minimizing vaccine/injection reactions

[blob99]

I have a mare who is very reactive to her vaccines and has always been. And gets a pretty severe localized reaction-- very acute swelling and soreness at the injection site that lasts for well over a week.

She has gets hives in the summer from allergies and nearly every vet I’ve had has remarked that horses with reactive skin are often extra sensitive/reactive to shots as well.

She’s always a tense mess when getting her shots, which of course does not help, as often the vet is unable to give the shots with the ease and precision that would help minimize some of the reaction. Often by the time she’s getting her last shot, the horse is 4 feet off the ground.

The last couple years I’ve been giving her banimine prior to injections and have been giving her some exercise right after shots. This helped quite a bit in the beginning and her swelling with banimine has been less than it was with bute. But the last couple times the reactions have been pretty severe again.

Spreading out the vaccines over multiple weeks doesn’t help much because then she is just sore and swollen for an overall longer time. And she gets harder to give the injections to.

Curious to hear from others who’ve had horses with reactions to see if there were particular things that seemed to help?

The vet has suggested that dex could help. I’m a bit weary of giving steroids in general, and like to avoid it if possible. But if it’s true that a small dosage the morning off/day before could make a distinct difference, then I’m willing to try it. Though I also wonder about giving an immune suppressant at the time of vaccines and whether that might create other types of long or short term problems.

[MyKindaFlower]

Hi OP,

I wondered about anti-histamines so did a quick Google search and it looks like some vets do find that helpful. Maybe you can ask your vet what he or she thinks?

Also, have you tried changing vaccine brands?

If you feel that your horse’s behavior and fear may be contributing, ask your vet if you can/should administer something like Dormosedan just before the vet arrives?

For spring shots, my vet and I like to space them out with 3-4 weeks in between and give Bute or Banamine before-hand and for the next day or two. I’ve got one that stocks up in his hind legs and sheath pretty badly (and occasionally spikes a fever) after shots but I still feel like it decreases the overall severity of his reaction, even though it means that he has a reaction twice in spring. Weirdly, he does not seem to have a reaction in the fall, but that may be because we only do the EEE / West Nile at that time and only if either have been reported in my area or the mosquitoes are still out and about.

I find it is also helpful if my beasts can be out 24/7 for a few days post-injection but sometimes, we’re elbow deep in mud when I’m starting the spring shots and so I’ll bring the horses in at night to give their feet time to dry out. I would probably reschedule if the weather was going to be swinging wildly or if there would be a reason that would cause me to have to keep them inside for a full day.

Since I don’t show and my horses are home, I keep my vaccines down to the bare minimum. In my area that’s Tetanus, EEE, West Nile, Rabies, and we just added Botulism to the mix after a couple of reported cases near me. We keep an eye on what’s going on around us to determine whether to vaccinate for Potomac or Rhino. I did vaccinate my big fella for Strangles until he was coming 3 and when I was boarding, I vaccinated a PPID senior for Strangles as well.

I let my vet decide on which brands to use since she keeps careful track of what brands seem to be associated with fewer adverse reactions.

There are great horse people on this forum and a few really good vets as well. Hopefully you’ll get some great advice.

Best of luck, OP.

[EmilyM]

i get whatever i can in an intranasal form. Flu/Rhino comes that way. it helps. the rest is a crap shoot. i treat with banamine afterwards. best of luck

[BlueDrifter]

My vet used an antihistamine with a former horse – he would get so sore that he wouldn’t eat if he got it in the neck and wouldn’t move if he got it in the rear – not nearly as bad as what you have experienced. Good luck!

[trubandloki]

I have a horse that has a severe reaction to vaccines (whole horse hives, laminitis).

We have been successful for two years now getting a rabies vaccine in her with pre-shot banamine and antihistamines (and using a specific brand, that I do not remember what it is called).

[joiedevie99]

Intranasal for anything you can. Banamine IV with the shots, and oral or IV for the next few days. Start anti-histamine a day before and continue a few days after. As much movement as possible.

[deltawave]

I wouldn’t give steroids unless the reaction was life-threatening or took the horse out of work for weeks. More harm than good AND a fair chance you’ll ruin the immune response you’re trying for. Antihistamines would be my go-to along with light exercise and turnout for a day or two, maybe a little NSAID.

Or you can use crystals, essential oils, homeopathics and black salve

[tabula_rashah]

Probably not the case with yours but… we had a horse with similar problems who turned out to be reacting to the actual needles. We switched to silicone free needles and the reactions went away.

[Zu_Zu]

• I agree with all the above suggestions

(no steroids here though)

I have also used ice packs to decrease swelling …

and shots EARLY … while still chilly outside seems to have helped also ~ IMHO

[Marla_100]

When my sensitive horse got re-actions, I tracked the brand name of shots and requested my vet not use that brand again.

Sometimes it works IF vet keeps good records of brands not to use. Not always the case on vet’s office record keeping so

it’s up to owner to track this.

FYI- Fort Dodge was my horse’s original bad brand. They sold out to Pfizer who then sold to Zoetis.

Zoetis has been doing a strong promotional binge to vets so many vets are pushing this brand.

So my advice is keep track yourself of brand reactivity and constantly remind your vet office of same.

[blob99]

Thanks all.

I think the challenge is that she gets banimine with her injections and we’ve tried bute/banimine (not both, just have tried both options) for the next several days. And while I’m sure it’s better than not doing it, there is still a very strong reaction with the NSAIDs. So the question really becomes, what else can we do?

She gets movement just after the shots, which also is probably better than not. But not a real noticeable difference.

I will try antihistamines since that seems to be a common suggestion and one that I haven’t tried!. I can give starting 24 hours beforehand–does anyone have suggestions for which antihistamines I should use/request?

[jawa]

I was just discussing this with my vet today. I have a 6 yo OTTB who reacted badly to shots last spring. He wouldn’t lower his head to eat or drink. He was miserable for 3-4 days. This year he had only a mild injection site swelling, not pain. The vet practice had used Merck products last spring, this spring was Zoetis. Same combination of vaccines, different manufacturers.

I had had shots done Monday a week ago. I noticed my 32 yo pony went from normal manure to cow patty manure after vaccination. I was able to get him to mostly normal manure in a couple of days by using sand clear. Yesterday, since it was almost 60, I decided to do a grooming day and clean sheaths. I discovered the 32 yo had a swollen sheath. Since he’s old and has melanomas, and was unusually VERY UNHAPPY with the process, I had the vet out. The vet felt the swelling was most likely related to the vaccines and challenging his immune system. If he’s not better in a few days we will treat with dex, but he doesn’t want to compromise the immune response.

We discussed the options of stretching out the shots to one every other week, but he felt like that might be worse than all at once as far as negative reactions within a short period of time or negative reactions strung out over weeks.

[4horses]

I stopped giving vaccines in the neck. I now vaccinate in the chest. Still get swollen bags at the injection site, and sometimes the area gets hot and swollen, but my horses don’t get sore necks and can eat and drink easily.

encevac is the vaccine i use for my mare who is reactive and she does okay. It is a good idea to try a different manufacturer.

[cnd8]

My 16.1, 1400 lb. gelding is a “delicate flower” and he has any reaction you can imagine to most things in life. I was worried with his spring vaccinations, but I asked the vet to give them in the hindquarters, just in case. No reaction was apparent, although I did give a 5cc dose of Banamine the afternoon of the vaccinations, just in case.

[blob99]

Well as of today, my horse’s injection site for flu/rhino is bloody and leaking, it’s hard to tell exactly what’s leaking – pus or fluid-- because it’s leaking up by her name.

I’ve called the vet out, but it’ll be a few hours before she can fit us in.

luckily temp and appetite are normal and gums seem ok. Hopefully this isn’t something worse than an abcess.

in the fall, i’m going to make sure she gets as many through the nose as possible. And switch to chest for easy drainage if something like this does happen again