Vaccinations yes or no

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PonyclubmumZ

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I have a companion pony who never leaves the field, let alone the village. What are the implications if I don't have him vaccinated? I have always had it done up to now, but someone ask me why I bothered the other day and it got me thinking. Do you all have your companions vaccinated?
 
Yes, I do.
I take my ridden horse out to various places, as do neighbours with theirs, who also have companions.

I dont want my horse to unintentionally pick something up whilst out and then pass it on to unprotected companion once home.
The one that goes out might well shrug off flu, but the companion if it caught something may well be much worse off in having no protection.
The annual vacc isn't much in the big scheme of things, so its a no-brainer for me.
 
I vaccinate every one of mine even if only for tetanus. Tetanus is a horrible, horrible illness and many people below a certain age will never have encountered it, the reason they haven't encountered it is because most vaccinate against it. Also if the pony is insured many insurance companies require a vaccination as part of the just general conditions of the policy. Flu vaccinations I'm not so fussed about if they never leave the yard although if other ponies are leaving the yard its worth doing as they could bring flu back but tetanus is a must have. Again on the whole there are far fewer flu outbreaks nowadays because people vaccinate.
 
You absolutely should vaccinate your companion for tetanus. They can pick up tetanus anywhere (it's a bacterium living in the soil), and the consequences are horrendous. It only needs doing every other year.
I guess for flu, you could argue that a horse completely isolated would be at low risk of contracting it. But as above, if other horses go out frequently, they could bring back flu and potentially infect your companion. IMO, an annual visit by the vet is in order anyway (to float teeth etc.), so I did have my old retired mare vaccinated annually against flu as well.
 
PonyclubmumZ said:
I have a companion pony who never leaves the field, let alone the village. What are the implications if I don't have him vaccinated? I have always had it done up to now, but someone ask me why I bothered the other day and it got me thinking. Do you all have your companions vaccinated?
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yes,,
 
Tetanus is essential for all horses.

Discuss flu jabs with your vet who will know your companion, any veterinary conditions they have and how/where they are kept. The type of things that could lead to your horse being 'low risk' are - if all the horses in the herd have little or no contact with others outside, and/or the horse has a condition that makes vacs risky, and/or no flu outbreaks in immediate area.
 
Thanks, I will speak to my vet when he comes to do the others. I have always had him done up to now, but my friends comments made me question what I was doing. I suspect that we will end up having him done.
 
Don't question what you're doing, you're doing the right thing by vaccinating! I'd question your friend to ask why she asked the question? Is she a horse person who doesn't vaccinate if so I'd ask her why she doesn't? If not a horsey person I'd explain the importance of protecting your horses? I don't even think about having mine done, they have a yearly MOT and its done then so no problems.
 
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