Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Equine Rabies in Colorado....It's Baaack

First equine rabies case in Colorado in 25 years:

The Horse: Rabies Reported in Colorado Horse, Multiple Skunk Cases

I had Misty & Marley vaccinated in Spring 2008. Misty had a very bad reaction to the rabies vaccine; she developed a huge lump at the injection sight and was very sore and uncomfortable. So I decided to skip the vaccine this last Spring 2009.

I talked to a couple vets and horse owners; I read that rabies is very rare in Colorado and mostly found in bats. My vet recommended the shot but said half of their clients were skipping the vaccine because they don't want to over vaccinate their horses and half were having the vaccine because they didn't want to be the first equine case in the state.

Wake up call!

Misty & Marley will be getting their rabies vaccinations with their Fall shots. I'll have the vet send us home with something to ease discomfort if Misty reacts again.

Skunks are the wild animal most likely to infect a horse and skunk rabies is on the move and headed west. More information from Colorado State University is here.
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16 comments:

  1. Grey Horse MattersSeptember 16, 2009 at 12:05 PM

    We had two horses have bad reactions to the vaccine. We do have a lot of wild life around the farm so I'm sure we'll get them vaccinated again to be on the safe side. Hopefully, we won't have the bad reactions again.

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  2. HorseOfCourseSeptember 16, 2009 at 12:35 PM

    We don't have rabies here, I am very grateful for that.
    One thing less to worry about.

    We have been watching this marvellous British crime series taking place in the 1920s, called "The Mrs Bradley Mysteries".
    In the first episodes she comments "scary bisquits" to a murder scene, and that got stuck in our heads.
    So I was about to write "scary bisquits" as a comment, but realized that would have looked a bit strange, without a background comment, LOL!
    Can recommend the series, by the way.

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  3. Once Upon an EquineSeptember 16, 2009 at 12:37 PM

    GreyHorse, I think Misty had the Fort Dodge vaccine and I had heard some horses were reacting to it. Hopefully it is improved. Another vet also told me that Misty might have reacted because she has more natural immunity. I dunno, but I'll risk the reaction this time. Maybe it is the first vaccination that is tough and the re-vaccinations easier. I'm interested to know how your sensitive horses do with their re-vaccinations.

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  4. Once Upon an EquineSeptember 16, 2009 at 12:42 PM

    HorseOfCourse, Wow, no rabies at all in Norway? Not even in dogs and cats? Interesting. Yes, Scary Biscuits indeed! I like that term.

    Oh...and I like crime mysteries. I have added the Mrs. Bradley series to my DVD queue.

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  5. julietteSeptember 16, 2009 at 10:01 PM

    Good luck with Misty - I hope no reaction this time. The whole matter demands a "Scary Biscuits" utterance and we don't watch the series.

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  6. Desert RoseSeptember 17, 2009 at 12:40 AM

    Thanks for stopping by to say Hay!!! Thanks for the heads up on the rabies!

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  7. Paint GirlSeptember 17, 2009 at 3:07 AM

    We don't vaccinate for rabies in horses here either. It isn't a recommended vaccination. But I will definitely keep my ears open. Thanks for the info!! Very scary indeed. Hopefully Misty doesn't have a reaction this time!
    Thank you for stopping by and visiting!

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  8. eventer79September 17, 2009 at 9:57 AM

    I wouldn't panic too much -- rabies vaccines actually have a much longer efficacy than one year. The year interval was just something made up by state laws.

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  9. auroraSeptember 17, 2009 at 10:09 AM

    Better to be safe than sorry. Hope the vaccination is less problematic.

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  10. ChelsiSeptember 17, 2009 at 2:58 PM

    Wow, like aurora said, better safe than sorry. What is odd is that BC just reported the first case of West Nile in a horse! I guess we have that to contend with now.

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  11. Once Upon an EquineSeptember 17, 2009 at 6:16 PM

    eventer79..that's good to know. Since we had our Spring shots late (due to vet postponing my appointment 3 times) I don't want to rush out for Fall shots.

    Thanks All for the well wishes on the next vaccination. In the meantime, I've cautioned Misty & Marley not to befriend any skunks.

    juliette, I think you should paint a scary biscuit. What might it look like?

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  12. Grey Horse MattersSeptember 17, 2009 at 9:27 PM

    I'll let you know how it goes after the vaccinations and we can compare notes.

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  13. Once Upon an EquineSeptember 18, 2009 at 9:31 AM

    Grey Horse, good idea. I'll probably get shots in October. I'm trying to decide if I should switch vets or not. That's always a difficult decision.

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  14. CarolSeptember 18, 2009 at 5:35 PM

    That IS scary. I have always vaccinated Griffin for Rabies. I think I am the only person at my barn that does....

    The reason I do it is because it's fatal. period. There's no treatment. Your horse gets it? He's got no chance...he's a goner.

    Even though people say it's rare...I'm not willing to risk the chance, no matter how small. To me it's worth it to spend a few extra bucks and get the vaccine.

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  15. Once Upon an EquineSeptember 19, 2009 at 9:49 PM

    Carol, that is a very good point!

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  16. jcSeptember 21, 2009 at 5:15 PM

    No rabies in Scotland so I was surprised to read that you have to vaccinate your horse against it. I hadn't thought about countries that have the disease. Must be very worrying.

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