Vaccination Reaction

[Paddys_Mom]

I vaccinated my horse and donkey in the neck 3/19 with Zoetis West Nile - Innovator + EWT purchased from a reputable local source. Today both have large tender firm swellings at the vaccination site.

Do you think this is this a “call the vet”, “wait and see”, or "treat the symptoms (banamine?) "? They are eating, drinking, and moving around fine. I took the donkey’s temperature and it was normal.

I alternate between giving my own vaccinations and having the vet do it every other year. I have never had a reaction occur.

[Simkie]

Eating, drinking, moving around fine? I’d not do anything They’re fine. Note for next year, in case you have another rxn then, although a swelling that doesn’t limit movement or cause any sort of fever just wouldn’t have me concerned. You ARE asking for an immune reaction, after all :yes:

I do have a mare that gets so sore she won’t eat or drink, and spikes a fever, with that particular vaccine. So I don’t use that brand anymore. I could for the other three, but it’s far easier for me to order the same thing for all. I use Vetera, and that’s been just fine for her (and the rest of the herd.)

[LauraKY]

I usually use a glob of furazone/DMSO mix on the swelling along with a dose of banamine.

[Costa06]

My old mare got this reaction every single time she had a vaccination–just the lump–no other symptoms. I used either DMSO or Surpass to reduce swelling, and the lump generally went away within a week.

I wouldn’t worry unless there is a fever or appetite change.

[myleetlepony]

My mare has the same reaction anytime I use either Ft. Dodge vaccines, or do a combo with more than three strains in it.

When it happens, I find that she’s too sore to graze well, and a few days of banamine takes care of that. The lump usually goes away within a week.

In the future, I’d stay away from combo vaccines, and certainly try another brand. For my mare, it takes a total of about two weeks to get her fully innoculated because I spread them out every few days.

[ML]

Friends horse had a reaction ie “foaming at the mouth” I have seen the lumps small forms and they do seem to go away in time but this one is new one on me. We got 4 in 1 shots from vet on this. Wondered what others were doing vet suggested banamine.

[Flash44]

Bute. Did my horses 10 days ago, one had a lump and was tender to the touch. It goes away.

[Paddys_Mom]

Thank you for the reassurances.
Would you avoid this brand (Zoetis) next time, or was it a fluke?

[trubandloki]

[QUOTE=Paddys Mom;8068252]
Thank you for the reassurances.
Would you avoid this brand (Zoetis) next time, or was it a fluke?[/QUOTE]
My thought with this type of reaction is once is a fluke, twice is avoid that in the future.

[myleetlepony]

Would you avoid this brand (Zoetis) next time, or was it a fluke?

I personally AVOID Ft. Dodge/Pfizer/Zoetis vaccines. I don’t know if it’s something with the carrier or what, but it seems like any time they touch my mare, she gets a reaction (even when not in a combo).

I like Prestige (Merck) vaccines and have not had any issues with them. I have not gone with a heavier combo than 3, but I have done both combos and singles.

[ChocoMare]

Please watch for any heat in the hooves. Sometimes the reaction can bring on mild laminitis. If so, get them into ice water for 30 mins on/15 mins out as long as tolerated. Bute helps too.

[baytraks]

Next time you give them vaccines, you may want to consider a dose of Banamine just before the shot to avoid the swollen neck. I do not give all the vaccines at once, so I know which ones give my horses this reaction, and this heads off any problem. In addition, consider the guage of the needle; a finer one may leave less reaction. Finally, don’t disregard ChocoMare’s post. We had a boarded horse respond to his first “live” West Nile vaccine with a laminitic reaction years ago.

[HorseKrazy]

I’m going through this exact scenario right now, down to (almost) the day the shot was given. My mare is eating and drinking just fine, but has a swollen and sensitive area around the injection sight. I’m monitoring it, hopefully it goes away. My other horse was given the shot and and no reactions

[Pocket_Pony]

I’d be happy with just a reaction like that. The past two years all of my horses have had stronger reactions. Vaccines used were Zoetis and Ft. Dodge. One horse was mildly ataxic, one could barely move, the other stocked up in all four legs. Ugh.

If they are otherwise acting normally with just local swelling, I don’t consider that to be too much of a problem.

[myleetlepony]

PP, Zoetis, Ft. Dodge and Pfizer are the same. I certainly would be switching to another brand.

As an aside, not to minimize stronger reactions, but I don’t think localized swelling (which can affect grazing) is dismissable; especially when there are brands out there that seem have less anecdotal reaction rates.

[Paddys_Mom]

[QUOTE=myleetlepony;8071652]
PP, Zoetis, Ft. Dodge and Pfizer are the same. I certainly would be switching to another brand.

As an aside, not to minimize stronger reactions, but I don’t think localized swelling (which can affect grazing) is dismissable; especially when there are brands out there that seem have less anecdotal reaction rates.[/QUOTE]

Ah, I did not know they are the same brand. Of course, next year is “vet gives the shots year” since I only do every other year myself. Swelling is slowly going down. Still no fevers or change in their normal activities.

[Uncorked]

FYI - the Veterra vaccines are the only one I know that are produced under GMP conditions. GMP is not a requirement of the USDA only the FDA or vaccines headed to the EU. Veterra is made by Boehringer-Ingelheim together with a small company called Hennessy Research. I worked for both (hennessy during the development of the vaccines so I know them well) then I was Quality Assurance at BI for the antigen production area.
I don’t trust Ft. Dodge at all…while at BI we acquired their small animal vaccines and I can tell you the documentation was crap and worrisome. We had to do lots of work to get those back into what we considered true compliance.

[2miniB]

While Vetera might be better, horses still react to it. The first year my minis got Vetera Gold they were fine. The second year they got it both had injection site reactions (large, hot, painful swelling on chest), ran a low grade fever, generally felt poorly, and couldn’t lower their necks. I had to hold their feed buckets at feeding time so they could eat. It took about a week for this to go away. Both times, they were vaccinated by the vet.

Since they reacted so strongly to Vetera, I really don’t know what other options I have.

[myleetlepony]

2mini, were the vaccines 5way or higher combos?

Sometimes the reaction is thought to be caused by an overload immune reaction vs a reaction to the carrier. Is it possible to spread your vaccines out? Like I said above, it takes a couple of weeks for me to do them as I do one at a time. The only combos I use a Flu/Rhino and E/W/T. I do each of those combos separately, then WNV, then have the vet out for strangles IN, then he gives me the rabies Vx to administer later.

Paddy, do you have your vet administer every other year to keep the relationship up? If so, could you purchase the vaccines separately from him/her? Or in my case, I purchase the E/W/T, Flu/Rhino and WNV myself but have the vet out to do Coggins, Strangles IN and purchase the rabies every year. He’s ok with it because he at least sees the horse annually and is willing to work with me to prevent the reactions.

[hoopoe]

agree with the distrust of Ft Dodge vaccines

I would preload, in the future with bute or banamine.

For now, bute or banamine and time.

A single injection site reaction is less worrisome than a whole body hives or secondary signs such as respiratory drooling, swollen eyes. Think of the single site swelling somewhat like your sore arm after a tet or inflluenza vaccine.