Vaccine Fact Sheet
Vaccine schedules change regularly so please check with your competition regulators to make sure you are up to date.
Towcester Veterinary Centre’s equine vets routinely vaccinate horses against:
Equine Influenza
- A virus affecting the respiratory system, resulting in a high fever, runny nose, and cough.
- Typically affects young horses.
- Rarely fatal, however, it can be a very debilitating disease.
Initial course of 3 vaccinations (2nd vaccine: 21-60 days after 1st vaccine; 3rd vaccine 120-180 days after 2nd vaccine) with boosters every 6 months or annually depending on competition requirements.
Tetanus
- Caused by production of endotoxins by the bacteria Clostridium tetani.
- Following a wound, if unvaccinated or overdue, horses must be given a tetanus antitoxin injection urgently to prevent tetanus infection.
- This is usually a fatal condition.
Initial course of 2 vaccinations four weeks apart with boosters every other year.
Equine Herpes Virus (EHV)
- Usually given to breeding stock.
- Common virus worldwide.
- EHV-1 causes respiratory disease in young horses, paralysis in all ages/types, and abortion in pregnant mares.
- EHV-4 causes a less severe respiratory disease, and occasionally abortion.
Pregnant mares – Vaccines at 5, 7 and 9 months of pregnancy.
Respiratory protection – Initial course of 2 vaccinations four weeks apart with boosters every 6 months.
Strangles
- A virus affecting the respiratory system, resulting in a high fever, snotty nose and swollen lymph nodes.
- Highly contagious and can be spread horse-to-horse or via contact with infected material on people or objects.
- Rarely fatal, however, it can be a very debilitating disease.
Initial course of 2 vaccinations four weeks apart with boosters every 6 months.
If you’d like to know more about equine immunisations, please don’t hesitate to get in touch and ask for advice from our equine team.
Contact us about your horse’s vaccinations.
