Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Heidi Smith wrote:

>The local vets here in Dillon MT had a Fort Dodge guy come out and give a seminar to the public yesterday . These are just some of the topics that were discussed . So do you vets agree with the sales rep ?

 

1) The Vaccine is 94% effective

 

Nope.

My vet, who has given a significant number of vaccinations and also treated
a significant number of horses (about 40 in the past two years)  tags it
much less than this.

 

2) It is the vets call on dispensing the vaccine ( wether they want to sell it over the counter or give it themselves)

 

Yep.  It is the vet's call whether or not to dispense ANYTHING.  Unless he is forbidden by law to dispense it.  (Which was the case in some states prior to full licensing of this vaccine, but is no longer an issue.)

 

3) 2 initial doses and then one yearly except for high exposure horses that you travell with give them 2 doses yearly or if you live in a high mosquito area dose every 6 months.

 

Seems to be the best advice so far

Down here some that reccomend the vaccination are reccomending it 4 x a year.

6)3 injections on foals starting at age 4 months

 

I'd say that depends on where you live and what the incidence is--and what time the foals are born.  eg:  We foal in the summer, at the peak of mosquito season, so there would be no reason to start vaccinating foals in September or October (or in the case of the fillies I just weaned, in December).  If you had a February baby, and lived in a high-risk area, then yes.  Otherwise, use some common sense and correlate with peak mosquito season, just like you would with an adult.

Down in FL there are very few cases till August but they have peaked in October
and November. You also will hear of cases in Dec and Jan. It takes a bird
and a mosquito. It takes time for the birds to get infected and it only takes
one mosquito.