Education

-Influenza (“Flu”)
-Rhinopneumonitis (Herpes Virus 1 & 4)(“Rhino”)
-Eastern and Western Equine Encephalitis
-Tetanus
-Rabies
-Botulism
-Potomac Horse Fever (“PHF”)

At Running ‘S’, we give Eastern/Western Encephalitis, Tetanus and West Nile Virus vaccines in a single, one (1) cc dose. Similarly, Influenza and Rhinopneumonitis are also given in a single, one (1) cc dose. The usual “Spring Season” vaccines are usually split into two (2) visits because of the large number of individual diseases being vaccinated against.

Generally, the first round vaccines include; EWT-WNV, and Flu/Rhino. The second round thengenerally consists of Botulism, Potomac Horse Fever and Rabies. We try to allow about 10-14 days between vaccination rounds.

The State of New Jersey recommends vaccination against the mosquito-borne viral diseases TWICE YEARLY. These include Eastern and Western Equine Encephalitis and West Nile Virus. Additionally, vaccines which are known to produce incomplete immunity or to agents which change their appearance to the immune system frequently, such as Influenza, are repeated in the Fall of the year. These include, as above, Influenza, Rhinopneumonitis and Potomac Horse Fever.

NOTE: Because warm, wet conditions place your horse at increased risk for the mosquito-borne viral diseases as well as Botulism and Potomac Horse Fever (PHF), we recommend that these vaccines be given prior to the onset of these seasons. Therefore, EWT-WNV, Botulism and Potomac Horse Fever vaccines should be given early in the Spring, e.g. March and early in the Fall, e.g. mid- to late August, to provide the vaccination time to confer sufficient immunity to your horse.

At Running ‘S’, we favor killed virus vaccine over modified-live vaccines. This is with the exception of Pinnacle I.N. which is a modified-live bacterial vaccine against Streptococcus equi ss equi, the agenst which causes “Strangles”.”

Why are vaccination visits often split up?

Vaccination visits are divided for two main reasons. The first is so that your horse’s immune system is not overloaded, trying to respond to too many antigens at once. The second reason is to reduce the chances of a reaction to the vaccine that might make your horse excessively sore or sick.

Should I routinely vaccinate my horse for Strangles?”

Since Strangles (Streptococcus equi ss equi) is a pathogen whose most common route of transmission between horses is from one sick horse to a healthy horse and since it is mostly a disease of young horses, we do not see many cases in this area. Therefore we do not include Strangles as a routine vaccine.
If your horse will be travelling frequently and mixing closely with horses of uncertain history and varying ages, or your horse is in a barn where new horses frequently come and go, with which your horse may have contact, please let us know. Your horse, and the other horses at this facility, may be a candidate for the Strangles vaccine.

In addition, Running ‘S’ Equine will generally choose to vaccinate horses in the practice if more than a few isolated cases of Strangles are diagnosed in the area. We DO NOT generally recommend vaccinating “in the face of an outbreak”. That is, if a horse at your barn is diagnosed with Strangles and other horses have been exposed, or possibly exposed, we do not vaccinate these horses. Non-exposed horses are candidates for vaccination.

What are the risks of vaccinating my horse?

The incidence of side-effects to the commonly administered vaccines is very low. Serious side effects include abscesses at the injection site and intense immune responses resulting in colicky signs, and very rarely, shock. These conditions are extremely rare, but do require veterinary attention.
Most commonly side-effects are mild and transient and rarely require significant treatment.
These mild signs include:

-fever
-depression
-mild swelling at the injection site
-mild ‘stocking-up’(distal limb swelling)

What should I do if my horse is known to react excessively to vaccination?

If your horse has an abnormal or excessive reaction, the veterinarian may elect to discontinue vaccinating against that particular disease, or use a different vaccine preparation (i.e. brand, manufacturer). The veterinarian may also elect to give fewer vaccines at a time and may administer vaccines in conjunction with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), such as Banamine or Bute.