Strangles Vacine

[clipclop]

Does anyone know at all if the strangles vaccine is likely to make a colic prone horse colic at all?

Also does anyone know how long after vaccination can you take the horse out to competition.

[jacstar]

I'm not sure if it make your horse prone to colic i have never heard this before

sStrangle injections is worth getting actually my agistment gives them to the horses that havnt ever had them before the are allowed in ther e own paddock same with tetnus



Jac

[SarahC]

How long after you can take them out depends on whether you actually have a strangles outbreak....or have had in the recent past. If that were the case, the Animal Health Trust say 6 weeks after the last confirmed case.

If you are just thinking of getting the vaccine as a precautionary measure and have had no strangles cases, I think you can take them out straight away. Just watch for signs of discomfort in your horse tho...some can be a little off colour for a couple of days afterwards. However, saying that, I know of 9 horses that have recently been done and its not affected them in the slightest!

As for colic...I'm not sure, it certainly wasn't mentioned to us. That would be one you'd have to ask the vet about I think.

jac - all new horses on our yard now have to have the strangles vaccine, be worm counted and be quarantined for 2 weeks too. Sensible precaution I think, especially for medium or high risk area's/yards.


S

[jacstar]

Yeah i think if its just precaution you should be right to go may be a different case if you are treating strangles.


Jacqui

[crazystevie]

Have a lot of people had this vaccine? My horses have the usual flu and tetenus etc. but not the strangles vaccine. Is it worth getting it done when there next vaccinated. Neither of them have had strangles before, and there hasn't been a case of strangles on the yard ever, and the yards been there for about 40years. Also its a quiet yard, and horses hardly ever come and go.

[eventerbabe]

Have a lot of people had this vaccine? My horses have the usual flu and tetenus etc. but not the strangles vaccine. Is it worth getting it done when there next vaccinated
Mine aren't vaccinated for strangles and i've no plans of having it done soon, if ever. one is laminitic and vaccines can induce laminitis, the other has a history of bad reactions so i keep vaccinations at a minimum for them both.

Taking sensible precautions at shows can dramatically help stop the spread of strangles, such as not sharing tack/buckets with other horses and not letting people pat your horse.

if you are on a quiet yard and not competing every weekend then i don't see the point. and before people jump on me, we've had 5 strangles outbreaks up here in recent years, and by taking sensible precautions mine have been unaffected, including periods when i was out competing with my ponies.

vaccines carry risks. people seem unwilling to let their kids be vaccinated (such as the MMR jab and the meningitis C jab) yet want to pump their horse full of anything thats going.

[crazystevie]

Well mine only go drag hunting, and do the odd hunter trial, working hunter or whatever, but we only go to about 3-4 shows a season, because we mainly do the hunting. Probably not worth it then. None of the other horses compete, as most of them are a lot older. It's only just come out. I suppose if everyone else on my yard was bothering then i'd probably do it. Both my horses aren't too bad with vaccinations, but they both come up with a lunp on the side of the neck, and there glands swell up so we give them a couple of days off, because they get a bit under the weather

[jacstar]

Oh Yes you need strangles its very popular in australia nearly every second horse has got it, they even have a tetnus and strangle combine injection
Its the worst thing ever if there is a break out


Jacqui

[SarahC]

Our yard has strangles at the moment and has had for the past 2-3 months. Its awful and anything that can be done to help minimise this awful disease gets a thumbs up in my opinion. Although, I have to say if our area/yard was a low risk, I probably wouldn't bother. The trouble is, we have about 35 horses on our yard and virtually all of them are out on a regular occassion either showing or hunting. That in itself classes us as a medium risk yard (according to the Animal Health Trust).
So far about 5 of the horses have had it or got it at the mo and they are horses from completely separate parts of the yard (its a huge yard). We obviously have been quarantined for all this time and taking various strict precautions (including dipping our feet in disinfectant when we enter and leave the yard etc) and at the moment, quarantine is on until at least 14th October.
At last report, 7 yards in our area had confirmed cases of strangles.

I've seen some very poorly horses indeed over the last couple of months and hence our yard policy is now that ALL horses have to have the vaccine.
The only down point about it IMO, is that there are various strains of strangles, some more virrilent (sp?) and easy to catch than others and I doubt the vaccine covers ALL possible strains (all though I could well be wrong on this?!).

S

[crazystevie]

That sounds horrible! Fortunately, i've never been on a yard where this has happened.

Where abouts in Nottingham are you SarahC, because I'm in Nottingham too -ifthe outbreaks in my area, then i'd think i'd definately having it done just to make sure.

[Trewsers]

I've had our two vaccinated - cos there have been many outbreaks near our yard and although we don't compete and leave the yard as such, many other people do and I worry about it coming onto the yard. Anyways, I've not heard from our vet anything about it affecting horses prone to colic. The only side effect our two had, was they looked a bit sorry for themselves :p Storms lip was a little swollen but I rested her for 2 days (she didn't complain about that :D ) and all was well. I think you should just not ride the same day or day after, cos they can be a bit tender.

[crazystevie]

I think I probably am gonna get it done. There having flu and tetanus in 2 motnhs, os i'll speak to the vet then.

[SarahC]

crazystevie....have PM'd you!

[Zingy]

FOr people who are vaccinating, how often are you having to repeat the vaccination?

When I spoke to my vet about it I was advised against it as they said the vaccine only lasts a couple of months or so and therefore to keep any immunity you'd need injections umpteen times a year. They only recommended it for yards where horses developed strangles (to vaccinate the unaffected horses), or if you were taking a horse to a high risk situation such as a large show where you knew nearby yards were affected. Mine, therefore, aren't done!

[SarahC]

I think...if you are classed as a very high risk yard, then vaccination is every 3 months, but there's not many yards that would be truly classed as high risk. It would be something like a yard where there are known outbreaks of strangles circulating the area on a regular basis, or where horses are regularly introduced to other horses that come in from unknown sources.

For our yard, where there are about 35 horses, its every 6 months I think. The initial vaccination is 2 jabs 4 weeks apart I believe.

[jacstar]

I think you have one shot then one 6months later and not sure after that.

Its good just to be cautious i have never come across a yard that has ever had a break out in strangles prob because everyone is huge on getting the vaccination


Jac

[rabbit]

My horse has just been vaccinated.

It was 3 shots all up.

One shot, then a week later another shot, then 2 weeks later another one.

Then after that its a yearly vaccination.

[Tangle]

The vaccinations do vary by country. The UK only authorised a Strangles vaccine last year (ish) and developed it's own, which is administered in the horse's upper lip (rather than chest/flank). We had a leaflet through from the vets saying they wouldn't recommend it to all their clients (would have to check on the exact criteria), but had the 3 month / 6 month schedule depending on how high risk you were. Can't remember whether there was an initial course or not.

Please be aware - if you're only on a 6 month schedule and there is an outbreak more than 3 months after your horse's last shot you'll need to get him a booster for him to have full cover.

[nicker]

I have owned horses for probably 25 years... and have NEVER vaccinated any of them... and have NEVER had any of them come down with a disease.

I am not for or against vaccination at this point... most of our horses have rarely been exposed to other horses and I never knew anyone that had any problems. I grew up in BC and am now in Alberta.

Recently my friend lost her gelding to strangles, some rare complication that happens to some quarter horses where his joints locked up and froze... there was nothing they could do. Her other gelding recovered. I have heard that horses can usually recover from strangles, but it is a horrible disease that even though they recover, they are usually not the same.

Now that I know someone not too far away who's had problems with it, it concerns me. If I ever considered eventing or doing something with my girl outside of the pasture or our own horses I will probably shoot for vaccinations that have affected people I know, or people in my general area.

Some of them I don't agree with and they have caused more problems than they've helped... I think the BEST thing for any horse owner is to be well informed. Read, study, ask questions, research... find out what's going on in your area, find out how the vaccines have changed since the rumours have spread, etc. Google is a wonderful tool... just make sure you don't believe everything you read. It's worth it!