Vets now doing 12 month flu vaccinations again

[Tiddlypom]

My equine vets have just posted this up on their FB feed. This will be a relief to many of us - my 3 are due in July. I imagine that most practices will do the same now.

Thank you all for bearing with us over the last couple of weeks.

We have made the decision to start doing annual vaccinations again. Having considered the government advice, the advice of our governing body (the RCVS) and the importance of vaccination, we have decided that the risks of spreading Coronavirus can be suitably reduced to safeguard yourselves and our vets whilst upholding the benefits of improved welfare for horses via vaccination.
Every vaccination will be subject to a phone risk assessment – during which we will run through what to expect, but essentially we will require you to tie your horse up in the stable and watch the vet inject it from 10 meters away. The passport will need to be left out for signing by the vet.
We will ONLY be doing vaccinations which are ‘due’ i.e. no six-month vaccinations.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

That's going to piss a lot of people off that have missed theirs in the last few weeks and will need to start again! But it will be a good thing for many other people!

 

[Shay]

Ours still say no - mine expired last week. We'll have to restart anyway which is just a pain (and in fact with our oldie I won't re-start just carry on..) Hopefully it signals a little bit of common sense. I actually had a vet on yard for an emergecy with Oldie and he refused to vaccinate even though he was legitimately there and had the horse in question in his hands!

 

[OlderNotWiser]

Our vets are not doing vaccinations but have offered a vaccination ‘amnesty’ so does that mean they will cover the cost of restarting?

 

[Sky’s-Legacy]

OlderNotWiser I read that the ‘amnesty’ is that you get the second jab free, you just pay for the first one and then the yearly one.

I had one due a jab on the 17th April and wondered how that would be affected. Unfortunately I lost the pony who was due a week ago so don’t have to worry about restarting now sadly.

 

[Tiddlypom]

. I actually had a vet on yard for an emergecy with Oldie and he refused to vaccinate even though he was legitimately there and had the horse in question in his hands!

Oh heck. I nearly had an emergency call out on Saturday and was wondering if I dare broach the subject of doing 3 x Flu jabs while he was at my place. Didn’t need him to come out in the end so it didn't arise.

 

[PapaverFollis]

I'm glad mine has just been done. Needle phobic monster that tries to squash you all... myself and the vet were definitely NOT socially distanced last time!

 

[Griffin]

OlderNotWiser I read that the ‘amnesty’ is that you get the second jab free, you just pay for the first one and then the yearly one.

I had one due a jab on the 17th April and wondered how that would be affected. Unfortunately I lost the pony who was due a week ago so don’t have to worry about restarting now sadly.

Sorry to hear about your pony.

I'm glad mine has just been done. Needle phobic monster that tries to squash you all... myself and the vet were definitely NOT socially distanced last time!

My mare is the same. Thankfully, I had her vaccinated before the lockdown, otherwise I am pretty sure that the vet would be unable to vaccinate her without some assistance!

 

[Leo Walker]

That's going to piss a lot of people off that have missed theirs in the last few weeks and will need to start again! But it will be a good thing for many other people!

Yup me! William missed his third one so will have to restart again!

 

[jules9203]

Mine was due last week so have to start over again. I'm really annoyed that I fell into the 7-10 day bracket when they weren't doing them and have ranted and raged about it today to anyone that would listen! However there is a lot worse happening out there, this is minor really. Wont stop me trying for a discount though!!!

 

[irishdraft]

I hope my vets start up again my horse is due is flu & tet beginning of may and I have been very concerned he would miss the tetanus part as he was last done for that in 2018 and has a large hole in his foot atm from a horrible abcess

 

[criso]

The problem with amnesties or getting a jab free is that for me, the call out fee is the most expensive part and we never get that exempted. Luckily mine were done at start of March.

 

[ycbm]

Mine has just emailed saying they won't do them until April 24th and maybe not then. Also Cheshire.

Thanking my lucky stars mine were done in February.

.

 

[mavandkaz]

I had a text on Tuesday, saying they were back out doing annual jabs. Must say I was rather surprised

 

[tallyho!]

I'm so pleased. I always thought it was a ridiculous ask.

 

[Michen]

Ours still say no - mine expired last week. We'll have to restart anyway which is just a pain (and in fact with our oldie I won't re-start just carry on..) Hopefully it signals a little bit of common sense. I actually had a vet on yard for an emergecy with Oldie and he refused to vaccinate even though he was legitimately there and had the horse in question in his hands!

That is just ridiculous, I’d be really annoyed if my vet did that. In fact I know he wouldn’t!

 

[Michen]

FWIW , this is actually coming from RCVS themselves but not due to be officially “announced” until tomorrow apparently. Apparently they are also going to relax the guidance around other visits aka what is necessary. For example, my horse is due a ligament scan in a week. My vet isn’t comfortable with continuing the rehab until we know things are going in the right direction.

 

[SEL]

Mine are due by April 26th so hoping I can get them in.

 

[SO1]

Mine is also due scan in two weeks time & expecting to still be in lockdown but spoke to vet & said he will still come.

Luckily he had his vaccination & teeth checked when he had his last scan a couple of weeks before the lockdown.

FWIW , this is actually coming from RCVS themselves but not due to be officially “announced” until tomorrow apparently. Apparently they are also going to relax the guidance around other visits aka what is necessary. For example, my horse is due a ligament scan in a week. My vet isn’t comfortable with continuing the rehab until we know things are going in the right direction.

FWIW , this is actually coming from RCVS themselves but not due to be officially “announced” until tomorrow apparently. Apparently they are also going to relax the guidance around other visits aka what is necessary. For example, my horse is due a ligament scan in a week. My vet isn’t comfortable with continuing the rehab until we know things are going in the right direction.

 

[Shay]

That is just ridiculous, I’d be really annoyed if my vet did that. In fact I know he wouldn’t!

The thinking behind it was that it would encourage folk to say they had an emergency in order to get a vet for vaccinations, defeating the purpose of stopping routine work. It was irritating, but I do sympathise with the underlying intention.

 

[meleeka]

FWIW , this is actually coming from RCVS themselves but not due to be officially “announced” until tomorrow apparently. Apparently they are also going to relax the guidance around other visits aka what is necessary. For example, my horse is due a ligament scan in a week. My vet isn’t comfortable with continuing the rehab until we know things are going in the right direction.

I heard a story last week of a vet refusing to put a horse down because it wasn’t an emergency, despite the old horse suffering and clearly needing the job doing within a short time frame. The vet implied they’d have to wait until the horse was down before it could be classed as emergency. Thankfully the fallen stock man was happy to do the job in the end ??

 

[Michen]

The thinking behind it was that it would encourage folk to say they had an emergency in order to get a vet for vaccinations, defeating the purpose of stopping routine work. It was irritating, but I do sympathise with the underlying intention.

Why would anyone pay an emergency call out and consult which is pretty much at least the equivalent of re starting vaccinations... bonkers.

I am glad my vet is being sensible. He has said he will come to vaccinate next week (youngster second vaccination) and scan my other horse at same time, but the rules will be relaxed by then anyway. Vet practices can’t continue to run at a massive loss for this long, it will wipe out the smaller ones.

 

[Trouper]

I find some of the thinking around what can carry on and what has to stop in the current situation rather illogical to say the least. While no-one would want vets to take a risk themselves, we are still happily ordering food and bedding and having it delivered along with many other things. Vaccinations are as much a welfare issue as anything else to do with horse care and, with suitable precautions applying to other areas, these could have carried on. When the restrictions are lifted there is going to be a rush of horses traversing the country for all manner of reasons and, if only part-vaccinated, there will doubtless be another outcry next winter when 'flu cases increase again. There needs to be some long-term planning alongside the immediate and urgent precautions we are all trying to take.

 

[Shay]

It woudn't be an emergecy call out fee - unless it was out of hours which is daft. Call out in standard hours is the same call out fee as it would be for vaccination anyway. Its just that the reception staff will not accept visit requests for routine matters. So rather than calling and asking for a vaccination visit they were afraid people would call in and say horse was lame or colicking or whatever to get someone to come simply so they could vaccinate. Not something it would have occured to me to do tbh - but I guess some might.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

My vets aren’t doing routine vacs either but it is under review. They are running a skeleton staff with an absolute emergency callout similar to a Sunday service. No teeth, no castrations, lameness etc but they are doing WhatSApp consultations for which you are charged minus the callout fee.

 

[criso]

Our call out fee is the same unless it's after hours or weekends. Only difference in an emergency is you will have to accept whichever vets is nearby and can fit you in most easily.

 

[criso]

Dup post

 

[Michen]

Sorry didn’t mean an emergency call out just call out really. Either way to have a vet out is usually 100 quid minimum, vaccination course not a huge amount more than that (assuming you use zone visits- guess some won’t have them).

 

[southerncomfort]

I heard a story last week of a vet refusing to put a horse down because it wasn’t an emergency, despite the old horse suffering and clearly needing the job doing within a short time frame. The vet implied they’d have to wait until the horse was down before it could be classed as emergency. Thankfully the fallen stock man was happy to do the job in the end ??

Jesus...that's awful!

I don't know what our vets stance on this is, but as far as I'm aware the lady at our local horse crematorium who is gun licensed is still operating.

 

[Ambers Echo]

Why would anyone pay an emergency call out and consult which is pretty much at least the equivalent of re starting vaccinations... bonkers.

I agree. I have never had much patience with the way of thinking that says we won't do this eminently sensible/reasonable thing in case it encourages other people to be unreasonable. I doubt it would happen much anyway due to the costs of a call out. And it if does deal with it. Ie if you turn out to an 'emergency' and it is clear that the horse is not as described on the triage call then leave without vaccinating and charge the call out fee anyway!