06/11/2024
How cute is this little man!!
Please join us in welcoming little Piccolo to the world! Piccolo is an American Miniature Horse, born at the beginning of October to his proud parents, Archimedes and Pandora.
To keep Piccolo safe and help give him the best life, it’s very important for him to be vaccinated. At 6 months old, he will have his first vaccination for Influenza and Tetanus. He will have a second dose 4-6 weeks later, and a third 5-6 months after his second. Quite the course for a little boy! However, this means he will be protected against the two most serious diseases for horses.
Influenza is a very contagious virus that strips the airways of their defences causing a cough, nasal discharge and lethargy. It can be lethal to foals and immunocompromised horses.
A booster vaccination is given every year (within 365 days of the previous injection). If you wish to compete your horse or pony, the society (regulatory body) with whom you compete will state which vaccination protocol you must follow. Following the equine influenza outbreak in 2019 many regulatory bodies and competition centres require that horses and ponies have six monthly booster vaccinations.
Tetanus is a bacteria picked up from the ground contaminating a wound. It is a rapidly developing disease that leads to profound stiffness, seizures and death. Successful treatment once contracted is rare. Therefore, a booster is given every 2 years and if an unvaccinated horse sustains a wound, we’ll always give a tetanus antitoxin injection.
Pandora had a booster vaccination 4 weeks before her due date to make sure the antibodies passed to him through her milk for the first 6 months of his life. If she didn’t have this, we would have given the antitoxin injection to Piccolo to make sure he’s covered.
Vaccinations are essential to combat rapidly changing diseases and keep your horse healthy and happy for as long as possible.
Our vets, Sally, Rhiannon and Daisy are always happy to answer any questions you may have.
