Reaction to flu jab!!??

M

MadisonBelle

Well-Known Member
Joined
24 July 2007
Messages
571
Visit site
Hi,

last year my horse had a reaction to her flu jab. She was very stiff in the neck. I informed the vets who said it is happening more often and they said next time to do it in the chest. Anyway, on Wednesday she had her annual jab and lo and behold she is now stiff all over, looking lame, but not lame (if that makes sense)! I am sure this is because of the jab but am waiting for the vets to call me back for a chat.

Has this happened to anyone else? I'm just wondering how long my poor mare will be feeling rough for...............
 
Have a look at the stickers / codes and see whether they keep giving her tetanus with the flu

If so specifically ask for flu only, no tetanus next time. Horses and humans can get an intolerance to the tetanus jab and now even in humans they are limiting the jabs
 
Her passport is still at the yard. They forgot do stamp it so will do so next week but with any luck when they call they can tell me by her records in their system.

She is only 5 and her jabs were only started last yr when I bought her. She was fine with the 1st, then the 2nd some months later but it was the 3rd, another 6 months after the 2nd that she had a reaction too..... Then again 1 yr later.... Will check that out with them tho'. Thanks!
 
flu jab reactions are quite common, but she should be better in a few days.

my gelding now gets a shot of flunixin to stop him reacting.
 
Yup, my stallion went how your mare sounds. Couldn't move his neck, looked lame, couldn't walk straight and his whole body was tense. Vet said to give him 2 bute a day for 4 days and see how he was. Took 6 days to wear off completely. Not looking forward to the next lot!
 
MadisonBelle said:
Her passport is still at the yard. They forgot do stamp it so will do so next week but with any luck when they call they can tell me by her records in their system.

She is only 5 and her jabs were only started last yr when I bought her. She was fine with the 1st, then the 2nd some months later but it was the 3rd, another 6 months after the 2nd that she had a reaction too..... Then again 1 yr later.... Will check that out with them tho'. Thanks!
Click to expand...

She shouldn't have had the tetanus part 2 years in a row though?
The first 3 all have tetanus in them, then the first annual one doesn't, the next one then does and it is every other year.

I have heard of others having reaction. With one friends horse I think it was traced to a particular batch.
 
I don't know what they did this time around as they forgot stamp her passport. I did only ask for Flu and am still waiting for them to call me back.
 
CambridgeParamour said:
Yup, my stallion went how your mare sounds. Couldn't move his neck, looked lame, couldn't walk straight and his whole body was tense. Vet said to give him 2 bute a day for 4 days and see how he was. Took 6 days to wear off completely. Not looking forward to the next lot!
Click to expand...

Thanks CP! I was wondering whether to give her bute to make her comfortable and will run that by the vets when they call back.
 
Yes my lad suffers with this same reaction as yours, takes around a week to wear off and he has had bute in past. It is when flu and tet is combined, we have tried different types and in different places but he still reacts so next time he will be having them seperate. Also ask your vet but mine is happy for mine to have leave tetnus for two years and have it every third rather than every other year as most tend to have. He obvs has flu every year.
 
My mare that reacts to her vaccinations has hers in her bum and then a couple of days of bute as a precaution, although since she has been having the injection done into her bum she has not reacted. I would always get a horse of mine who has reacted to vaccinations to have the jab done in the bum in future rather than the neck or brisket (chest), as its a less traumatic site to have a reaction and in the case of an abscess (which my gelding got in his brisket) it drains alot easier.
 
As a rule, I always vaccinate new naggies and youngsters in the bottom as we have had a few that react, ditto above use separate injections if you are seeing a reaction. My friend has one lad who is 12 now ,and he reacted as a 4 year old, so badly he couldn't move his neck, eat or drink for a while after any injection. He is fine if he has them in his bottom!!
 
Thanks for all your replies. I will make sure that from now on she has them in her bottom AND has Flu/ Tet done separately. Ironically I did say she had reacted last yr but guess that's why they did it in her chest instead whereas I assumed it would be done in her bum.

How does the Tet work with affiliated competing? Obviously the flu has to be done on time but is there a rule with the tetnus?
 
The frequency of the flu and tetanus vaccines is dependant on the manufacturer of the vaccine.

Flunixin is a strong Non-Steriodal-Anti-Inflammatory (NSAID) a bit like ibuprofen (but not the same so don't give your horse ibuprofen!) it will lower a raised temperature and relieve discomfort - a good idea if your horse is reacting to the vaccine.

I buy my vaccine in specifically as I have one preference and non of the vets locally use it. I have to buy it in vials of 10 but I have enough horses that I get through it anyway! (used to sell horse vaccines for a living to vets so I got to know what was available)

No rule for tetanus but probably more important as a horse can get tetanus from a cut and organic matter getting into the wound in the field)
 
My mare reacted the same as yours about 5 years ago.

My vets said that it was the particular brand (Equip I think) that made her re act and stiffen up.

The following year they used another brand (duvaxen, don't think thats how you spell it though!) and she has been totally fine every year since!
 
MadisonBelle said:
Thanks imr. What is flunixin? I've never heard of that?
Click to expand...

painkiller/antiinflammatory

mine has had some bad reactions so we give this to him before there is a reaction, to help prevent one, usually works, he gets another flunixin from the vet later on if a reaction starts. Vet jsut gives the flunixin intravenously just after or before giving the flu jab. If you keep having issues discuss with your vet using a different flu jab and also giving an antiinflamamtory.
 
My horse had a reaction about 5 years ago - turned out the vets had changed to a different brand of vaccine. I was at University at the time, so my mum dealt with it, but within 20mins he'd had a bad reaction - very lethargic, very high temperature and hugely swollen neck - so vet rushed back! After he'd had some medication, he was fine within hours and happily eating again and was back in exercise days later (later in the day you honestly wouldn't have known he had been so ill hours earlir!). Ever since then we've ensured he's never had that brand of vaccine again and we always get whatever vet's we're using to order in the EQUIP FT vaccine as he'd always had that one without any reactions and *touch wood* he's been fine since.

One thing I learnt recently is that often it's not the vaccine itself that the horse reacts to but other chemicals present. In order for horses to have an allergic reaction it needs to be the second time they've been exposed to the allergen - therefore it's virtually impossible that it was the live part of the vaccine he reacted to (I bought him when he was 4yrs old and he'd never been vaccinated before) and a very experienced person recently told me it's usually the aluminium content that they react to.
 
My horse had a very severe reaction a few years ago, tying up all over his body. The Vet told me that it is not the vaccine itself that they react to but the carrier - the adjuvant. She warned me that he must have a different brand from then on or the next reaction could well kill him.

I'm at a bit of a loss to understand why jabbing in the bum would help with this, except that maybe it spreads the adjuvant quicker because of the muscles moving and doesn't let the immune system recognise a foreign body to attack??? Can a vet enlighten us?
 
Well the longer you have horses the more you learn!

Vet just called. He said to bute her until she is comfortable again and that for next year to give her 2 bute BEFORE she has her jab and then continue giving her a bute daily for a few days afterwards.

Once her passport is stamped I shall see if I can see the brand via the label but I do know that she reacted this year to the combined Flu/Tet whereas last year she reacted to just the Flu jab in her neck!

Interestingly he also said that the chest area was the best area to jab her whereas that conflicts with some advice given above so something for me to do some more research on. They are very good vets whom I trust and have used for over 20 years but I will look into this area.

She had been vaccinated in Germany but that was left to fall behind between her breeder selling her and myself buying her last year as a 4 yr old so she was started again with me last year.
 
MadisonBelle said:
She had been vaccinated in Germany but that was left to fall behind between her breeder selling her and myself buying her last year as a 4 yr old so she was started again with me last year.
Click to expand...

Interesting! Mine was exactly the same situation. Mix-up in jabs in Holland and then had to restart so he had multiple jabs in one year when he was already up to date (he had missed the third jab three years ealier and been done every year since).
 
Interesting thread with several different theories it seems. My pony had a reaction to his second flu jab and he is due his annual booster next month so am not looking forward to it.

I was told by my vet at the time that they had a number of clients reporting reactions and had returned the batch for testing but did not get any conclusive reports that it was that particular batch.
 
bounce said:
Interesting thread with several different theories it seems. My pony had a reaction to his second flu jab and he is due his annual booster next month so am not looking forward to it.

I was told by my vet at the time that they had a number of clients reporting reactions and had returned the batch for testing but did not get any conclusive reports that it was that particular batch.
Click to expand...

Force your vet to use a different brand. My vets have given up Duvaccyn and that was the one mine reacted to.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top