Why Do I Vaccinate My Horse So Often?
A common (and reasonable) question that I get asked periodically is “Why do I vaccinate my horse every year against tetanus but I only get a booster every 10 years?” There are actually some good reasons for the difference.
Tetanus is a devastating disease caused by the bacterium Clostridium tetani. It used to be very common, but is now rare because of effective vaccination. Although the disease is rare, the bacterium that causes it is very common, and can be found in soil and manure almost anywhere. Horses typically get exposed to C. tetani through soil contamination of wounds, especially puncture wounds of the foot or lower leg.
- Horses are probably more at risk of exposure to C. tetani than people, because these types puncture wounds happen frequently in horses, and the wounds are possibly more likely to be contaminated with the tetanus bacterium.
- Horses are extremely susceptible to tetanus (more than people and most animals), so situations that would not necessarily cause a problem in people could cause tetanus in a horse.
Given their risk of exposure, their susceptibility to the disease, and the difficulty (and high cost) of treating tetanus in horses, and the safety and effectiveness of vaccination, it is recommended that horses are vaccinated frequently for tetanus. It is possible that longer intervals for vaccination than every year could be used, but there is currently no information that tells us how long we can stretch it. So, erring on the side of caution, and considering tetanus vaccination is safe and cheap, it makes sense to vaccinate horses every year.
More information on tetanus is available on the equIDblog Resources page.
