Vaccinations for Horses
 

 

At Greenbelt Veterinary Services, we know that each horse is unique. Vaccine schedules are customized to take into account your horses age, occupation and health status, as well as your performance goals and budget. Vaccinations against the following diseases may be appropriate for your horse and are available through our practice.


Tetanus
causes fatal nervous system disease to which horses are particularly susceptible. Once yearly vaccination against tetanus provides excellent protection. All mares should be vaccinated one month before foaling. Foals should be vaccinated at around eight and nine months of age. Foals and horses who have not been regularly vaccinated will be protected only after two vaccinations given three weeks apart.

Influenza is a common respiratory disease of horses for which two effective vaccines exist. Influenza can affect all ages and types of horses, but is most frustrating because it causes loss of training time in performance horses .... more info

Rhinopneumonitis (Equine herpes virus) is a virus which can cause fever, cough, abortion and neurologic disease. Vaccination has been shown to reduce the risk of disease but vaccinated horses are not fully protected  .... more info

Strangles is a highly contagious disease that causes nasal discharge, fever and abscesses under the jaw. Occasionally, abscesses form internally and cause severe illness or death. Vaccination with Pinnacle intranasally provides good protection. Strangles is uncommon on the lower mainland of British Columbia.

West Nile Virus causes nervous system disease that can result in death. Scientists predicted that the virus would arrive in B.C last summer, but to date there have been no cases west of Alberta. Vaccination provides good protection against disease.

Sleeping sickness (western and eastern encephalitis) is a mosquito borne viral disease that causes fatal nervous system disease in horses and people. It is not seen in the lower mainland of British Columbia, but has occurred further east. The sleeping sickness vaccine is included in many tetanus vaccines.

 


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Two for One Special: Vaccinate Pregnant Mares One Month Before Foaling

Vaccinating a mare for a disease such as tetanus  one month before foaling stimulates her to produce high levels of protective antibodies to that disease. These antibodies protect the mare for the next year. The antibodies also pass into the colostrum, protecting the foal for the first eight months of life.

Healthy foals from dams vaccinated against tetanus, sleeping sickness, influenza and West Nile virus in the last six weeks of pregnancy do not require these vaccinations until eight  months of age in most cases.

In foals that travel for show or sale,  stress increases the risk of respiratory infection. These foals may require vaccination against strangles, influenza and rhinopneumonitis as early as five months of age.

 

 

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