According to the AAEP and equine veterinarians, all horse owners should have a solid foundation vaccination program, especially when it comes to the core vaccines. With warmer weather approaching, many horses are exposed to threats that they might not encounter when stabled during the colder winter months.
Importance of core vaccines
Horse owners should have a solid foundation vaccination program, especially when it comes to the core vaccines.
Especially important is making sure horses are vaccinated against viruses transmitted by mosquitoes. Among core vaccines for mosquito-carried viruses are Encephalomyelitis also known as “sleeping sickness,” Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis (EEE), Western Equine Encephalomyelitis (WEE), and West Nile Virus (WNV).
These viruses are transmitted to horses by mosquitoes, which have acquired the virus from birds and rodents. The vaccines are usually given in the spring, approximately one month before mosquitoes are active. In areas where mosquitoes thrive all year, such as Florida, the vaccines are given more often.
Although some veterinarians may recommend the vaccine for Venezuelan Equine Encephalomyelitis (VEE), this vaccine is not considered to be a core vaccine because it is currently more prevalent in South America.
The second core vaccine is the vaccine for rabies which is a fatal neurological disease that is transmissible to humans. This disease is caused by the bite of an infected animal and raccoons, foxes, bats, and skunks are often a source of transmission. Although the risk of exposure is variable based on geographic location, the disease is invariably fatal and therefore is considered a core vaccine.
The third core vaccine is for tetanus, also known as “lockjaw.” This disease is caused by the toxin-producing bacterium, Clostridium tetani which lives in the environment and can invade the body through a puncture wound, open cut, surgical incision, umbilical cord, or through the reproductive tract of postpartum mares and can be fatal unless treated.
After the initial vaccination series, a tetanus booster needs to be administered annually. If a horse sustains a wound or undergoes surgery six months or more after its last tetanus shot, the horse should be revaccinated immediately.
Horse owners are also cautioned to maintain up-to-date records of all vaccinations and to discuss their vaccination program with their veterinarian to make sure it is adequate for the area in which they live and for the horses maintained on their premises. If other horses come onto the property, a horse owner should make sure that those horses also have an adequate vaccination program