Equine Preventative Medicine Overall schedule: Give all vaccines initally at 2 injections 4 weeks apart and then booster

annually Except: Encephalities & PHF booster twice a year EHV-1 booster every 3 months Rabies needs only one initial shot Strangles initially give 3 injections at 3 week intervals, foals at 1 year old, and then no annual booster is necessary EVA 3 weeks before breeding a negative mare to a postitive stallion and then annually in endemic areas Botulism 3 injections every month in last trimester Tetanus Clostridium tetani Gram positive spore forming anaerobic bacteria Extensive tissue damage or deep penetrating wound causes exotoxins to travel w/in the motor neurons to the CNS where it inhibits postsynaptic inhibitory impulses in the spinal cord Causes lockjaw tonic spasms and hyperesthesia; sawhorse stance Vaccination protocol: a. Foal in high risk area give antitoxin after birth and then give toxoid every 2-3 months until 3 months old b. Foal vaccinate w/ antitoxin at 5-8 weeks old and then booster at 3 months old c. Mares during last 4-6 weeks before birth d. Adults give toxoid annually e. Adults w/ extensive wound or deep penetrating wound that is up to date on tetanus shot another injectio of toxoid to increase Ab f. Adults w/ wounds that is NOT up to date on tetanus 1500 IU of antitoxin and toxoid simultaneously in different IM arease and repeated in 30 days Theilers disease associated w/ administering antitoxin in horses over 2 years old; hepatic failure (heptoencephalopathy) Viral Equine Encepthalopathies Sleeping sicknesses EEE, WEE, VEE Arboviruses transmitted by hematophgous insects (mosquitos) Horses is dead-end host EEE has highest mortality rate Vaccination protocol: a. Foal give between 2-6 months old at 4-6 week intervals b. Adults booster twice a year in endemic areas Influenza Common in racetracds, show grounds, sale barns and breeding farms Vaccination protocol: a. Foals and adults should be boostered every 3-4 months with IN (intranasal) b. Booster 2-4 weeks before anticipated exposure (show, sale) c. Avoid vaccinating w/in 10 days of competitiion b/c vaccine may cause transient disease Rhinopneumonitis EHV-1 Three syndromes: a. Abortion vasculitis causes placental detachment and hypoxia to the fetus b. Respiratory c. Neurological rectal incontinence, urinary incontinence, loss of tail tone, dog sitting, posterior paralysis EHV-4 invades the respiratory tract most common cause of respiraotyr dz outbreaks in horses in KY Causes a vasculitis via the leukocytes can remain latent Spread via nasal secretions and aborted fetuses and remains active in environment for 14 days in on horse hairs for 42 days Vaccination protocol: a. Reinfection and clinical dz can occur despite high levels of circulating Ab b. Killed - Pneumobort (labeled for use in pregnant mares at 5,7, and 9 months gestation) and Prodigy and Prestige (contains ML EHV-4 also) c. Modified live - Rhinomune d. Foals vaccinate every 3 months e. Recovering EHV horses quarantine for 4 weeks f. Aborted fetus and membranes should be placed in leakproof containers g. It is not necessary to vaccinate nonpregnant adult horses except horses kept in close proximity to brood mares vaccinate every 3-6 months Rabies Vaccinate only in endemic arease Causes behavior change from aggressivness to depression; colic, lameness may be complaint Causes progressive ascending pralysis Vaccination protocol: a. Foals 3 months of age, one shot b. Adults annually w/ 2 mL IM w/ killed

Strangles Streptococcus equi Streptococcus equi spp equi Subspecies zooepidemicus is a uterus commensal hemolytic Fever, thick mucopurulent nasal discharge, swelling and absessation of head LNs Young horses usually Recovered horses can spread for up to 4 months Extremely persistent in environment Vaccination protocol for foals only on endemic farms with IN (intranasal) a. M protein or bacterin 3 doses 3 weeks apart then at 1 years old b. Enzyme extract 2 injections 3 weeks apart then at 1 years old Purpura hemorrhagica (edema) can develop after vaccination of horses previously sensitized to streptococcual antigens Vaccination of adults is not recommended b/c of this risk Potomac horse fever Equine monocytic ehrlishiosis Ehrlichia risticii Fever, leukopenia, explosive D+ Vaccination protocol: a. Two vaccinations 3-4 weeks apart in spring followed by a booster in the fall in high risk areas Equine Viral Arteritis Togavirus Aerosol transmission of nasal secretions and venereally through infected semen Edema scrotal, preputial, hindlimb, nasal and ocular discharge, and abortion Affected horses usually recover, but stallions can become carriers Vaccination: a. Vaccinate Seronegative mares 3 weeks before being bred to a positive stallion w/ attenuated live virus b. Vaccinated horses are then seropositive and subject to export restrictions Botulism Shaker foal syndrome Clostridium botulinum Germinate in ulcerated areas of GI tract and produce exotoxins that block Ach release at neuromuscular jxns Signs are foals that tremble and become paretic, may cause respiratory paralysis Vaccination protocol: a. Mares 3 times every month w/ last dose 4 weeks before parturition b. Foals are protected by ingesting colostrum Anthrax Bacillus anthracis Ventral edema die w/in 2-4 days Vaccination protocol: a. Avirulent noncapsulated spore vaccine on annual basis in endemic arease and face of outbreak to reduce losses b. Vacicnate 4 weeks before warm, dry summer months and the booster 3 weeks later c. Given SQ d. Do not give Ab after vacciantion

Internal parasites of horses Ascarids Parascaris equorum Young horses Ova are hardy and over winter to develop into infective larvae in warm, moist conditions Hatch in small intestins and migrate through liver then to the lungs (coughed and swallowed) and then develop in smallintestines Pot belly, respiratory signs Ascarid-induced colic when they cause an impaction Start foals at 2 months old, then worm every 2 months If heavy burden is expected, use slow-acting compounds to prevent intesinal obstruction or rupture

Large and small strongyles Most pathogenic of all endoparasites Large (Strongylus vulgaris) is most damaging b/c L migrate extensively through intestine vasculature their prevelence has almost been eliminated b/c of anthelmintics Small strongyles (cyathostomes) are still a problem and cause Wt loss, D+ and colic Life cycle of small strongyle: a. ingestion of L3 on grass, develop into adult in the cecum and colon. b. Molt from EL3 LL3 L4 in mucose and submucosa of cecum and colon forming a fibrous cyst for 30-60 days c. L4 emerge (can take up to 2.5 years) causes an intense inflammatory reaction d. This is called Larvae Cyathostomiasis chronic D+, severe wt loss, protein losing enteropathy Cyathostomes have developed a resistance to benzimidazole wormers Tx is Moxidectin (Quest) gets LL3 and L4 w/ a single dose Double dose of Fendbendazole (Panacur) for 5 days in a row will get 90% of EL3 Bots Gastrophilus fly larva Inhabit stomach and large intestine Adult flies lay eggs (nits) on horse hair Horse licks the eggs and they hatch and burrow in horses tongue, then migrate to the stomach and attach to the epithelium for several months Ivermectin effectively removes bots Give 1 month after nits are seen on horses legs and repeat after the last frost kills the adult flies

Strongyloids westeri D+ and unthriftiness in suckling foals Transmission via mares milk Tx mares 12 ours after birth Foals at 3 weeks old Pinworms Not very pathogenic Adult females create perineal irritation while laying eggs around anus Affected horses lose hair form the tail and rump druing scratching attempts Eliminated using other worming protocols Tapeworms Anoplocephala maga and perfoliata Mite is intermediate host Horse ingests mite and tapeworm emerge and attached to mucosa in distal small intestine and proximal large intestine Grow to egg-laying adults in intestine Sedementation technques are more reliable than floatation b/c ova do not easily rise in solution Strongid (Pyrantel pamoate) at high doses is very effective Parasite control Clean pastures physical removal of feces one to two times a week; removes rough and increases grazing Dont spread manure on pastures including not harrowing (raking of feces) even in hot weather b/c may exacerbate the problem Rotation: a. Slow rotation use only one class of drugs over one year; reduces chance of resistence in small strongyles b. Fast rotation alternating different classes of wormers w/in one year When to worm: a. Worm when egg producing adult strogyles peak b. North spring and early summer and a botacide in the fall after a frost c. Cannot seasonally worm in the south b/c the climate favor prolonged periods of strongyle transmission d. Young horses (< 1 years old) should be wormed in fixed intervals for ascarid control Assessment of program: a. Assess 2 weeks after deworming via fecal floatation b. < 10 % of herd should have ova if more could have a resistance problem, or did not deworm properly c. If failure is detected, then use a modified McMaster or Wisconsin technique to assess d. Strongyle should be < 100 eggs/gram