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When to vaccinate for Strangles?

1K views 5 replies 6 participants last post by  JCnGrace 
#1 ·
So I will likely be pulling a horse from New Holland auction at some point. The stable I'll be boarding at recently had a strangles outbreak (brought in by a new boarder whose owners walked around petting all the stall-boarded horses :icon_rolleyes:), and it's really made me cognizant of the need for proper and timely vaccination. Reading through Dreamcatcher's old thread on Strangles, as well as seeing the pure he** my trainer is going through right now, has made me even more certain that this is a vaccine I will NEVER lapse on.

My stable has a lot of options for quarantine, so I plan to have the horse in isolation for about 30 days after the auction before acclimating it to the rest of the herd. At what point should I have the horse vaccinated with the intranasal vaccine?

I realize immunity does not start until about 3 weeks after the vaccine kicks in, and it can be up to two weeks after exposure that symptoms begin. At what point is it safe to administer the vaccine, and should I do it before I let it have contact with other horses?
 
#2 ·
Unfortunately the Strangles vaccine is pretty iffy about whether it's really effective. Interesting is that the 2 horses I've had that I vaccinated for strangles were the 2 that came down with and one was really sick so the vet was out everyday to work on him.




I'm an advocate of getting the core vaccinations plus any that are recommended in your area by local vets, but strangles is the one vaccine I don't get and none of the local vets carry the vaccines in stock, It's a special order if an owner wants that vaccination.






If the barn where you want to board has an outbreak of Strangles, find another place to keep the horse until the all clear is given. Any time a horse is bought at auction, it's prudent to keep him in isolation for at least 3 weeks to be sure he's not carry any diseases, plus this give you a chance to work with the horse without the distraction of a herd.
 
#3 ·
Like @Prairie, I've had some bad experiences with the strangles vaccine. I worked at a large racing barn. We did strangles vaccines and it never failed that shortly after the vaccine was given we'd always have an outbreak.

I never vaccinated my guys from strangles until this year. I only did it this year b/c I was taking my one horse to be stabled in a place where there were numerous horses from all over Western Canada. If I hadn't taken him there I likely wouldn't have vaccinated him.

Sorry I couldn't offer more advise on when to give the vaccine for your potential new horse.
 
#4 ·
I get it spring and fall. With a new horse I would get all the vaccinations as soon as you buy him unless he comes with records that prove what he's had. A lot of times you only receive a current Coggins when you purchase a horse at a sale. I'd also be worried about shipping fever when you pick him up.

30 days in isolation is a good idea. As for the new boarder walking around petting all the other horses in the barn... I have to admit, I'd pet them all. I try not to pet other peoples horses but I can't help myself.

I've seen horses that have been vaccinated get a slight case of the strangles, I also know of a horse that had strangles receive antibiotics and then end up with what is known as ******* Strangles. He ended up with a hole in his esophagus and his chest. It took him YEARS to heal. He did, but he roars now. Strangles is not something to play around with. It's also, sometimes something that just plain happens, even when you've done everything right.
 
#5 ·
I don't use the inject able vaccine, too many bad reactions and very iffy immune response. I do/have/will use the nasal spray vaccine, no bad reactions that I'm aware of and much better immunity.

First, wait until your horse clears quarantine and doesn't come down with strangles. If the horse comes down with it, they recommend 5 years before you need to vaccinate. If the horse is clear, then you can vaccinate as soon as they're clear and healthy. I wouldn't vaccinate a really underweight horse or one who's got a heavy worm load, fix those issues first and then talk to your vet.
 
#6 ·
I don't normally do the strangles vaccine but several years ago I was sending 2 youngsters to get started and that trainer required them. Intranasal, one got strangles and the other didn't. Luckily, even though they were in a herd situation at the time only one other horse contracted it. Both got the abscess under the jaw that busted and drained but neither acted sick nor ran a temp.
 
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