On the topic of vets spreading things out, I listened to an older “Hold Box” episode of the Equiratings podcast recently and the vets mentioned spreading out joint injections and shoeing. They said they’ve only seen it very rarely, but since some horses “get pulsy” after shoeing, doing both on the same day can increase the risk of laminitis. Thankfully I haven’t needed to do joint injections in a while anyway, but this probably wouldn’t have occurred to me. Has anyone heard this?
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This is quite a bit less than what we’re looking at in the US. Core vaccines are Rabies, Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis, Western Equine Encephalomyelitis, West Nile Virus, and Tetanus. Flu, Rhino, Strangles, Venezuelan Equine Encephalomyelitis, Potomac Horse Fever, Lyme may also be given depending on risk and location. (I might be missing some, too.)
At the least, you’re looking at five different agents for the core vaccines, and eleven (or more?) if you’ve got to do everything.
We have a wellness plan so teeth and vaccines are routinely done at the same time by reputable and large clinic. Agree with OP, I’ve never had an issue with this protocol and I suspect most horses do just fine with it. Always a few exceptions but they are just that- exceptions.
I had a horse colic (impaction) about 24 hours after he had his dental/vaccines…. he spent 10 days at the vet school to the tune of $10k. Couldn’t pinpoint what caused it, but at that point I switched to separate appointments for everyone. I’m sure they’d be fine (that horse passed away, unfortunately), but better to be safe than sorry.
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The only time I have done teeth and vaccines on the same day is if a horse is horrible to vaccinate, and is best done under sedation (mostly for horses needing the intranasal). I feel better doing them separately so if the horse is under the weather the next day, I have a better idea of the cause.
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My vet comes in the spring once for coggins we do one shot that day and he leaves me the rest to spread out. Last time we did all vaccinations on the same day my mare ran a really high fever for 3 days and lost a lot of weight. I get my horses teeth done by a dentist in the first week of January and checked/ done again in the last week of June (I schedule these appointments six months to a year ahead).
My vet is suggesting to do vaccines and dental separately. My horses are older and we have had some vaccine reactions. A farm call for something that is non-urgent to my place is also pretty affordable.
Are there some studies to support this protocol of separating vaccines from teeth floating? Would love to see them. Seems like a new phenomenon.
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Me too! That’s why I was asking. If it’s a protocol being adopted by more and more vets, I’d like to know the reasoning behind it and if it’s sound, I may consider adopting for next year. This year, well, multiple vet calls and then regular spring stuff, it was a hard no (politely put, but still a hard no lol) for yet another call.
After all, it’s not just the call fee, but the time away from work that impacts the overall cost. And when you drive a ways to the barn and have to monitor post vax and hang out for over an hour after sedation, plus, especially this time of year, it’s unlikely a vet will arrive on time (NO SHADE!!!) but you’ve got to be there on time just in case - that’s 2 half days right there. 1 half day is easier to swallow. I don’t begrudge any of it, but if I can minimize calls I’d like to continue to do so.
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We give vaccines ourselves, one a week until they are completed. Husband the Farrier got a number of calls of horses foundering after getting all their shots the same day. They were horses who had “always” gotten all shots at once for years! Metabolically, they could not tolerate it anymore, foundered. He had to try preventing rotation at that point. Made him angry that horse had to suffer for the cost of an extra Vet visit! Vets even suggest all shots at once to save time on a return visit.
Putting that many things into even a big body is hard on the system!
I certainly would not add in the stress of getting teeth done at the same vaccination time!! Even with most of our horses not needing sedation because Dentist uses hand tools, nothing electric, I would not vaccinate and do teeth the same day! Way too much stress on a horse. I myself only get one vaccination at a time, to not stress my body.
No studies, just seeing bad things happen in real life. Spring shots all at once with reactions happened over and over. Husband had a good size Farrier practice, many kinds of horses, all ages and disciples, to learn how bad things happen.
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Repeating that this is not possible where I am located.
And yet efficacy and safety in children has been shown to be good enough that multiple vax at once is still a thing in human medicine.
In regards to laminitis - I wonder if folks are not giving an NSAID post vaccination? I always do (along with a few days of ulcer meds that my horse requires after NSAID treatment) because I know how vaccines can sometimes make me feel and I’d rather my horse not feel like garbage if it can be easily prevented.
Again, I can see this being an issue for some horses. However, the vast majority have been and are very likely fine with this protocol. I just don’t see large and reputable vet practices offering spring and fall wellness visits that include vaccines and dental if was a known issue for most horses. I think if there is data to support that, the practices would adjust their program.
The only contraindication I am aware of is joint injections and dental float at same appointment.
Let me see data and not anecdotal evidence and I will revisit my position.
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NSAID post vax reduces the immune response to the vaccine. While some animals and people require it due to excessive reaction, those that do not respond in that way should not be given an NSAID “just because.”
I would guess that your vet has had enough calls about puny horses post dental+vax that she now recommends to separate. Have you asked her why that’s her recommendation? She can answer why she recommends that better than any person here.
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This happened to one of my horses – fine for years, until he wasn’t. It was awful, and I’d do anything to avoid this with another horse. The risk is not worth it, to me.
Having had my own terrible reaction to a childhood vaccination that resulted in a several day stay in the hospital, I personally receive only one vaccination at a time myself.
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sasha and TWH_girl You do what you feel comfortable with and take your chances. Reactions may be less common, as with “most” human vaccines. But for the odd child or horse who will react, is the result worth it to you? Above post said $10,000 treating a reaction, still lost the horse. To me, that money would hurt financially, along with losing my nice horse! Maybe your budget can take a few hits like that, mine can’t.
I lost a friend when she reacted badly to anesthesia, never got to surgery. Young, healthy, with a sudden reaction that was totally unexpected. Hospital with everything could not save her. One in a million. I had my children’s shots given one to a visit. They encouraged me to do shots together, but I resisted. Yep, more time off work, but kids did not get sick, run fevers like other kids who got all shots at once.
I REALLY don’t want MY horses being that one in a million when I can prevent a reaction by spacing vaccinations out. We like our horses, think vaccinations are useful, protective. But that is a quantity of weird stuff to react to in their bodies! We give strangles shots still. Have seen the internasal vaccinations be ineffective. The Vet vaccinated his wife’s horses that way, new horse introduced strangles and ALL her horses got strangles!! She lost two and was run off her feet trying to care for (I think 14) all the rest of them. No internasal stuff for us!
I listen and evaluate anecdotal sharing of information. Make my decisions with as much additional scientific information as possible. My sharing with you makes it anecdotal, but it was first-hand information when I got it.
Kind of silly to ask for information on how we do things, then pooh-pooh the answers you get back as not having scientific evidence! We see what happens right in front of us, whether science trained people say it happens or not, or is unlikely to happen.
Your horses, your responsibility in choosing best ways to care for them.
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I am not “taking my chances”. That’s a bit a broad assumption. It’s what my vet clinic recommends so that’s better than internet suggestions IME.
I also didn’t start the post but sure find it contradicting that so many posters who want evidence and studies don’t seem to want it for this issue. I will do what I think is best and you can as well. We don’t have to agree. I don’t feel asking for evidence is out of line.
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Oops, should have been more specific. In all my years and many horses in my care, my current horse is only the 2nd that gets the aftercare. Allergic to life and gets a small reaction that we don’t want to blow up into a fever. My horse and I are far too similar 
While I can choose to wait and see if I need extra support, we feel she can’t and shouldn’t.
I will be asking my vet the next time Madam feels she needs to see her favourite health care professional, but thought I’d get a discussion going here in the meantime 
I will be sure to decline life-saving surgery next time I need it in the event that I may be that one in a million who has a deadly reaction to anaesthesia.
I am terribly sorry you lost your friend.
The point of this post was not asking for advice but to get a discussion going and to see if this protocol is being adopted widely and if so for what scientific reason if known.
I plan on asking my vet next time I see them, but thought a discussion here could be interesting and possibly enlightening. If you don’t like that, don’t partake in the discussion.
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I think logistics are totally fair game in your personal decision too. If your horse needs teeth and shots at the same time, if your vet is far away, if farm calls are expensive, if your horse is bad with shots, these are all reasons you might just do it at the same time.
It’s much more important that the horses get their vaccines and get their dental work done than that they be done separately, as the bottom line.
One reason I kind of like separating them is that I like an excuse to have my vet seeing my horses at different times of the year, just so they’re more familiar with the baseline of how my horses are when they’re happy and healthy.
Expense wise there’s the one enormous bill versus two smaller bills with a duplicated farm call.
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There’s a disconnect between acknowledging that your horse is prone to reaction and pre treating with an NSAID despite never seeing a need, and being so vehemently opposed to separating dentistry and vaccination, which would be done to lower the risk of an adverse reaction.
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