As the leaves start falling, horse owners should start thinking about scheduling their fall wellness. Fall wellness includes fall vaccinations, deworming, evaluating body condition heading into the winter months, and preparing for winter nutrition.

Equine Rhinopneumonitis and Influenza vaccine requires a booster in the fall. This vaccine protects against Equine influenza virus and Equine Herpes Virus type 1 and 4. These viruses are highly contagious diseases spread through nasal secretions, direct, and indirect contact with fomites. Equine influenza is known to spread across large distances, so even if your horse is not in direct contact with other horses, it can be at risk due to the high population of horses in the valley. The vaccine most used is a killed virus vaccine that is safe for horses 6 months and older and pregnant mares.

In the fall after our first frost, we recommend deworming with an ivermectin product. Its important to deworm in the fall to target encysted small strongyles that can cause illness in the winter. As part of their normal life cycle, small strongyle larvae burrow into the intestinal wall and become dormant or encysted. If left untreated, these larvae can emerge from the intestinal walls in large numbers causing colic or diarrhea. Thus, it’s important to time deworming correctly to target this life cycle stage.

Evaluating your horses body condition and nutrition is vital heading into the winter. An average horse will a moderate hair coat will start requiring more calories at a critical temperature of approximately 50*F. For every 10* the temperature drops an additional 10% more calories should be added. Horse can eat a max amount of 2.75% of their body weight per day so If your horse is unable to eat enough forage to get appropriate calories, supplementation of grains and oils may be needed. With this consideration, horses should eat at last 2/3 of their calories in forage. Luckly, horses naturally grow a thick insulating coat in the wintertime. If your horse is an expert at growing hair, this may decrease the critical temperature. On the other hand, if your horse’s coat becomes wet, this can increase the critical temperature. See our previous blog post on winter nutrition for more information. https://alpineequine.net/blog/1080273-winter-nutrition-for-your-horse

Another disease to consider during your fall wellness discussion with your veterinarian is Strangles. Strangles, streptococcus equi subsp equi, has been prevalent in our valley with numerous confirmed positive cases in the last year. Vaccinating for strangles is recommended for horses that travel to other barns or facilities, trail ride with other horses not of their herd, in large barns with horses coming and going frequently, or horses in densely populated areas. The strangles vaccines does not provide complete protection but can help lower the risk of outbreak in a barn or herd and decrease the severity of the disease if contracted. There are multiple varieties of strangles vaccines and each variety comes with its own set of risks. If your horse is at risk, have a conversation with your veterinarian about what may be the best choice for your horse.

Strangles is an incredibly contagious disease of the upper respiratory tract. It can be spread through inhalation or ingestion of the bacteria through horse-to-horse contact, contaminated drinking water, or contact with infected materials or equipment. Younger horses are more susceptible and tend to have more severe clinical signs. Uncomplicated cases often fully recover but approximately 10% of cases have complications such as metastatic strangles (Bastard strangles) or purpura hemorrhagica. This disease is particularly difficult because horses can have nasal shedding of the bacteria prior to onset of clinical signs and up to 6 weeks post resolution of clinical signs. Thus, it’s important to test for the disease after conclusion of clinical signs prior to reintroducing to a herd, which can be an economic burden. The best way to prevent strangles is through prevention. This includes strict quarantine protocols of new horses to the property, frequent disinfection of equipment, and vaccination if the horse is an at-risk population as discussed above.

Schedule your fall vaccine and wellness appointment today to ensure the best winter possible for your horse. 970-379-7100