Equine Herpes - vaccine?

[Beth Worden]

Is there one? Or have I been giving it with the 6-way and just don't know it? With dial-up a search is too painful, so please someone tell me. Going south and want all the ammunition I can get. Thanks.

[Terri]

Had a chat with my vet about this. The way I understand it, there are two major strains of the equine herpes. The first one is the one we have always vaccinated against with that combo shot. It causes flu like symptons and is not usually fatal. The second is a newer strain around here. I think it is a european strain. There is a new vaccine for it and it requires 1 or 2 boosters (depending on which vet to talk to). This strain causes nuerological sypmtons and is very serious, usually deadly. However the effectiveness of the vaccine is not proven. My vet is recommending that his clients who bring their horses in and out of big show barns/strange stalls...etc vaccinate for this. For the rest of us that just show or trail ride out of our trailer we are probably pretty safe just using the same old combo shot we have always used.

For me, I am not going to worry about it. I show and ride local and so far there have been no outbreaks of the new strain around here. If you are shipping horses south barns with lots of horses coming and going you might want to invest in the new vaccine and its boosters. I would suggest you discuss it with your vet.

[Beth Worden]

Thank you, Terri.

I will discuss this with my vet tomorrow. I knew the strain was affecting horses neurologically but wondered why the horses were not vaccinated for this? Sounds like once again the "bugs" have morphed. I try to vaccinate for everything coming down the pike because I never know where I'll decide to go and want to be prepared. Even if I think I am not going to encounte a barn that has horses shedding virus, I still want all the protection I can give.

[Cindy]

Equine herpes is the Rhino vaccine. As with all vaccines, there are always new strains but vaccinating with the Rhino vaccine is the best that you can do as far as I know. Unless you are talking about something else in which case I plead have been gone all weekend and catching up on things here and very tired. :D

[Beth Worden]

OK - decided to check the Health forum and viola - Lynn G posted a VERY informative thread on this. It basically answered all the questions I had. I'm good to go, but want to get boosters before I headout. It does not sound like this is a "new" strain. It sounds like someone did not innoculate and it began the run-away epidemic. It also sounds like it is contained and not a worry to horses that have been recieving their vaccine on a regular basis.