Strangles

[Daneva]

Does anyone have their horse vaccinated against this, if so how often and does it cause any 'after effects' for the horse.

[kirstie]

My horse isn't vaccinated no but looking on a site

Does the vaccine cause reactions?

Like a number of other vaccines, Equivac-S or Equivac 2 in 1 can cause some local swelling at the site of the injection, especially if injected subcutaneously and not intramuscularly. Provided the injection has been carried out aseptically, any swelling should disappear in a few days.

[Jessey]

We asked our vet after the reacent outbreak near us, his opinion was that every horse on a yard would need to be done to make it effective, and yes it can cause reactions - mostly the swolen lip but sometimes more, he also said it only lowered the risk and that like the flu jab wouldn't make them completely immune - his opinion was to stick on lock down for a week or two and keep an eye on who/what came on and off the yard and not bother with the jab.

[Bobbin]

Bry is vaccinated against strangles, they inject them in the gum and it can cause some sensitivity and swelling.

I think the first 2 jabs are a few months apart and then anually.

[lamprellsarah]

a horse at our stables came down with strangles then everyone on the yard wantedd the injection after a lengthy discussion with my vet i decided not to have the jab, even though 90% of the yard did.

just like jessey the vet said a similar thing

1) the horse already had strangles - so our lot would have already have caught it if they were going to
2) it would lower the immune system making ours more susceptiable
3) its not complete immunity
4) although starngles CAN be a killer it's not in general not like tetnaus

[martini55]

How often it is done depends on the situation:

"When vaccinated for the first time, horses and foals will get two injections four weeks apart. After that horses that are thought to be at high risk to the infection will be vaccinated every three months. Horses that are thought to be at medium risk to the disease are vaccinated every six months but will need a booster if there is an outbreak of infection. There is no need to vaccinate horses that rarely come into contact with other horses."

[bexj]

All the resident horses on our yard are injected for strangles, and although Molly's jaw gets slightly swollen for 24 hours after, there are no other side effects.

Our yard is a busy equine clinic taking in emergency cases, and also breeds foals too, therefore to lock down in the case of an outbreak would not only severely jeopardise the income of the yard but also could mean that an emergency case is not able to receive the treatment that it needs.

I can understand why people in a less sensitive environment may be sceptical about the use of the vaccine though.

[Iron Maiden]

My old cob lived quite happily through 2 full-on strangles outbreaks without as much as a cough, but when I moved yards & had to get him vaccinated he was really knocked for 6 - he was trembling for about 12 hours after the jabs & was generally low for about 3 days. P, however, didn't miss a beat after her jabs. No rhyme nor reason to it! Having seen how sick they get with strangles I prefer to have my horses vacinated, but can understand why people decide not to because it's not 100% proven.

[Bay Mare]

I have Saff done and apart from being a bit woozy after and having a fat lip for a few days she was none the worse for it. I'd rather have the injection (no injection has 100% efficacy anyway) than risk her getting strangles.

She wasn't bothered at all by the actual injection. The vet gave it and a nanosecond later she was back munching on her haynet.

[entreat]

None of my horses have ever had any reaction to the Equivac 2 in 1. Not even swelling. But I don't ride them after the injection, just in case. ;)

[Bronya]

Mysti has already had strangles, so is most likely immune anyway. Sunny hasn't, but if she gets it, I'll nurse her through it, and she should be fine. The vet when Mysti had it said that yes it's nasty, but not to worry, and Mysti was ok. Now Mysti's most likely got life-long or at least long-term immunity, much better than a regular injection. I would never give antibiotics at the onset though, some of the horses at my yard had them on their vet's advice, Mysti (who had a different vet) didn't. She was ill for less time, and less seriously than the others. Just one abscess, which grew and then burst. The others had breathing and other problems - NOT nice!

If it was yearly and worked 100% then Sunny would have it, but it doesn't even necessarily work, so I don't see the point unless you have an already ill (e.g. copd)/weak horse.

[Daneva]

I'm still not sure whether to vaccinate or not?

My yard has one case of Strangles at the moment but fingers crossed no others. As far as am I aware the majority of the other owners dont have their horses vaccinated so is it worth it. The last case was several years ago although the yard has grown since then, there are now 100 horses plus a riding school.