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give another, wait a week and so
on, it may take 6 or 7 weeks to give those first doses. In some instances, you just about have to do it all at once or split it into just two ses- sions. Research will tell you that the antibody levels are different giving them all at once versus spread out, but physiologically it still gets to a protective level. I usually tell owners that unless they have a horse that doesn’t respond well to vaccines or
is very sensitive and tends to react when vaccinated, I don’t worry about giving multiple vaccines at the same time. On some of the bigger breeding farms, with dozens of foals to vaccinate, this is the only practi- cal way, especially if people are not going to have hands on those foals again in a week,” says Hammer.
IMPORTANCE OF BIOSECURITY ON THE FARM
It’s also important to remember that even if we vaccinate, no vaccine works 100% for all the animals we vaccinate. “It doesn’t always prevent disease,” says Wilson. “It’s impor- tant to keep up the appropriate biosecurity measures and good hus- bandry of the horses. This can really help prevent diseases and is just as important (often more important) than vaccination,” she says.
The mares and foals on a farm are very vulnerable to disease expo- sure if there are other horses com- ing and going from the farm. You need to keep them out of harm’s way if there is horse traffic with outside horses coming to the farm. “The time period for young foals
between 6 weeks of age and when- ever you start to vaccinate them
is when they are at high risk for disease because the colostral anti- bodies have waned. They are no longer effective for protection, but they are still there and can interfere with vaccination. The foals them- selves are starting to produce their own antibodies, but if they haven’t been exposed to disease, they haven’t had much chance to create protective antibodies. So this is a very high risk period,” Wilson says.
If mares are sent away to be bred with foals at side, this is always a risk. It helps if they can stay home and be bred at home and remain in a more controlled environment. Disease prevention is always very important.
There is not really a set protocol for all situations and all foals.
Antibodies from colostrum generally last longer and keep the foal protected during that start-up time for his own immune system
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EQUINE HEALTH