Dr. Lowder:
I am in Ozark Mo. and I want to find out about giving shots when the mare is in foal.ÊI have talked to many people that have given the Eastern & Western Sleeping Sickness and Tetanus at the 60-45 days prior to foaling and haveÊaborted due to this. This is my first time to breed a mare and it makes me very nervous to do these shots, and to tell the truth I don't know if all the shots are good for them.ÊI gave her these shots prior to her breeding would it hurt for her to wait till after the foaling?
Ê
Kevin D.
Kevin,
Recommended vaccination schedules in pregnant mares are important to prevent disease both in the mare and in the foal. It is important to booster the vaccines 3-4 weeks prior to foaling because at that time the mare will make antibodies that will be included in her colostrum which will then pass immunity to the foal.
The vaccines are given at this time to provide maximum immunity to the newborn foal. I would recommend giving Rhino at 5, 7, and 9 months of pregnancy as well as Eastern and Western Encephalomyelitis (EEE and WEE respectively) and Tetnus given 3-4 weeks before foaling. Other vaccines such as Strangles may also be included but depend more on the horseÕs exposure to new and/or unvaccinated horses.
Regarding the three way vaccine (WEE, EEE, and Tetnus) causing abortion, I do not know of any evidence why this would have occurred. These vaccines are widely used in pregnant mares and it is likely that the abortions were due to other causes.
I hope that this is helpful and please feel free to contact me again if you have any additional questions or concerns.
Thank You, Dr. Lowder
Michael Q. Lowder, DVM, MS
Veterinarian Health Advisor
HorseCity.com
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