Are vaccinations actually worth it?

[doodle]

Poor Robin is unwell. He is swelling before my eyes. He normally reacts to jab at the site. Gets Danilon for a week. This time he seemed ok. Tonight he is very much not ok. He got jabs 9am Tuesday which is the confusing thing as he should have reacted before this. He has reacted worse this time. I’m wondering if it is actually worth putting him through jabs. He no longer does BE or pony club. He maybe will do the odd unaff dressage but no jabs meant I couldn’t do them then fine. Putting him through this every year (and last year twice a year of course) seems really cruel.

And yes vet has been called. I have to go Back in a couple of hours. I am really worried ?

 

[Shilasdair]

Only you can make the judgement as to whether it is worth it.

One of mine is vaccinated, the other has issues with her immune system so isn't. I just avoid her meeting new horses if I can.

 

[doodle]

He’s on a livery yard which dosnt have a huge turn over but there is some. The bull on the yard died from tetanus, I saw the body after and I wouldn’t want him to go through that tho.

 

[SpeedyPony]

If he's not going out to shows, could you only vaccinate against tetanus and leave the flu? At least then it's only every 2 years he has to be jabbed.

 

[conniegirl]

If he doesnt go anywhere then just vaccinate for tetanus.
Also where you have a horse jabbed can affect swelling levels etc.
I used to have a show pony who swelled enormously if given in his neck or chest so he was always jabbed in his bum

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

AS above, if you don't go anywhere just stick with tetanus & don 't bother with flue. Tetanus is a must, it's a terrible disease. extremely painful & invariably fatal.

 

[doodle]

Would he still react to the tetanus vaccine tho? Of course I don’t want him to get ill but he is I’ll just now having the vaccination. The bull is the only case I have heard of but that doesn’t mean anything. I would love to have the option of doing the odd prelim test but if we have to forgo that then I will.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Most don't react to the flu/tet bug but the carrier for it. Have you tried a different brand of vaccine?

 

[SEL]

I react to tetanus quite badly so they no longer do it in my arm. Not sure where your horse has his jabs but somewhere with a bit more blubber works better for me!

 

[maggie62]

My Apple had reactions to different brands, this was before I got her. My vet contacted her previous vet and told me it was too risky to vaccinate her and it was up to me if I wanted to take a chance on her getting just the tetanus vacc. I know that reactions can get worse with subsequent doses so decided not to chance my horse dying of anaphylaxis. My insurance have already told me she wouldn't be covered for any allergic type reaction. I am only out hacking but do worry about tetanus .

 

[doodle]

Most don't react to the flu/tet bug but the carrier for it. Have you tried a different brand of vaccine?

I have no idea tbh. I’ll look in his passport tomorrow or quiz the vets.

I react to tetanus quite badly so they no longer do it in my arm. Not sure where your horse has his jabs but somewhere with a bit more blubber works better for me!

First reaction was in his neck. So he now gets in his chest so even if he grows an extra big boob he can still eat. This time was also his chest.

 

[doodle]

My Apple had reactions to different brands, this was before I got her. My vet contacted her previous vet and told me it was too risky to vaccinate her and it was up to me if I wanted to take a chance on her getting just the tetanus vacc. I know that reactions can get worse with subsequent doses so decided not to chance my horse dying of anaphylaxis. My insurance have already told me she wouldn't be covered for any allergic type reaction. I am only out hacking but do worry about tetanus .

That’s interesting about the insurance and something that has gone through my mind. I have never claimed for a reaction as it is usually just 5 or 6 days Danilon. But obviously this is a known reaction with him so they may not pay. From seemingly having not reacted this time to actually a worse reaction than last year is worrying me.

 

[conniegirl]

That’s interesting about the insurance and something that has gone through my mind. I have never claimed for a reaction as it is usually just 5 or 6 days Danilon. But obviously this is a known reaction with him so they may not pay. From seemingly having not reacted this time to actually a worse reaction than last year is worrying me.

Worth baring in mind though that if you don’t vaccinate insurance will definitely not pay out for anything related to the diseases covered by the vaccine and some insurance companies will not pay out at all f your horse os not up to date with vaccines as it is in the insurance contract that you have to keep them vaccinated.

I’d try injecting in the bum, they tend to react less there

 

[doodle]

Very good point. I would need to look into it. Thanks. Maybe should try one last time and try his bum.

 

[maggie62]

I disclosed vaccine reactions prior to insuring her, that's why allergic reactions are not covered. I am not prepared to play russian roulette with any vaccine, it is often the preservatives that cause the problem. My vet left the final decision to me but I felt left with not much choice.

 

[doodle]

Looking at small print of insurance is says (understandably) that flu and tetanus would not be covered but nothing about the policy being invalid.

 

[Marigold4]

You could have a titre test done to measure your horse's immunity levels. Research suggests that if the vaccinations were started properly in the first place, immunity can last for several years longer for some diseases than the recommended vacc intervals. Then at least you could keep the vaccinations to a minimum and you would know that your horse was safe in between vaccs. I have had a titre tests done for my dog and she needed "annual" vaccinations done every 3 years. It cost twice as much as the vaccinations but I didn't want to over vaccinate and was interested to know.

 

[Follysmum]

Two of Mine have always reacted to the flu jab so now they are in their 20’s and retire me will only have tetanus.

 

[Lammy]

Adding onto what another poster has said, you do need to know if it is an allergic reaction or not. Allergic reactions will get worse each time and there’s no telling when the next reaction will be anaphylaxis. I had to stop my old mares injections as I couldn’t risk it any more, it’s a difficult position to be in but different brands were still triggering the allergic reaction. My other horse doesn’t react at all thank god.

 

[orangeversion]

Poor Robin is unwell. He is swelling before my eyes. He normally reacts to jab at the site. Gets Danilon for a week. This time he seemed ok. Tonight he is very much not ok. He got jabs 9am Tuesday which is the confusing thing as he should have reacted before this. He has reacted worse this time. I’m wondering if it is actually worth putting him through jabs. He no longer does BE or pony club. He maybe will do the odd unaff dressage but no jabs meant I couldn’t do them then fine. Putting him through this every year (and last year twice a year of course) seems really cruel.

And yes vet has been called. I have to go Back in a couple of hours. I am really worried ?

It is up to whether vaccinations worth it or not. Some horses have positive reaction some does negative. If you feel it is not worth then don't give. Or you can test your dog to know about his Immune system.

 

[doodle]

. Or you can test your dog to know about his Immune system.

Robin is a horse, hence posting in horse forum.

 

[HelenBack]

It's definitely worth looking to see what brands he's had as if he's only been given one brand you might find he's okay with a different one. My horse is completely fine with one brand, okay with another one so long as he has some bute for a few days either side, and had such a terrible reaction to a third brand that the vet agreed he should never have that one again.

The other thing my vet told me is that if they're reactive it can work better to give the flu and tetanus separately as it's usually the fluid that holds them together they react to rather than the vaccine itself.

If he's had reactions to several brands and they're getting worse though I'd probably leave it. If most of the other horses on your yard are vaccinated you will hopefully have herd immunity for flu and if he were to get a nasty injury you could always give him a tetanus shot then to try and prevent him getting ill.

 

[GoldenWillow]

Hope Robin is doing better this afternoon. My cob for the last few years has had a reaction to vacs, this year was a flu and tetanus year so as vet was out earlier on for other pony I split his flu and tetanus jabs. Both were done in chest as is normal for him now, he had no reaction to tetanus vac but a bad (sore swollen boob, stiff in front, not rolling or lying down even on 2 x bute) to his flu jab.

When he has had a bad reaction needing the vet there was no charge as vaccination company paid for it. This does seem dependent on individual vets, other pony had a bad reaction one year and attending vet said it wasn't bad enough to report and I had to cover the costs.

My insurance policy says vaccinations must be kept up to date, whether this means claims regarding to flu and tetanus would be excluded or all claims I don't know.

 

[doodle]

He’s fine in himself which is great. Some improvements in the various swellings but back leg still big. Within the hour of being in, front leg was swelling again. That is not normal. He has had 6 Danilon in 24hrs so unless a miraculous improvement tomorrow am it will be a vet job. Temp more normal and stable.

Looking at the small print of insurance it just says flu and tet would not be covered if not vaccinated (which is fine) but I would ring and check.

The first time he reacted the vaccinations company paid but that was just a course of Danilon. Is it worth trying to get them to pay again? This year was flu and tet so not sure if that has made it worse.

 

[maggie62]

My worry with the vaccines are if they have more than just localised reactions and have respiratory depression due to airway swelling/ sweating/hypotension due to increasing levels of histamine going round the body. This is anaphylaxis and requires immediate treatment with adrenaline and antihistamine and is life threatening. I know my Apple had a severe reaction so for her it is not worth the risk. Any horse can have an anaphylactic reaction even if they have had the vaccines for years, so everyone has to decide what's right for their horse.