to keeping your horse in the best health possible
is to institute an effective preventative medicine program.
Along with parasite control, proper immunizations are the
key in preventing disease before it occurs. This is especially
critical in regards to an immunization program since many
of these diseases have no treatment regimen available, and
others are difficult and expensive to treat with a generally
poor prognosis.
The need for protection against certain diseases also de
pends on the use of the horse (broodmare, show horse), ex
posure factors (does it travel, or is it kept at a public stable),
and location within the Commonwealth. Your veterinarian
is the ideal professional to determine the type of program
that is best suited to your farm and your pocketbook.
There are constantly new products being introduced,
such as the recent intranasal vaccines that have been devel
oped against influenza and strangles. How these should be
adapted into your program is a subject that you and your
veterinarian need to discuss to keep your horses at the peak
of health.
The following are the most commonly used vaccines in
Pennsylvania: 1) Tetanus, 2) Botulism, 3) Rabies, 4) Rhi
nopneumonrtis, 5) Influenza, 6) Encephalomyelitis-both
Eastern and Western types, 7) Potomac Fever, 8) Strangles,
9) Rotavirus, and 10) Equine Viral Arteritis.
There are no vaccines presently available in horses for
Lyme Disease, Equine Protozoal Myelitis, or Equine Infec
tious Anemia (Swamp Fever). Unfortunately for some dis
eases, such as Eastern and Western Encephalomyelitis,
there are no consistently successful treatments so vaccina
tion is your only protection.
Rabies, which also has obvious public health implications
for you and your family, is untreatable in the horse with a
100% mortality rate. Rhinopneumonitis infections can
cause abortions in pregnant mares.
Although vaccinations should be a routine part of your
horse’s preventative health care program, their importance
is anything but routine. Please contact your veterinarian for
further information.
Source: Unionville Equine Associates.