Horse Vaccinations - Allergic Reactions
My Morgan mare Malaki is allergic to just about everything; dust, wood oil, mold, mildew, corn, vaccinations.
I used to think she was just a "special case" to put it mildly.
But horses with allergies are commonplace.
I don't know when the increased frequency of horse allergies all started or if allergies have plagued horses forever.
I wonder if Roy Rogers' horse Trigger had allergies, or Dale Evans' Buttermilk? What about Man O' War? Or Seabiscuit? Exterminator? I wonder if they even had vaccinations back then.
Allergic symptoms to vaccinations vary in horses.
Some will show localized swelling in the injection area.
Some will break out in hives all over.
Some will get rock-hard lumps that last for days and even weeks and be tender and sore.
Some will go off their feed.
Malaki falls into the "all of the above" category.
It's wise for owners of horses with mild to extreme allergies to have their veterinarian give their horse an antihistamine injection when they are vaccinated.
In addition, I have found over the years that precisely where that injection is given, is equally as important as the injection itself.
Vaccinations on both sides of the neck with only one antihistamine injection given on one side of the neck didn't work for my extremely allergic mare.
If the horse's neck swells as much as hers does and is that tender, they won't lower their head to graze or eat their hay.
A hay net comes in handy under those circumstances for a short-term fix.
But it makes more sense to try and do everything possible to avoid the problem of your horse's extreme vaccination discomfort.
Shots in the hindquarters seemed the way to go, but again, only if the antihistamine is given in the same area.
Vaccinations in the hindquarters and an antihistamine in the neck did not help at all in Malaki's case.
My recommendation, based on experience with this mare, is to have your veterinarian give the extremely allergic horse their required vaccinations in both hind quarters, and to have them split the antihistamine equally and administer it in close proximity to the vaccinations injection sites on both sides.
That way even if your horse still experiences some soreness and tenderness, it's at least "behind their way of thinking, so to speak" and should not prevent them from lowering their head to graze and eat their hay.
This practical application seems to work best .
If your horse shows signs of respiratory distress after being vaccinated, with or without an antihistamine, call your veterinarian immediately.
I used to think she was just a "special case" to put it mildly.
But horses with allergies are commonplace.
I don't know when the increased frequency of horse allergies all started or if allergies have plagued horses forever.
I wonder if Roy Rogers' horse Trigger had allergies, or Dale Evans' Buttermilk? What about Man O' War? Or Seabiscuit? Exterminator? I wonder if they even had vaccinations back then.
Allergic symptoms to vaccinations vary in horses.
Some will show localized swelling in the injection area.
Some will break out in hives all over.
Some will get rock-hard lumps that last for days and even weeks and be tender and sore.
Some will go off their feed.
Malaki falls into the "all of the above" category.
It's wise for owners of horses with mild to extreme allergies to have their veterinarian give their horse an antihistamine injection when they are vaccinated.
In addition, I have found over the years that precisely where that injection is given, is equally as important as the injection itself.
Vaccinations on both sides of the neck with only one antihistamine injection given on one side of the neck didn't work for my extremely allergic mare.
If the horse's neck swells as much as hers does and is that tender, they won't lower their head to graze or eat their hay.
A hay net comes in handy under those circumstances for a short-term fix.
But it makes more sense to try and do everything possible to avoid the problem of your horse's extreme vaccination discomfort.
Shots in the hindquarters seemed the way to go, but again, only if the antihistamine is given in the same area.
Vaccinations in the hindquarters and an antihistamine in the neck did not help at all in Malaki's case.
My recommendation, based on experience with this mare, is to have your veterinarian give the extremely allergic horse their required vaccinations in both hind quarters, and to have them split the antihistamine equally and administer it in close proximity to the vaccinations injection sites on both sides.
That way even if your horse still experiences some soreness and tenderness, it's at least "behind their way of thinking, so to speak" and should not prevent them from lowering their head to graze and eat their hay.
This practical application seems to work best .
If your horse shows signs of respiratory distress after being vaccinated, with or without an antihistamine, call your veterinarian immediately.
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