Hello everyone,
First time poster. I am considering vaccinating my 3 horses myself. My local vet is booked out until end of June, and I don’t want to wait that long. Any words of advice?
Thanks!
Vaccinating is not hard. I have done it. I am sure you will do fine.
I will say that I am now firmly in the - vet does all vaccines - camp though.
I had a horse that had never in their life have a vaccine reaction, have one, and it was serious. So thankful that the vet was there with meds they could give quickly as the whole horse exploded in hives on top of hives on top of hives.
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We do everything but rabies (not legal for non vet to do in my state). Just make sure that if you are ordering vaccines you pay for the ice packs and next day shipping. You may also be able to just pick up the shots from your vet.
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I do all but rabies, as it’s not legal to even sell to non vets in my state. I order from Valley Vet or United Vet, I think once went with Allivet. They ship overnight with ice packs. I store in the fridge until ready to give. I note the date given and save the label sticker on my barn calendar.
I agree that June is concerningly far away, and I also wouldn’t be comfortable delaying spring vaccines to that time.
I’ve used a few different companies to purchase mine, but Valley Vet is incredible. Free one day shipping. This spring’s vaccines took less than 24 hours from time of order to time of arrival— from Kansas to the middle of nowhere, MD! How is that even possible?
I used to buy mine at Tractor Supply. along with needles and syringes. But I have not looked recently to see if they still carry vaccines.
Which also makes me wonder how the vaccines are transported to TSC, and for that matter to the vet office. Are they kept refrigerated or cooled the whole length of the supply chain?
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My concern with tractor supply is how they’re handled once received. How many times is that fridge left often, or vaccines taken out and put back? My local TSC can’t manage their non perishable inventory, I’d never in a million years trust them to manage something so fragile & important.
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I give my horses the East/West encephalitis, West Nile, and tetanus combo; my vet gives the rabies because it’s illegal for me to give it in my state. The vet gives me the combo shots when he comes to give the rabies, and I keep them in the fridge for a week or so until I give the shots. I like for the horses to have the rabies and combo shots separately to minimize the chance of a bad reaction, or at least if there is a bad reaction I’ll know which vaccine caused it.
If you’re not sure where on the horse’s neck to give the shot ask your vet to show you.
I’ve found that my horses don’t get upset at all when I vaccinate them, but they’re always a little nervous when the vet comes. I vaccinate them in the field . . .scratch, scratch, scratch. . .jab…scratch, scratch, scratch. They don’t even know what just happened.
Just a head’s up for folks who want ColicCare through SmartPak, you must have your vet do all vaccinations - I know some people who didn’t realize that and almost made an expensive whoopsie
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I always do my own. I use Boehringer Ingelheim on the advice of my vet. He said they have the least reactions. I haven’t yet had any reactions (knock wood). I have been doing them for over 40 years myself.
Vaccines are shipped to vets’ offices in insulated boxes with cold paks.
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I absolutely will not do my own now. Vet-given vaccine (tetanus, of all things) resulted in a clostridium infection in my gelding’s neck. Had I given it, all of those costs would have been mine. My vet covered everything including the visits, ultrasounds, and 3 1/2 weeks of serious meds.
I looked up the cost of the meds - the total for JUST the meds was more than his kissing spine surgery. I know it’s a rare thing to have happen, but it does happen. And I would not wish that hell on anyone.
(After the initial vet visit - that is leftover drainage, not blood)
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I do all of my own. I have 8 horses to vaccinate and around here the cost for one horse about $500. I’m not paying 8k a year for something that costs about $250.
I started vaccinating my own because one of my horses would have a reaction to anything but one specific brand. So that’s what I use on everyone. I order through valley vet.
The vet does do rabies and coggins on everyone once a year, and with 8 horses I invariably see them many more times during the year for other reasons.
The only time I’ve had a really scary adverse reaction to a vaccine the vet response was not great. I really thought I was going to loose the horse (it was so bad the BO’s husband was telling me I should leave because he was going to shoot him to put him out of his misery) and the vet was basically like ‘oh that’s too bad. The farm call for after hours is $250.’
That in itself made me think that it’s better for me to save the money I would be spending on the vet and put it into a rainy day emergency fund.
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I’m Needle Abcess phobic & had a horse react badly to vet-given rabies vax.
The cost of vaccines - rabies/Potomac, 5-way - for my 3 is minimal enough that I prefer to tack it onto the once-over they get from the vet putting eyes on them once* a year.
I also have her do the FEC.
*Yes, once, the protocol my vet suggests & has kept them healthy for the past 5yrs.
23yo pony, ~20yo horse & 8yo mini.
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It’s also worth noting, that if there is a reaction that racks up some vet bills due to the vaccine, if administered by a vet, the producer will often help covers costs. As told to my by a vet tech.
This spring, a bunch of horses that are at a farm my friend works at all had pretty severe reactions to something they purchased off Valley Vet and had administered themselves. All 6 mares that got it had big nasty welts at the injection site and beyond…no history of reactions on any of them. The label on the vaccine was one I had never heard of (and can’t remember), but I think was maybe a cheaper version produced by one of the main producers? In any case, they ended up needing to call the vet anyways due to the severity of the reactions. It was a bit of a mess.
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Yeah, why would anyone ever do that, yikes? 
I buy and give my own vaccines because there’s a brand I know works well for my one touchy mare. I’d never just … try something new.
Not I.
Vaccine manufacturers will also provide compensation if your animal has a breakthrough infection IF the vaccine was administered by a vet.
I’d also be unwilling to wait two months for spring shots though.
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I used to do all my own except the rabies. Always paid for the overnight on ice delivery. But I have boarders horses too and I worry about a reaction. So I have my vet do everything now.
I do have one charming pony mare, that the vet hands me the shots for so I can vaccinate her in front of them because she hates vets, always has. But tolerates me just fine poking her. So it’s not worth stressing the mare out or have her run the vet over haha. But the vaccines come from them and I do it while the vet is there.
I have one horse that always gets a sore lumpy neck so I’ll always have the vet do him in case over time his reaction increases. And we pre give him banamine and then if he’s sore the next day too we’ll give him some more banamine.
Vaccines certainly aren’t hard to give. I don’t it’s bad skill for most horse people to learn though either in case of an emergency.
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I do everything except rabies and the spring flu/rhino. Rabies because I can’t legally give it in MD and the spring flu/rhino so that it’s on their health certs for traveling. I have a LOT of experience giving vaccines and I don’t currently have any horses that have reactions. I get them from Valley Vet
I have done my own for decades. I do go the minimalist route for quite a few years, just giving the basic as mine don’t leave the property or come into contact with other horses . I just ride for pleasure around our farm.
I give EEE,WNV & Tetanus in a combo vaccine. If I did Flu/ Rhino I would do that in the fall to split things up. I have never done rabies but of course a vet would have to give that.
