SARAH: "Does it make a difference at all
if a horse has his or her spring shots early or late in spring?
Does it affect the way he is going to respond
to the shots or anything else?"
DR LYDIA GRAY: Wow.
She's really put some thought into these, because, honestly,
in all my years that had never occurred to me.
So I made a list of the things that I
think about when I'm trying to figure out
when to give my spring shots.
So now, we have to consider the US Equestrian's six month
rule, the vaccination rule, because you
have to give the flu and rhino, or the equine influenza
and EHV-1, rhinopneumonitis, within six months of entering
a horse show facility.
SARAH: And US Equestrian, new name for USEF,
the United States Equestrian Foundation.
DR LYDIA GRAY: And I'm trying to be very good
and use the new name.
So I know that my last show is October 14th.
So I'm not going to give my spring shots until April 14th,
if I can help it.
So that's one consideration.
Another one is am I in compliance
with ColiCare guidelines?
There's a lot of horses in that program.
And it says, work with your veterinarian.
Have your veterinarian administer vaccinations.
If it's been a long time and I'm going
to go out of compliance if I wait a few months,
I might give them earlier in the season.
Don't forget though, about half of the vaccines
we routinely give, the core vaccines.
And some of at the risk are because of insects
that spread diseases, West Nile, Eastern and Western Equine
Encephalomyelitis.
So you don't want to give those in the non-mosquito season.
Like there'd be no reason in, say, the northern climates,
Minnesota, Massachusetts, to give West Nile in January,
because there's no mosquitoes January, February, March, maybe
April.
So I tend to time those just before the critters are
going to come out.
And when you give a vaccine, it takes about two weeks
to effect, if it's a booster and not a primary.
Which is another thing I think about.
I want this horse to be protected at a certain time.
If it's a booster, then it's about two weeks at a time.
But if it's an initial series and you're giving it
a shot every, say three weeks, it
might take a month or two then to reach peak protection.
So then, I want to back up.
SARAH: If you don't know your horse's history
and you don't know if it had vaccines previously,
how long, roughly, can a horse go between--
like, if he missed his booster for a couple of years,
is there a point where it resets and then he doesn't
have that primary anymore?
DR LYDIA GRAY: We don't know that.
That's an underresearched area.
We don't know the answer to that.
There are a few equine diseases, like rabies, that we have
the ability to take a titer on.
They don't tell you protection as much, like functionality.
They just tell you, does your horse have
antibodies to this at a level that should be protected.
So it's an area that needs more research in it.
Other things that I think about.
Oh, this is one I'm thinking about right now.
Is there a clinic, show, or other event
that I want my horse to be protected at, yet not sore for?
So if I'm giving these injections, almost anywhere,
the neck, very common area, the hips--
I tend to give mine in the pectoral muscles, the chest
muscles, because they're very low.
So if there's a problem, any swelling
goes to the lowest point and they're
very easy to drain there.
But also, the front legs are constantly moving and working
that area.
So it's really a nice place to give vaccinations.
But I've got a clinic coming up and I
don't want to give a vaccine within about two weeks
before that, in case there's an adverse event or soreness.
So that's something.
SARAH: Newman appreciates that.
He likes to feel his best.
DR LYDIA GRAY: To never get vaccines would be his--
and the thing about it is, my horse, one
of a special population.
Like a broodmare, they have very specific vaccination needs.
Foals.
A horse that's rescued and maybe not the healthiest.
Senior horses have special needs.
So those are the questions I ask myself.
Not really the one she did.
But I think it's a good way to get
started in the conversation.
And this is a conversation you should absolutely
have with your veterinarian, because they
know what's endemic to your area of the country.
For example, I've never vaccinated
a horse for botulism, because we don't
have that where I practice.
But in some parts of the country it is rampant.
So your vet will know that.