The toxin causes paralysis and loss of control of the nervous system, frequently leading to death. Although a safe and effective vaccine has been available for many years, our practice still occasionally sees a case of Tetanus in unvaccinated horses that have received a puncture wound. Foals are given a series of three vaccines 3-4 weeks apart beginning at 6 months of age. Adults are vaccinated annually. Influenza is a highly contagious disease caused by one of several strains of a virus that attacks the mid and lower respiratory system.
Influenza spreads rapidly because the virus is transmitted through airborne contamination.
Infected horses become quite ill for several days, and will cough for up to three weeks. Yearlings, two-year olds and aged horses frequently develop secondary bronchitis and pneumonia, requiring expensive courses of antibiotics and other medication. On the Central Coast this disease is seen most commonly in early fall as the futurity season begins. During this time horses that travel the show circuits become stressed and susceptible to the disease. These horses then return to their barns and infect other horses.