Tetanus is a life threatening disease of horses and ponies which is preventable by vaccination. Tetanus is a neurological disease caused by a toxin, which is produced by a Clostridial bacteria found everywhere in the environment, including the horse’s own digestive tract. This bacteria can infect your horse in many ways including through wounds, the mouth and intestines. Once infection is established the bacteria produce the deadly tetanus toxin which spreads around the body.

Signs of tetanus to watch out for include:

• stiffness of the head and neck
• over-reacting to stimulation
• unsteady movement
• increased breathing
• general pain

Treatment is only occasionally effective and includes tetanus anti-toxin, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and supportive nursing care. Horses are one of the most 'at risk' animals and often tetanus has fatal consequences.

Vaccination is extremely effective in preventing tetanus. Two initial intramuscular injections are given four weeks apart, followed by a booster 12 months later. Boosters every 4 to 5 years will maintain immunity to the disease. Foals should be first vaccinated at 3 months of age and pregnant mares should be given a booster 4 weeks prior to their expected foaling date. The most commonly available tetanus vaccine is known as a 2 in 1, as it is combined with a strangles vaccine.

Unvaccinated horses, or those with an unknown vaccination history, should be given a short acting tetanus anti-toxin after lacerations or surgeries, such as geldings. The anti-toxin provides temporary protection and does not replace vaccination.

Call us for more info and to ensure your horse is protected against this heartbreaking disease.

Treating horses for parasites is the most common health management activity undertaken by horse owners. Worms have the potential to infect every horse, regardless of their environment. Let’s take a look at some basic principles horse owners should know about worm control.

Worms cause disease in many different ways. They can damage the intestines preventing the horse absorbing all the nutrients from its diet. They can also migrate through the intestines and other organs blocking blood vessels and damaging organ function.

Signs of worm infection include weight loss, diarrhoea, colic, coughing, and severe worm infections can cause death. Infections are more common and more severe in young horses but some immunity to some worms develops in adult horses.

We can perform a faecal egg count from collected manure which is useful in determining the severity of infection, when to treat, and whether your current treatment program is working. Effective worm control on a large horse property involves more than just routine oral medication and there is not one single program that will fit every situation. The more horses you have, the more important an effective control program is.

Tips for effective worm control on your property:

• Keep the stocking density of horses to a minimum
• Remove manure regularly in paddocks where many horses are kept together
• Be proactive treating foals and yearlings as they are most at risk
• Use tools such as faecal egg counts to determine who and when to treat
• Select effective products such as those containing modern and effective active ingredients. Many cheap products on the market simply do not work anymore!
• Rest paddocks and rotate with cattle or sheep if possible

Give us a call to discuss your current worm control program and don’t let internal parasites affect your horse’s health. We stock the most modern and effective worm treatments available.

In our December newsletter edition, we said

Zolvix® has a combination of 4 active ingredients. It's effective but has a long ESI of 115 days.

As one of our readers pointed out, this is wrong. While Zolvix does have an ESI of 115 days, it contains just 1 active ingredient called monepantel. It is advised to never use single active drenches as a quarantine drench.

Zolvix should be used as part of a quarantine drench program, NOT as a sole drench.

As it is a new active, it should be included in a quarantine drench, but it is best to follow it up with another triple active drench so that at least 4 unrelated drench actives have been used. Read more here.

We apologise for our mistake, and welcome feedback on the newsletter. If you don’t agree with something we publish, just email us straight back or give us a call - we’re always on for a chat.