Vaccination Aiming for Optimal Immunity By Jackie Bellamy-Zions, Equine Guelph
equineguelph.ca, thehorseportal.ca April is coming and that means time for shots, right? While there are several core boosters that are annual, if you are looking to provide optimal immunity for your horse, a ‘one and done’ approach may not be the best fit.
6 • APRIL 2023
SADDLEUP.CA
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ach March, Equine Guelph declares the month as Vaccination Education Month and this year the organization encourages horse owners to consider and learn about “Optimal Immunity.” A good place to start is with the Vaccination Equi-Planner (TheHorsePortal.ca/ VaccinationTool) an interactive healthcare tool that helps you start the conversation with your veterinarian by exploring what a customized immunization schedule looks like for your horse. Vaccination Equi-Planner considers risk factors for each horse to begin tailoring protection. Horse owners are asked to complete six questions that help determine individual farm differences and risk factors, including: age, use, sex, exposure to outside horses and geography. This data is then compiled in a program, and a printable customized vaccination schedule is provided for each horse. Timing is a key consideration for several reasons. There are seasonal changes that coincide with vector borne diseases. Of course, anyone considering breeding will need to set up customized immunization schedules for the broodmare and then the foal. If you own pleasure or competition horses with a trip scheduled, planning ahead will allow vaccines to be given well in advance of the next stressor of travelling. The length of your show season may necessitate a booster of certain shots to maintain optimal immunity. “Vaccination is an incredible tool for enhancing a horse’s level of protection against infectious disease. Zoetis' portfolio of equine vaccines can be tailored to meet the needs of YOUR horse, with products providing coverage against core and risk-based diseases in a range