# Strangles vaccination?



## BackInTheSaddleAgain (Apr 20, 2009)

I don't give it. My boarding stables don't want us to. We had a bad outbreak here after strangles vaccinations a few years back... Scary stuff
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## My Beau (Jan 2, 2009)

I don't give it and never have. It doesn't actually provide immunity to the pharynx tissues, so your horses still has a 50% chance of contracting it. If you do choose to vaccinate against it, you have to booster every 6-12 months.

One of my horses travels a good bit for shows, but practically never spends the night at other barns, I don't let him get close enough to other horses to sniff them. One will be traveling occassionally this year, the other is staying put. So, I don't even worry about it.


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## PaintsPwn (Dec 29, 2009)

I give it to my show horses. Never had anything bad happen.


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## Ryle (Jul 13, 2007)

The Strangles vaccine is given based upon the risk associated with each situation. 

This vaccine does not necessarily prevent disease but does lessen the severity of disease should a horse contract Strangles. This is because of the way that the bacteria attacks the body. 

The Strangles vaccine also comes with increased risk of adverse reaction as compared to the vaccines for things like EEE, WEE or Tetanus. Horses who have had Strangles in the last year (even such a mild case that it wasn't noticed) can have a severe adverse reaction to the vaccine. If giving the intranasal vaccine, there is also the risk of having the bacteria get on the skin and contaminate injection sites if other vaccines are given at the same time. 

You should always discuss the pros and cons of this vaccine with your veterinarian prior to giving it. Adult horses are at much lower risk of contracting Strangles than young horses. Horses that kept in facilities where lots of horses pass through such as breeding facilities, show barns, sale barns, etc are at increased risk of infection. Horses who have had Strangles in the past 5 years are much less likely to contract the disease again. So the factors that contribute to the risk of infection all have to be weighed against the chance of infection.


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## Brianna6432 (Jan 25, 2010)

Okay, thanks guys! And... uhmm... well, the camp I'm going to wants paperwork stating that my horse got the strangles vaccination. So, what am I supposed to do? I really don't want her getting it...


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## sandy2u1 (May 7, 2008)

My vet said that trail horses need the vaccine because they can get strangles from just passing by another horse. After reading this thread though, I may have to reconsider getting the vaccine :shock:


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## Gidji (Dec 19, 2008)

My horses get strangles and tetanus vaccines yearly. I have never had a problem with it, and from what I've heard if the vaccine is given properly and if the horse has never had strangles, it does lessen the chance of them getting it.

Its a personal choice, and is completely up to you if you do it or not. I agree with Ryle. Discuss it with your vet, because they can give you the best advice regarding your horse.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

I give it. Mostly because some barns in my area require to have ALL of them to come for the clinic or rent an arena.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

all my horses get the strangles vaccine !!! my barn has had strangles twice & some horses get really sick, its terrible... i would rather lessen the chance and severity for my horses.


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## HowClever (Feb 16, 2010)

my horses all just had there 2 in 1 tetanus/strangles booster shots and I didn't see a reaction from any of them.


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## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

My horse actually just had his booster a few days ago  

There is a lot of speculation if the vaccine is actually very effective in preventing the horse from getting strangles, but it reduces the intensity of it for sure. I've just done the nasal vaccination and basically all it does is gives the horse a small enough dose of the virus that they can create anti-bodies. This is why it should only be given to horses in good health.
Sometimes the reason for issues is that the nasal vaccine is done first and then some of the vaccine ends up on the needle to go in the horse and this infects him to the point where he actually gets strangles. If you have noticed, most vets do the strangles vaccine as the very very last thing and then run away to scrub their hands.
Also, some people who do all their vaccinations at once run the risk of really over doing their horse's immune systems. When I have done strangles, it has just been strangles. This year all my vaccinations are spread out over 3-4 months. Doing all vaccines at once can depress the horse's immune system to the point where he can get sick from the strangles vaccine.

If done properly, there is not a whole ton of risk associated with the strangles vaccine. You do have to be careful though.


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## Piaffe (Jan 11, 2010)

My vet said not to give the strangles vaccine because it causes as many problems as it solves  apparently the vaccine can get back into the air and the horse or other horses can easily get it....i don't want to take the chance so i didn't get it for them.


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## Ryle (Jul 13, 2007)

The risks associated with intranasal strangles vaccination have discouraged its use by some veterinarians. These risks include abscess formation at the site of concurrent injections, mild clinical disease, and immune-mediated complications such as purpura or thrombocytopenia. Even minimal vaccine contamination of the needle or skin at the site of IM injections after Pinnacle I.N. administration has led to marked abscess formation at the injection site. Veterinarians quickly learned to administer all IM injections first to all horses on the premises before even mixing up the intranasal vaccine; this eliminates the risk of contamination. Unfortunately, even with this precaution, a very small number of horses still developed an abscess at the site of an IM vaccination, and the attenuated Streptococcus equi var. equi was isolated [h]. Presumably, in these animals, the vaccine strain was able to overcome natural pharyngeal barriers and create a transient bacteremia, which led to the colonization at inflamed muscle sites. After experiencing this adverse reaction, a veterinarian may choose to avoid administering any other vaccines on the same visit as the intranasal vaccine or may resort to using the IM products for protection against strangles.
Horses vaccinated with the intranasal strangles vaccine may very occasionally develop mild signs of strangles including depression, lymphadenopathy, and fever. Rarely, mandibular lymph nodes may progress to rupturing. The vaccine strain can also purportedly be transmitted to other horses in the herd, causing similar signs, but this has not been verified by polymerase chain-reaction (PCR) testing of the isolate. This possibility can be of particular concern in boarding stables where multiple owners can independently choose the vaccines that they wish their horse to receive. If a veterinarian chooses to use the intranasal vaccine at the beginning of a strangles outbreak, clients should be advised of this risk. The veterinarian must also be cautious not to inadvertently spread the wild type S. equi during administration of the vaccine to multiple horses [14]. Clinical experience suggests that early use of the intranasal vaccine in minimally exposed horses may be effective in reducing outbreak severity. However, the vaccine should be avoided in horses that have developed early signs of the disease, such as depression or fever. The recent ACVIM consensus statement takes a more conservative approach and recommends that the use of the intranasal vaccine during an outbreak should be avoided, except in horses with no known contact with infected or exposed animals. However, it also states that no published data show that use in the face of exposure is detrimental [14].


--2005 AAEP Proceedings


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## Hoofprints in the Sand (Nov 23, 2008)

Strangles vaccination is required at the barn where I board, and we've never had an issue with the vaccine -- we give the nasal one.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

Hoofprints in the Sand said:


> Strangles vaccination is required at the barn where I board, and we've never had an issue with the vaccine -- we give the nasal one.


Yep.

We have had farm vet visit for up to 40 horses. IN strep, with the routine IM flu, etc. No issues.

IM strep vaccination can cause the horse to become very stiff.

ANY live vaccine can cause the horse to become ill with the virus. It's important to watch your horse and monitor 'normal' for him/her for 10-14 days following a new vaccination. If the horse does become ill, it's typically a mini episode instead of a full blown case.

If your facility requires a vaccination, it's time to make the decision to either follow suit, or find a new place to board. This battle has been ongoing for years and will continue for many more years.


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## Honeysuga (Sep 1, 2009)

What do you need to do? Either get the vaccine or hope for a refund. You could go to federal prison for forging medical papers should you try to do that. My horse got the vaccine and not a single side effect. There are side effects with any medication you can possibly happen, but they are rare, personally I would rather put up with the side effects than strangles any day.


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## FGRanch (Feb 9, 2008)

I give it to my horses. I've lost two horses from stangles and I will not take that chance again. Since giving the vaccine I've had NO issues what so ever.


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