Reaction to flu/tet vaccination ??

[cyearsley]

Hi, just wondered if any of your horses have ever had a reaction to their annual flu/tet vaccination? My horse was given his booster on Friday and the vet opted for administering it into his chest saying that any reaction would be better there than on the neck. Noticed today that one of his chest muscles at the base of the neck is swollen and a bit warm, you can feel a little bump which is probably the needlemark. He was fine to be ridden and do believe it to be a reaction to the vaccination as he is a senstitive chap when it comes to his skin (!) but just wondered if anyone else has heard of this or could it be anything else? Thanks in advance

 

[burgetahn]

i'm sure it will be fine. i've seen horses when they have a bad reaction to a jab and can't move there neck. sometimes when u have a jab your self there can be a little bump or soreness. if your worried or it gets worst i'd contact the vet though. x

 

[pocomoto]

I'm sure it will be ok as they euthanased several yearlings just to look at how big a lump occured under the skin. Yes thats right your friendly drug company, the one that won't tell you you only need a tetanus at least every 2 years, kill horses just to look at the lumps as opening them up under anesthetic is too much trouble!

I would consider separate vaccinations at least 6 mths apart for this horse in the future, you might see a much bigger reaction next time.

 

[machannah]

Had exactly the same reaction, it seems to be the Tet shot which causes this.

Often given in the chest as the neck can stiffen up and restrict eating

My mare had a lump, which was gone in around 3 days

 

[ThomasTank]

This is one of the many reasons I dont vaccinate my horse , children or other animals !!!

 

[Llwyncwn]

Oh God, I didnt know this went on pocomoto. Perhaps I dont get out enough, but I find this upsetting and enraging. I know that obviously horrendous stuff goes on in other areas, i.e., bloodstock labs etc. Maybe ignorance is bliss?

Getting back to original post, large odemas can occur when vaccine given in the chest. They do go down with exercise and will dissapear of their own accord. Many years ago one of mine reacted with a colic.

 

[snurse]

No obvious reaction from any of mine although I give them a day off after vaccination just in case.

 

[josephinebutter2]

Aparently my mare wouldn't pick her front leg up the following morning after her first flu/tet injection, where the muscle in her neck was so sore!

A nice big haynet and a gentle walk out in the afternoon sorted her out tho and she was fine the next day.

If you have ever seen a horse with tetnus, which is normally fatal, the vaccination is well worth a couple of days with a stiff neck!

Obviously if your horse is allergic, or has a violent reaction, speak to your vet about alternatives.

x

 

[k9h]

Mine reacted a few years ago which is why I started giving Holly/Thuja 200x (homeopathic) before & after the jab to counteract any reaction to the jabs. Never had a reaction again when doing this & do it as routine now.

 

[Laafet]

Gloster Image had this problem with her horse try PMing her, think she deals with it using homeopathic remedies now. My horse never had a reaction until the vet did it in his chest and it swelled hugely but not enough to make him lame. Tarquin is still on tetnus vacc and I am worried that at nearly 6 years old he may react to flu vacc in big way for the first time but am going to have to do it to compete.

 

[pocomoto]

Oh yes the drug companies have huge budgets and a licence for experiments what would never be allowed in the UK can be easily purchased elsewhere when you have that much money! Funny cant find the paper any more, but think I kept a copy somewhere as I was so appalled (not surprised).

I have tried to get my horses titre tested as I have done my dogs and no luck, there is much more money for vets and drug companies alike if you vaccinate yearly!!! Some estimate 1 course of tet is sufficient for life! Certainly with my dogs 1 adult course of vaccinations is ok for many years judging by the titre results I have had back. Mind you have had to argue with the vet to get them to do it! and try getting single innoculations done, they hate it.

It's cheaper to vaccinate said one, not interested said I, I want titre, and when it came back the result was sky high antibodies for parvo, so had i given that dog a multiple vaccine when its immune system was already challenged who knows what would have happened. But suddenly the cost of titre is rising, wonder why!!!!! Vet was quiet when the result came back though, I sliped in an I told you so!!

Flu vacc doesn't stop horses getting the flu ask the Aussies, I don't bother with that any more and only give tet booster if they injure themselves.

 

[only_me]

I thought that you werent meant to ride the horse for 3 days after a flu injection - if they sweat up it leads to the vac moving faster and into blood system making it more likely that they will react?

otherwise, a horse at my yard was injected in the shoulder and it then got flu

 

[*hic*]

Yes last year both my AA mare and my Welsh Cob had a swollen lump on their necks after their first vaccination (they were both starting a course. After thier second jab the Welsh was fine but the AA mare was unable to bend her neck or raise or lower it from the horizontal. She had to have her feed and water on an upturned dustbin and was a very miserable girl for three days. This year she was jabbed in the chest with no noticeable effects.

 

[Dougie]

should be fine, keep an eye that swelling doesnt increase and abscess.

next time he needs flu + tet, get them given seperatley its the binding agent that causes most reactions.

and not wanting to start the vaccinating argument again but if you have seen a horse with tetanus u would always vaccinate!!

 

[NuttymareII]

My horse had a bad reaction when she was injected into her chest, huge swelling and lost co-ordination of her legs, was scary especially as we had the Herpes virus in the area at the time and her symptons were very similar to those with the virus. Vet advised to give her bute and she was 100% within two days.

 

[pocomoto]

Here you go from the Horses mouth Pfizer Animal Health

"For all horses and foals, three months of age and above, the primary vaccination course consists of two injections of Equivac-T or Equivac 2 in 1, four weeks apart, followed up by a booster dose one year later. Boosters after this are recommended every five years."

I wouldn't mind betting titre would prove levels would be sufficient in overvaccinated adults to last for life, but since I cant get the test done I cant say for sure. So now no need to boost for me on injuries as mine are sufficiently covered until 2010!

So there is a lot of unnecessary overvaccination going on out there!!!!

 

[pocomoto]

oh and this is from a well known herbal product website !
Vaccination for Tetanus

Vaccination is a good way of preventing Tetanus in horses. Usually vaccinations are given every two years. Vaccinating more regularly than once every two years may make the vaccination less effective and damage the immune system.

don't know the source but Oops

 

[ThomasTank]

ALL vacinations damage the immune system !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is one of the reasons people end up spending thousands on vets bills having their animals treated because their immune system is attacking itself !!!!!!!!!!!!!!



End of rant

 

[spider]

Mine came up in swellings all over two days later.

 

[pocomoto]

Yes vaccinations can damage the immune system and at best challenge it, which is why I choose only vaccinate for Tet as the benifits in horses outweigh the risk of the vaccine and whilst I will use nosodes for other things tet is life threatening and hard to treat.

I would not work a horse of mine for at least a week after combined vaccinations as the immune system is stressed. ( also note that a vaccinated horse can shed the virus as a result of the innoculation!)

The trouble is and what I find fustrating is that you can't find out readily what level of antibodies your horse has against the disease, it may be that some horses have natural resistance anyway, and for some one course would be enough for life, like with humans, but since there is no money for that kind of research I don't think we will ever know!

There is nowhere you can go except your vet and the drug companies to find out and lets face it some don't know and some do and wont tell you! Its big business especially combined vaccinations. In the US they now begrudgeingly recommend for dogs the puppy and 1 yearly combined treatment and thats enough for LIFE except Leptosporosis which is only effective for 3 months anyway, so why is it included in a yearly overdose?

I have seen vets give multiples to a horse with a rash and another with a snotty nose without a backward glance. A friend has said to a vet does he need that (tet) I thought it was every 2 years and the vet said well yes thats what the manufacturers say but we recommend every year to be absolutely safe!!! In other words we don't stock single doses and that would loose us revenue!

Like I say my dog tested 500x the normal antibodies for Parvo, without symptoms, when the vet would rather have stuck 4 vaccinations into it!!

It's so difficult to know what to do, a healthy horse will survive the flu and a vaccinated horse will still get it so I have made a choice not to bother, but it is a requirement in some insurance policies driven largely by the racing industry where it is compulsory and also in Riding Club events! I wonder if you sued them if your horse had a bad reaction would they be so keen!!!

I argued like hell with the pet insurance when all I would do was produce the titre results for my dogs, they gave in eventually but it was hard work, they all go on what the vets say, likewise dog training, who insist on vaccinations, why I ask it is my dogs at risk if they are not vaccinated not the others!

I would be interested to hear from people that have questioned their vets on the necessity for tet yearly and what the answer was! Ideally find out from the passport what brand then look it up with the drug company 1st then ask the vet.

 

[liet1]

Hi Pocomoto just a quick update not trying to have a go

. The problem in Australia is that the horses are not vaccinated for Equine Influenza which is why it is running rampant. Australia was EI free so basically we had never heard of it and so didn't vaccinate for it. Most people do vaccinate for Strangles and Tetanus the cost of a $20 needle v large vet bill or dead horse …. Just my opinion on that one.

Currently in Aus there is a hugh out pooring of anger re the delivery or lack of delivery in getting the EI vaccination. Not to mention very sick or dead horses, mares struggling to give birth, dead foals, lost breeding seasons, no movement of horses, no shows and no end in sight. Should mention its not in the whole country just 1 & 1/2 states but it has, given the size of the country, affected most horse owners in some way.

Reading these type of posts I do understand the concerns as the reality is our horses are vaccinated yearly or 2 yearly not every 6 months as will be necessary for EI. So we will also have horses that will probably suffer from immune issue.