How many of you DON’T vaccinate?

[holeymoley]

I’m getting a bit of cold feet.
I’ve vaccinated every year since my guy was 3. He’s now 18. We done it purely as it was the ‘done’ thing at the livery yard and we had to to be able to compete at area level.

He is an EmS laminitic and came down with the worst laminitis 2 years ago. Recently I’ve been seeing a lot of posts about laminitis occurring after vaccinating. I asked my vet about this a few years past and he said the chances of it happening were slim and more so only happen if there is an underlying condition that will cause the body to react with it. Last year he had his flu vaccine with no problems. This year it’s the combined tetanus and flu and I’m beginning to get panicky purely because of the amount of cases I’m seeing recently that have occurred 1-2 days after vaccinating. I really do not want another case of laminitis. He is kept on a very strict organic diet and has reversed the ems. However to me, once they’ve had it then they can get it easier again.

So basically we’re happy hackers now. Do we have to keep to the strict regime of annual vacs? Do you vaccinate?

 

[conniegirl]

Tetanus is essential! Doesn’t matter what you do with the horse. Tetanus is in the soil and can enter the horse through any slight nick.
It truely is a horrid way for a horse to die and only very rarely is treatment successful.

Flu will depend on how much your horse comes into contact with others. If they are at home with no near equine neighbours and you never ride out with anyone else then you should be ok.
If you come into contact with other horses then not vaccinating a large risk to take.

You can get separate flu and tetanus jabs done and put some time between them if you are worried.

 

[meleeka]

My oldies are only vaccinated against tetanus. That’s not optional imo. Having had to deal with a horse with tetanus (a friends young horse) I wouldn’t even risk that a little bit.

 

[ycbm]

Tetanus is essential but I think it would be safe to let it slip a couple of months until we are well out of this autumn laminitis peak. They know the flu one fades from six months but my vet was happy to do tetanus at longer intervals than 2 years. Perhaps ask your vet about that?
.

 

[Shay]

Echo that - tetanus is an absolute must. My oldie is still vaccinated for both but I don't worry too much about sticking to the exact 1 year intervals as he doesn't go anywhere.

 

[outdoor girl]

The 2 we ride have both flu and tet, but the oldie just has tetanus every 2 years.

 

[holeymoley]

Thanks guys for making it crystal clear. I’ve had a manic weekend, apologies for not replying sooner, and possibly just seen too many cases appear last week over social media due to vaccinating. Somehow I forgot that he had a tetanus jab last year- I thought this was the first year he was due tetanus since having the bad laminitis hence why I was a bit anxious. Thankfully he never reacted last year to it and is due flu only this year. I’ve confirmed with the new vets that it is the same brand of vaccine used which is also a relief. I have some protexin gut balancer there too. If I was a doubler I would have asked if they could spread them out. Thanks again.

 

[chaps89]

Curious question about tetanus jabs - sorry for thread-jacking OP.
Is it not like humans where you only need a handful of tetanus jabs and then you're considered covered and don't need repeat ones? Or where if you have an injury you can have a tetanus jab at the time to cover you? (Mine is jabbed for flu + tet, this was just a pondering after reading this thread)

 

[cobgoblin]

Curious question about tetanus jabs - sorry for thread-jacking OP.
Is it not like humans where you only need a handful of tetanus jabs and then you're considered covered and don't need repeat ones? Or where if you have an injury you can have a tetanus jab at the time to cover you? (Mine is jabbed for flu + tet, this was just a pondering after reading this thread)

Horses are very susceptible to tetanus, far more than humans are. Plus they live in an environment where chlostridium tetani is common and they seem to have a predilection for puncture wounds.
.

 

[ester]

AFAIK we don't do that for horses because they live in fields, with mud so are higher risk than joe bloggs finding a nail to stand on.
Fwiw OP some tets are now 3 year intervals too.
I have never quite worked out whether Frank's hoof bruising is flu vaccinating or moxidectin as they to happen about the same time every year and it's only visible when it grows out.

 

[IrishMilo]

My vets recommend tet for mine every three years now.

 

[Goldenstar]

I seen a horse go down with tetanus and die it was horrifying .

 

[Polos Mum]

Lots of the big charities don't do flu vacs (I had one on loan from Blue Cross - it isn't their policy to flu vac, only tet - but that was several years ago so before the big outbreak last year) so I had to start flu vacs when he arrived.

I think that is quite telling given how many they have and that they must have them come and go.

 

[laura_nash]

Curious question about tetanus jabs - sorry for thread-jacking OP.
Is it not like humans where you only need a handful of tetanus jabs and then you're considered covered and don't need repeat ones? Or where if you have an injury you can have a tetanus jab at the time to cover you? (Mine is jabbed for flu + tet, this was just a pondering after reading this thread)

If they have an injury they can have a tetanus jab at the time to cover it, I've had a new pony that wasn't vaccinated get a puncture injury and the vet did this. I suspect part of it is that the horse can't tell us about a small puncture like a person can, so we might not be aware.

I do wonder if it would be possible to test the tetanus immunity for a horse that has had many injections already the same way you can for people, but I guess there isn't much of a driver for that.

 

[kittythepaint2010]

Honestly I haven't had my horse vaccined since I bought her, which was around 4 years ago, I only deworm her. Everything has been fine but I just had their teeth and feet done and Im buying new tack so I want to make sure I get everything done so I won't have to worry about it later. What vaccines do you guys think is absolutley necessary other than the tetanus? Also can someone please explain what it does.

 

[conniegirl]

Honestly I haven't had my horse vaccined since I bought her, which was around 4 years ago, I only deworm her. Everything has been fine but I just had their teeth and feet done and Im buying new tack so I want to make sure I get everything done so I won't have to worry about it later. What vaccines do you guys think is absolutley necessary other than the tetanus? Also can someone please explain what it does.

Depends where in the world you are and what you intend on doing with the horse. In the U.K. where we don’t have some of the nastier diseases I think the following:
For the general leisure horses tetanus and Equine flu are the 2 essential ones imo. particularly if you intend on competing or riding out in company.
For a retired oldie who never leaves thier home yard and no other horses are going out and about from the same yard, tetanus is the only essential.
If you are in and intend on traveling to a lot of big shows then some think the strangles vaccine is essential (I’m dubious personally)


If you are are not in the U.K. then other vaccines may become essential

 

[Nudibranch]

If you don't know about tetanus I would Google it asap. Not worth risking.

 

[meleeka]

Curious question about tetanus jabs - sorry for thread-jacking OP.
Is it not like humans where you only need a handful of tetanus jabs and then you're considered covered and don't need repeat ones? Or where if you have an injury you can have a tetanus jab at the time to cover you? (Mine is jabbed for flu + tet, this was just a pondering after reading this thread)

i held a 3 year old horse while he was pts with tetanus. He was just maturing and looking fantastic, It was awful . He didn’t have a mark on him, but had a hoof abscess a couple of weeks previously. He’d had his first two jabs but was overdue for the one a year later I think (not my horse). I’m certainly happy to do whatever my vets say to make sure mine don’t get it.

 

[ycbm]

AFAIK we don't do that for horses because they live in fields, with mud so are higher risk than joe bloggs finding a nail to stand on.
.

The NHS told me that I can't have any more tetanus jabs because humans have lifetime immunity after 5 of them. I've always wondered if horses are the same but nobody has any interest in finding out.
.

 

[dorsetladette]

The NHS told me that I can't have any more tetanus jabs because humans have lifetime immunity after 5 of them. I've always wondered if horses are the same but nobody has any interest in finding out.
.

Yes I just had to go and get my 5th jab as I trod on a blackthorn thorn. I spoke to the nurse about my horses and that they have theirs every 2 years, she had no idea why it was so different (I didn't really expect her too) but research ha shown that humans don't need one every 10 years like was once thought and 5 in your life time (usually done during school years) is enough for a lifetime immunity. Maybe is time for a bit more research in the equine world too?

On the subject of the horses. I have one who is kept up to date with jabs. Mostly because he competed a lot when we first got him and secondly because we went through a faze of moving yards as we didn't settle (either suited him or me, but not both). The other only has tetanus, this was decided when he first came to me and had his first vet check, it took so long for the vet to just get near him that we decided it was a battle not worth having at that time. I didn't plan to take him anywhere until we got a handle on his anxiety/fear/idiot welsh behaviour. This has never happened so we never pushed the flu jabs and he is leaving before his next tetanus is due.

 

[SusieT]

Are you seeing posts about it or actual confirmed cases (not online posts that could have other factors?)

 

[PapaverFollis]

I'm sure I read somewhere that horse's immune systems lose memory relatively quickly compared to humans. I mean. I don't know where I read it. Could be bollocks.

 

[honetpot]

I think I have only bought one that all its jabs were up to date, from a friend. Some even from smart studs are not even done for tetanus as foal.