Vaccinating for Lyme Ugh

[signmypapyrus]

Ticks are really bad this summer and I keep finding them on my mare. I’ve tried everything from the traditional Endure and Pyranha, Pro-Force, Listerine Spray, even dryer sheet wipes. I keep finding ticks under my mare’s jaw and her teats.

Lyme has also been reported in my area.

I have an old timey vet friend who has offered to help a few of us by buying the off label vaccine (for dogs) and I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with this. I’ve heard that worst case scenario it won’t work.

Would you mind sharing your experiences with the vaccine? Did it work? Did it not work?

[Weezer]

Last summer 4 of my horses were diagnosed with Lymes disease so I quickly became an expert in tick management. We gave the dog Lymes vaccine to the horses for the first time last year and there were no problems. I also bought Boss pour-on tick repellent. The label use if for cattle and Rocky Mountain ticks but my vet said many clients have had success with it. Last summer I applied it directly to the horse like tick drops for dogs. One horse. Developed visible blisters and the other horses immediately reacted as if it was burning them. So this year I added it to my regular fly spray and spray them every few days - not a single tick. I also now keep the grass short in the pasture.

I hope you find something that works for you!

[skipollo]

I’ve never done the vaccine for my horse, but after dealing with him having Lyme, if I could go back I would vaccinate him in a heartbeat.

[ala359]

Yes-,here in VT most vets/ people are using the dog vaccine. If the horse hasn’t been vaccinated before then it’s a series of three that need to be spaced correctly to be effective (I don’t remember— maybe one a month?). Then we booster in the spring and fall. It does seem to be helpful, lyme is just rampant here in the Northeast.

[signmypapyrus]

What is Boss pour on tick repellent?

[Weezer]

I got it through my vet https://www.syrvetcanada.ca/en/boss-pour-on-rtu-liquid-insecticide-900-ml-mk056759

[Simkie]

@skipollo

I’ve never done the vaccine for my horse, but after dealing with him having Lyme, if I could go back I would vaccinate him in a heartbeat.

I agree, I really wish I would’ve started the Lyme vax when we moved to tick country.

There’s actual study on this, OP:

Vaccination of horses with Lyme vaccines for dogs induces short-lasting...

[signmypapyrus]

Vet friend is ordering it today, but he’s researching it before we do anything.

I’m so terrified that my mare will contract Lyme, though. My friend has Lyme and is now disabled because of it.

[Posting_Trot]

Yes, I’ve used the Lyme vaccine on my horses. I’ve never had a problem with it (no bad reactions to the vax).

With my previous horse, I had a persistent battle with Lyme. She unfortunately first got the disease before most people/vets believed it was a problem in horses, so she wasn’t vaxed. (She was first diagnosed in 2004). Although she lived to be 23, she had a least three rounds of Lyme disease, and there’s no way of knowing whether some of her other persistent issues as she aged may have been the results of the Lyme infection that perhaps never fully cleared even with proper treatment.

Some horses, like some people and some dogs, will never develop the disease even if they’ve been exposed. But it’s been worth it to me to vax my horse (as I do my dogs) with the hope that the vaccine will provide some immunity.

If there were a people vaccine available, I’d be all-in as well. We apparently used to have one, but anti-vaxers killed it:

Time: “What Happened to the Lyme Disease Vaccine”

[signmypapyrus]

Ugh, that is so frustrating!

[Critter]

Have you tried Equispot? I didn’t see it mentioned in your list so I figured I would toss it out there. It is the only thing that does significantly reduce the number of ticks on my horses (I am in NJ…tick mecca with every tick disease right here - ugh!).

Early spring I do have to apply it every 2-3 weeks…then I can start to spread out the applications. I will still find a tick here and there on them…but that’s better than 20-30 a day!

[mfglickman]

I’ve tried Equispot and my horses react like they’ve been burnt. Rolling, rubbing, bucking, they didn’t get ticks but were uncomfortable for a couple of days, rubbing on fences etc.

[frugalannie]

I’m in an area with lots of ticks of various types. The big ones that we find, dog ticks or lone star ticks, don’t generally carry Lyme. It’s the small black-legged (aka deer) ticks that do, and field mice are their preferred method of dispersement. They’re the size of a pin head, and usually look like sesame seeds when engorged. Hard to find. Also the majority of ticks in our area have been found to carry more than one disease. Such joy!

I’ve been vaccinating my horses with the dog vaccine for years with no negative reactions. Note that they still may get Lyme or some other tick borne disease, but it won’t be as bad (or so we’re told). One of my vets describes it as the tick borne complex of diseases, many of which have similar symptoms, most of which respond to the same treatment (doxycycline, minocycline, IV oxytetracycline).

If I’m ever granted a magic wand, I will rid the earth of ticks, mosquitoes, midgies and horseflies of all types. That’s my plan and I’m sticking to it.

[Simkie]

@mfglickman

I’ve tried Equispot and my horses react like they’ve been burnt. Rolling, rubbing, bucking, they didn’t get ticks but were uncomfortable for a couple of days, rubbing on fences etc.

I have this same issue, it’s just awful. I kept at it for a few applications because the tick issue is just SO bad, but finally threw in the towel when it took two people, a twitch, and application in the field because of the immediate frantic rolling.

I find feeding garlic to make a HUGE difference in the number of ticks on the horses–only a few a year, which is an outright miracle in CT–but have treated three of four horses for Lyme at least once, so I guess I’m either missing the ones that matter (they’re so small!!) or the few that do make it through are just really virulent.

[Catherine616]

My vet has been giving my horses the dog Lyme vaccine for 10 years, never had any bad reactions, never had Lyme. They get it in the spring with their regular shots.

[Critter]

I don’t exactly follow the application instructions for that very reason (first time I used it mine did the same as yours and my one lost a bunch of hair at one of the spots).

I get a rubber glove, put a little bit on the glove and then rub it over a broader area. I pretty much cover all of them except where tack/girth/boots would go. Since I’ve switched to putting it on that way (and not pouring from the applicator) they could care less about me putting it on. I’ve also not seen a decreased effectiveness with applying it that way.

[beowulf]

I wipe down their topline and back of the legs with a wet sponge. Then put on EquiSpot on the wet spots and rub in with glove. It’s significantly reduced the reactiveness during application.

[SolarFlare]

I’m in Ontario and the ticks have been awful this year and last year.

Has anyone tried this? I saw it brought up in a Facebook group and a couple people swore by it: https://www.sharpefarmsupplies.com/equine/fly-control/tickless-horse-flea--tick-repeller

[signmypapyrus]

I used Pro-Force, which I know is different. Hasn’t really worked.

I keep her fly sheet on her and I ended up making fly spray for her (per a recipe online). The vet is ordering the vaccine for myself and another lady who is in the same boat.

[Ergots]

I recommend and use Farman’s Original Wipe. It’s oily and kills ticks for days. Repels all sorts of chasing demons and hovering social companions.