Does anybody not vaccinate?

A

AWinter

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 February 2021
Messages
298
Visit site
Moving horses home soon to be in a closed herd of 4, none will leave the yard except if they needed to stay in the vets. Would you still do flu vaccines?
 
Most of the larger charities only vaccinate for tet (ever other year). I've had a couple on loan from 2 different ones and had to start a course of flu from scratch with both (my choice).

In closed herd, with nobody going offsite to compete and assuming they aren't turned out next to a bridleway and have had a good few years of flu vacs to date, no I wouldn't bother for flu.
 
Last edited:
Flu, it depends, and if I didn't have to I probably wouldn't, as the vaccine can disguise other virus symptoms to the detriment of the horse.

But tetanus, why the heck would anyone not vaccinate for tetanus? It's really cheap to do, once the initial two are done then you only need it every other year, and if anyone doesn't know what happens to an animal (or person) with tetanus, it is absolutely horrible.
 
I have had stay at home ponies which I did only for tetanus. It's a vile way to die and the bacteria lives in soil.

The tetanus injection is not the same jab given at an emergency as it is when given routinely.

The one given as an emergency is tetanus anti toxin to neutralise the poison that has already started. It isn't guaranteed to work, please don't ever rely on it being able to be given in time. The other jab is a vaccine like any other vaccine to prevent it developing in the first place, imo it's absolutely essential.
.
 
Mine are kept at home in a closed herd with no bridleways nearby.

I used to only do tetanus every other year for the retired ones but now I only have one retired horse he gets the same jabs as the competing horses ie. flu every year and tetanus every other year - mainly as I keep on forgetting that I was going to stop the flu jab for him.
 
My horse does not come in contact with any other horses and despite this became very ill and had to be attended to by the vet three times a day for a period of five days because he had caught an infection. The only explanation was that it had been carried by an animal, human, or in the air. So after that, I have always vaccinated against flu every six months as I do not want a repetition. I also vaccinate annually against Tetanus. Please be aware that dogs carry Tetanus and if they bite a horse they can transmit it to them. Tetanus can prove fatal in horses.
 
Don't have a horse anymore but I'd do always tetanus but not flu

He only left the yard to hack, usually alone

Cats, even though they are house cats, are done annually
 
AWinter said:
As stated in the original post I was asking about flu, of course I would always vaccinate for tetanus.

Both horses are older, I’ll have a think about it, thanks for your thoughts.
Click to expand...

I think people were separating the two because the thread title only says vaccinate, and it is important (I think!) that anyone reading this thread realises that vaccinating for tetanus is vital.
 
I only do tetanus. But my vet does say that flu can travel up to 2 miles from other yards? (This just doesn't seem likely to be a significant risk to me, so I choose to ignore it.....)
 
I do the lot - but I breed so it feels responsible- I didn’t do my 44 year old Shetland for the last 3 years of her life because she had a couple of nasty reactions… but even the vet agreed with that .
 
I thought about it a few years ago for the same reason as you OP. I would ALWAYS keep up with tetanus so in the end decided to keep flu going too. And (everyone touch wood please) I’m fortunate not to have too many other vet visits a year, so it’s a good chance to have a chat/get them to do a once over while I’m paying a call out anyway.
 
The only one I don't vaccinate is my very feral shetland. And this is only because i genuinely think she's going to seriously hurt the next person who comes at her with a needle

I don't like it, but I'd like an injured or dead vet even less.
 
We just get what the vet tells us they need - flu and tetanus. Tiny herd of two and neither of them leave the yard (anymore) but I still like that they're vaccinated. They might not be leaving the yard but we do, anyone who cares for them does, and emergencies can happen very quickly and they may need a visit to horsey hospital where they could be exposed.
 
My big boys are vaccinated, as they usually leave the yard a few times a year for competitions etc. My geriatrics are not anymore (although one did get a tet jab the other year when I had the vet out for her for a tooth abscess). They’re in their 30s and spend their lives out in the field together with no access to the rest of the herd.
 
I only vaccinate for tet. The youngster had a horrific reaction to the flu vaccine, which wasn't just a one off as it happened each time, vet agreed it wasn't in her best interest as we weren't going anywhere and the others where we were liverying at had flu vaccines. New older lad hasn't had anything for a couple of years before I got him, need to work out how to sync them up now I've moved to our own place and it'll be a call out just for me, no one else's to tag on to!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top