When doing vaccines, do you prefer a certain brand?
2 way, 4 way, 6 way, add in West Nile? Difference in what you give a horse that travels or one that stays at home? Difference in your location?
The “ways” refer to the number of vaccinations included in the combination.
Things you might find in combination generally include:
-“2 way sleeping sickness” (EEE/WEE) (you might chose to include VEE, too, depending on location)
-tetanus
-flu
-EHV (rhino)
-WNV (west nile)
EEE/WEE, tetanus, and WNV are considered core vaccinations by the AAEP and are recommended for all horses. Flu & rhino are usually recommended for horses who have regular contact with horses from outside their herd (travel, busy boarding barn environments, etc.)
Some horses prone to vaccine reactions seem to have more trouble with combination vaccinations than when the individual vaccinations are given separately spread out over time, so that is something to consider for a particular animal.
I was recently going to start a thread re: 6 way vaccines, which include all of the vaccinations listed above and are becoming more common. For a long time, WNV was only available separately. Then 6 way vaccinations came on the market a few years ago and have been gaining popularity. I was curious if horses receiving them show any increased vaccination sensitivity, since it is so much at once.
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I am now giving my horse vaccinations in smaller batches because the last 5 way, she was dopey for a good week to 10 days after.
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What your horse needs is dependent on your location and your risk factors. Here are the AAEP vaccine guidelines:
https://aaep.org/guidelines/vaccination-guidelines
If your horse doesn’t object, the combo vaccines may be most convenient.
I have one that is sensitive, so I break it down as much as possible, and use Vetera. We do the Vetera EWT, the Vetera WNV, and the Merial PHF. (No Vetera PHF.) The vet comes out for rabies. That is four separate injections.
That’s all my horses need in this area given what I do with them.
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My guys get- the “5 way”- Flu/Rhino/EEE/WEE/Tet, rabies (vet), PHF, Botulism and WN. I definitely don’t give that all at once. They get rabies in Jan or Feb (I need my coggins drawn then because they have to be new each calendar year so get Rabies vacs at the same time),5 way in April, WN& PHF in May and Botulism in November. I prefer to use brands other than Fort Dodge
​​​​​​Nothing is labeled Fort Dodge anymore. Those vaccines are now sold under the Zoetis branding.
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Well lash me with a wet noodle 
No lashing, just pointing out that you’ll want to avoid Zoetis. It’s not like they print “formerly Fort Dodge!” on the package.
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My allergic to every known allergen on the planet and few that are not even recognized yet horse gets 6 way with no problem. So far. I think it’s one of those things you can’t worry too much about until the point you are unlucky enough that it happens.
My horse gets probably the worst vaccine reactions I’ve ever seen. But her reaction is at every injection site no matter what. She used to get the 5-way vaccine at my old barn. When I moved locations the new vet wanted to do the individual vaccines, but it’s proven to be far more traumatic for her (several massive swellings, instead of one). So, this year I am requesting to go back to the 5-way.
I know some horses who have been the opposite. The 5-way gave a reaction, the individual ones did not. So you need to partly figure out what works best for the horse.
Blob99, you need to start tracking the BRAND of the vaccine that your vet is using. Some brands use a carrier fluid
that is known to be high for reactions. Your vet may not tell you this.
There are several companies that make most vaccines. Merck, Vetera, Zoetis and others.
When you get a bad reaction, ask your vet which brand they used. Then mark your records and ask vet to note in their
records they are not to use this BRAND again.
Companies who make vaccines run special promotions geared to vets and then the vets start using those brands
or pushing those brands. You have to be the one tracking the reactions to protect your horse.
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Good to know.
Not without trepidation, I bought 6 way vaccines for my girls this year. I usually do a 5 way + separate WNV, but price savings was significant. My one mare gets punky after vaccines; she almost always spikes a fever and usually gets a bit of localized swelling and/or pain. I was nervous, but her reaction was no worse than usual, maybe even a little better than some other years.
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No preference on brand, but my gelding with Cushing’s and a history of laminitis no longer gets flu/rhino since he spikes a fever every time, even with the intranasal. My mare also developed a fever after her last IM flu/rhino so she gets the intranasal now.
I usually do a three way (WEE/EEE/tetanus) and WNV (as a separate shot) in the first spring appointment. Then when I have their teeth checked the mare gets her flu/rhino.
I do rabies in the fall. Neither horse is vaccinated for strangles anymore because my vet doesn’t feel it’s necessary for older horses.
