What Are You Vaccinating Your Horse Against?

No owner wants to see their horse suffer. An appropriate equine vaccination program is one way to help ensure your horse's longevity and quality of life. When you vaccinate your horse against any number of diseases, you are protecting him from experiencing the devastating symptoms caused by any of the following:
Anthrax: Caused by the vegetative form of Bacillus anthracis, a bacterium present in the soil in certain geographic areas, Anthrax can present with a wide variety of symptoms including fever, colic, and swelling in the throat region. Infection usually, and often swiftly, proves fatal
Botulism: The bacterium Clostridium botulinum produces toxins which, when they are introduced into the horse’s body via wounds or ingestion of contaminated feed, block transmission of nerve impulses. Clinical signs of botulism include muscle weakness which may progress to paralysis, inability to swallow, and death – either from respiratory failure or from complications arising from a prolonged period of recumbency.
Eastern/Western equine encephalomyelitis: Caused by certain alphaviruses, eastern and western equine encephalomyelitis (EEE/WEE) are transmitted by mosquitos and result in inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms for both include fever, lethargy, erratic behaviour, impaired vision, and paralysis. WEE is fatal in approximately 50 percent of cases, while EEE has a mortality rate of about 90 percent.
Equine herpesvirus: Also known as equine viral rhinopneumonitis, equine herpesvirus (EHV) is a highly contagious disease caused by two forms of the same virus, equine herpesvirus-1 and -4, that are transmitted through coughing or contact with body fluids, including nasal secretions. Both EHV-1 and EHV-4 can cause respiratory infection, fever, lethargy, anorexia, cough, and nasal discharge. EHV-1 can also lead to epidemic abortion in mares, birth of weak foals, or a paralytic neurologic disease known as equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM).
Equine influenza: One of the most common respiratory diseases in horses, equine influenza is caused two distinct subtypes of influenza A viruses, of which the second (A/equine 2) is the only one to have been isolated in over two decades. Influenza is characterized by acute onset of symptoms, which include fever, nasal discharge, coughing, and general weakness. While it is rarely fatal, influenza is highly contagious

Equine viral arteritis: Equine viral arteritis (EVA) is a contagious disease caused by equine arteritis virus. In otherwise healthy adult