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VETERINARIANS
CLIENT SERVICES
CLIENT INFORMATION
♦Preventive
Health Guidelines
♦Strangles
- Fact and Fiction
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BASIC
EQUINE PREVENTIVE HEALTH GUIDELINES
I. VACCINATION PROTOCOLS
A. Required Vaccines- The American
Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP)
has deemed the following vaccines to
be “Core” vaccines. These are vaccines for
diseases that should the horse contract one
of them, the potential for death could be
very high, therefore they should be given to
all horses annually.
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Eastern/Western Equine Encephalomyelitis
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Tetanus
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West Nile Virus
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Rabies
B.
Optional Vaccines- These vaccines are
for diseases that have a low risk of death
and should be given after a risk-benefit
analysis is done. Some of these diseases are
more commonly seen than some of the others,
but all have been reported here in Montana.
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Strangles
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Equine Herpesvirus(Rhinopneumonitis)
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Equine Influenza
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Potomac Horse Fever
II. DEWORMING
As a general rule, horses in this area
should be dewormed 3-4X/year. However, this
can vary depending on a number of factors
such as whether the horses are confined or
on pasture, horses/acre, pasture management
practices, etc. Due to an increasing
incidence of parasites developing resistance
to some of the commonly used dewormers, it’s
being suggested that each horse should have
a regular Fecal exam performed to determine
if and when the horse needs to be dewormed.
This could lead to a decreased use of
dewormers and thus reduce the resistance
problem. Your individual situation should
be discussed with your veterinarian and a
deworming program tailored to suit your
needs.
III. COGGINS TEST
There are numerous misconceptions regarding
the Coggins Test. The main one I’ve heard
over the years is that the Coggins Test is a
test for “Coggins Disease” of which there is
no such thing. The Coggins Test derives its
name from Dr. Leroy Coggins who developed
the original testing procedure. It tests for
a disease called Equine Infectious
Anemia(EIA)- a viral disease that is
transmitted from an infected horse to other
horses by biting insects. There is no cure,
vaccine or effective treatment. Horses that
test positive are generally required to be
euthanized. The incidence of the disease is
fortunately very small and even less so here
in Montana. A negative Coggins Test is
required for any interstate movement of
horses. Some states require the test be
within 6 months of the time of entry, most
other states have a 12 month requirement.
Check with your veterinarian for the
requirements of your state of destination.
Yellowstone Park requires a Coggins Test
within 12 months for entry of horses into
the park. Certain events within the state
such as horse shows, rodeos, horse sales,
and some large horse gatherings may have
there own specific requirements. General
movement of horses within the state does not
require a Coggins Test.
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