The prevalent diseases for which your horse needs vaccine protection will vary to some degree by region of the country. The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) has recently published updated guidelines on what are generally recognized as the "core vaccines" nationwide. This information is available at their website www.aaep.org.
A vaccination program should be formulated in close association with your regular veterinarian. Inappropriate timing and administration of vaccines is just as bad, if not worse, than no vaccination at all. A good equine veterinarian will work with you to establish a program.
Let's talk about specific diseases. The AAEP core vaccines include those for EEE (Eastern Equine Encephalitis), WEE (Western Equine Encephalitis), WNV (West Nile Virus), Tetanus, Rabies and, in most cases, Influenza and Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1 and EHV-4). These should all be administered to horses annually for best protection. In fact, influenza and the Equine Herpes Viruses should be vaccinated for on a semi-annual basis, due to their sneaky nature and the short-termed nature of the horse's immune response to these diseases.
Other diseases often asked about include Strangles, Botulism, Potomac Fever and Equine Viral Arteritis. We recommend Strangles vaccination, with the intranasal product, for all horses that are commonly exposed to outside horses through activities such as showing, trail riding or racing.
Botulism is an organism that exists in the soil and is endemic to the mid-Atlantic region and central Kentucky. Exposure most commonly occurs through the feeding of round baled hay that has been improperly prepared or stored. Other potential sources include direct soil exposure, exposure through contaminated grains, or through the feeding of haylage or silage. We strongly recommend vaccination for this disease in our part of the country.
Potomac Fever is a disease that produces fever, GI discomfort and diarrhea. It first appeared in the mid-1980s. Since that time , the disease has changed somewhat. A vaccine is available but we have seen little evidence of its effectiveness. Because of this, and a suspected change in the organism that may have led to the changes in clinical signs, we do not feel that this is a worthwhile vaccine. Other veterinarians' opinions may differ.
Equine Viral Arteritis is an infrequent problem, usually associated with breeding farms and usually occurring in regional outbreaks. The last region significantly affected was the southwest United States. We do not consider it a problem in our area at this time, and as a result we do not vaccinate for it.
