Strangles Vaccine thoughts

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emandbubs

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Hi everyone! I was wondering about people’s opinions on the strangles vaccine (have you gotten it, side effects, etc.). I’m thinking of getting it for my horse who just moved to the UK from abroad and has never had to deal with strangles before. He does have a weaker immune system, he’s had a fever and runny nose a handful of times in the past. I want to be cautious and wait a little for him to settle before I do get it, and of course I’m going to discuss it with the vet too. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it though!
 
Our 3 horses have had 3 doses each of Strangvac so far - the 2 loading doses and one booster. Under vet guidance, we aim to boost approx every 5 months, but if we feel the need ( eg large outbreak nearby) we could boost sooner.

We give 3 days off including the day of vaccine, and then a couple of quieter days. Probably over cautious but thats my decision atm.

All 3 were a TINY bit subdued the day after the 1st dose, but not off feeds or anything major. One horse reacted in her neck a little around the injection site - she can't be done in her chest.

I am very pleased with it - it gives such peace of mind when going off to camps eg at Somerford etc. I knw its not 100% protection, but Im sure it will help.

(For info, ours are aged 8 to 21)
 
Cragrat said:
Our 3 horses have had 3 doses each of Strangvac so far - the 2 loading doses and one booster. Under vet guidance, we aim to boost approx every 5 months, but if we feel the need ( eg large outbreak nearby) we could boost sooner.

We give 3 days off including the day of vaccine, and then a couple of quieter days. Probably over cautious but thats my decision atm.

All 3 were a TINY bit subdued the day after the 1st dose, but not off feeds or anything major. One horse reacted in her neck a little around the injection site - she can't be done in her chest.

I am very pleased with it - it gives such peace of mind when going off to camps eg at Somerford etc. I knw its not 100% protection, but Im sure it will help.

(For info, ours are aged 8 to 21)
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When I get it I’ll probably do something similar with giving him a lot of rest, I always think being overly cautious is best! Is it expensive to having to keep up with the boosters?
 
This is from the Pilgrims Vets website, and is basically the same advice my vet gave me - we go out and about quite a bit, so are going with 5 monthly. At the moment I am choosing to keep it separate to the flu/tet boosters, again being cautious. I payed £48 for our January boosters :

"The horse’s immunity is then able (in up to 94% of cases) to significantly reduce clinical signs of strangles, including fever, loss of appetite, lymph node abscesses, a cough and depression. It is important to remember that as the vaccine isn't 100% effective (no vaccine is), a horse exposed to strangles can still be infected and able to pass the disease on to other equines.

Although the Strangvac licence currently requires a booster at two months in horses at high risk, research has also shown that horses’ immunity rises quickly following a booster vaccination given within six months and even after a year of their primary course. This suggests the immune system remains primed against the disease beyond the two-month window, and there is widespread optimism that strangles vaccination can be incorporated alongside the equine influenza vaccination program, though more frequent booster would be recommended for horses facing a higher risk of infection."
 
I’m thinking of it. Our vets have emailed all their clients offering it at a reduced price in March.

I assume the data from all the clinical trials looks really good?
 
I've been using it for three years now, pretty much since it became available in the UK. Year four booster is due in a few weeks. It doesn't stop all vaccinated horses getting strangles, but even in cases that it doesn't prevent, it does seem to reduce the severity of symptoms, which in my mind is worth it because strangles is miserable.

Last time round my horse had a lot of muscle stiffness and soreness (he thought he was dying and I had to drag him in from his Eeyore position at the top of the field) so he needed anti-inflammatories later that day. Apparently that is quite common though (see below). I'll probably give him some Bute along with the booster this time.

"In the experimental studies of Strangvac performed by Robinson et al. (2020), localised heat, pain or swelling at the injection site in the neck occurred in a quarter of horses after the first dose of vaccine and around half of horses that were receiving repeat injections and these reactions resolved without treatment within 5 days in all horses (Robinson et al., 2020)." [https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/eve.14032]

The paper above is a good roundup of the available "real world" evidence to date, although it is based on the recommendation of biannual vaccination. I've only been doing annual because there's a limit to how much I can pay for. But I figured that even some protection is better than none (vet seemed on board with that too).
 
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