DE is the state I’ve had experience with but I was also ordering the vials with several doses and having to get separate needles and syringes. Of course, oddly though, you can get rabies vaccines in DE.
I’ve been doing my own vaccines since the mid '80s with no issues. It helps that I worked in the animal health industry for over 25 years developing/producing vaccines. Consequently, I am very picky about the brand I will use and I like to split mine up over time with the lower antigen combinations. I used to enjoy the employee discount but now I usually buy from Valley Vet…I live in Kansas City so order today and I have it the next day. Never had a shipping issue.
I have always done my own except for my boarding years when we had vaccine clinics and everyone got done. I tend to do the minimum Triple E-F-T since they are at home and just ridden around here.
Valley Vet is who I use to purchase.
I pay the vet to do it. They will cover the severe reactions financially, and if you do it yourself that guarantee does not come with it. Also makes proof of vaccine very easy especially with shows in our area cracking down on the vaccine certificates. Peace of mind to me. I had a very bad reaction one year and will never do again without a vet.
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{shrugs}
Color me Lucky.
Horses tolerate as many as 4 vax in one go.
All ages/sizes, from 2yo 34" mini up to teenaged 17h WB & TB in his mid-20s.
Only reaction I’ve ever had was one horse to rabies given in the neck.
He was so sore the next day I had to hang hay & grain at near eye-level, could not lower his neck.
No swelling or heat at the site, just muscle sore.
Resolved the next day & following year vet injected in his hip & he had no reaction.
I have friends who do their own, so I am not arguing everyone should go my route.
Just that it has worked for me for 30yrs, so no impetus to do otherwise.
I’ve had vets tell me that unless you’re going to do a surgical clip and scrub, there’s no good reason, other than to make owners feel good, to wipe down the hair. When I boarded, for many years, 15-30 horses at any given time, give or take, and my own horses over 29 years, so lots and lots of injections, there have been no injection site abscesses that I can recall, all with just a basic alcohol swab. I’ve given Adequan, penicillin and Gentomycin IM, no issues and no swabbing. So we have done both ends of the spectrum, with the same results 
Sepsis has happened with thoroughly shaved and scrubbed hocks for joint injections. I’m sure there are horses who have had issue with a scrubbed, and not scrubbed, and basic swabbed muscle.
It certainly doesn’t hurt, that’s for sure, to do a good scrub.
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I had a vet tell me it DID hurt. Said making the hair and skin wet allowed bacteria to mobilize and you were MORE likely to get an infection because more baddies could get to your injection site.
I wonder if there’s any research…
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I should have qualified - a really good surgical scrub. I agree with you - simply swirling things around, even with a betadine-soaked cotton ball, let alone just alcohol, is likely to do more harm than good.
Oh, yeah, then we’re on the same page 
So that’s scrubbing for what, five minutes with betadine or nolvasan, and then rinsing with sterile saline or isopropyl? And has to be clipped, right?
I did find this about passive prep that was interesting!
https://thehorse.com/19592/paint-on-aseptic-skin-prep-easy-effective-cost-efficient/
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Nice! But I want to know how it costs $2.34 to do the passive prep!
@JB & @Simkie OMG you guys!! LOL. Okay… I don’t clip but I’m sure as heck not using a cotton ball and barely touching it! I probably use a half-cup of betadine scrub and a clean cloth, and I scrub to the skin, pour more betadine into the area and scrub some more.
Anyway, I have seen injection site abscesses and I want no part if I can help it. Geeeeezzzzzz…
I do my own vaccines, excluding my 3 show horses. Typically, I order from Valley Vet. I have had to pick them up from TS, though it isn’t my go to store for vaccines. I keep the records, the lot number, exp date ect on all the vaccines for the horses in a binder, along with all their records (Coggins, farrier schedule, vet schedule etc).
Also- if you are going to use an alcohol swab on the site, you need to let the alcohol dry for at least 30 seconds. I’m speaking of routine vaccine injections, not any invasive procedures such as hock injections etc.
I do my own for this reason including rabies. Never had an issue. I usually buy from Heartland Vet Supply or Valley Vet.
Hopefully you are aware that if there’s a rabies exposure issue, your horse is not vaccinated in the eyes of the laws, and would be subject to PTS or a serious (which usually means $$$) quarantine, and I’m not even positive the quarantine is a possible alternative for horses.
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https://www.avma.org/Advocacy/StateAndLocal/Documents/Rabies%20state%20law%20chart.pdf
Know the rules in your state. “Under vet supervision” is technically a vet tech but know your local law. Joe Blow giving a rabies vaccine is null in some states, even if they have been given it.
It’s null in every state. Or, let me rephrase - I have gone down this path to try to find any state which will allow an “owner says it was done” clause, and I cannot find any.
Many states allow anyone to give the vaccine. None allow it as a legally recognized vaccinated horse unless it was done and recorded by a licensed vet.
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JB- as I stated, “under vet supervision” is the only caveat. In some states, a vet does not have to actually administer it (see the link) but need to be under supervision, which is stated as a vet tech.
2 separate issues. A vet, or vet tech, or something vet-supervised, will mean the vet has a record of it having been given. I was addressing your last comment about Joe Blow and “null in some states”. It’s null in every state. Nobody knows or cares who actually stuck the horse. If the vet says “this horse was vaccinated for rabies on this date” then that’s all anyone knows. If the vet is where while Joe Blow gave the vaccine, the vet has the record, and all is good. If the vet wasn’t there, it’s never good
When I was in practice, I preferred to split up vaccines if a horse was getting “a bunch” of them, so I would do subsequent vaccine visits with no additional barn call charge as that seemed to be the sticking point (no pun intended) for most clients.
Or if you live in AZ it’s the Wild West and no one need supervise :D:eek:
