At CVS we offer a range of equine services including:

  • Horse visits and consultations
  • Emergency visits and treatment ("stitch ups”, colic)
  • Vaccinations for Strangles, Tetanus and Hendra
  • Microchipping
  • Worming and parasite management/control advice
  • Castrations/geldings
  • Lameness examinations


Vaccinations

TETANUS

  • All horses with an unknown vaccination history should receive an initial course of 2 vaccinations given 1 month apart.
     
  • Foals are vaccinated from 12 weeks and a booster injection should be given 12 months after the initial course. Thereafter a tetanus vaccination should be given every 2 to 5 years.
     
  • A Tetanus Antitoxoid (TAT) can be injected to protect unvaccinated or lapsed vaccinated horses.

 

STRANGLES

  • All horses with an unknown vaccination history should receive an initial course of 2 vaccinations given 1 month apart.
     
  • Foals are vaccinated from 12 weeks and a booster injection should be given 6 months after the initial course. A booster injection should be given annually thereafter.
     
  • We recommend that in times of high infection risk that vaccinations be given every 6 months. This may include horses interacting with other horses (pony club, shows, team penners and horses going to stud).


HENDRA

  • All horses with an unknown vaccination history should receive an initial course of 2 vaccinations given 3-6 weeks apart. A booster injection should be given 6 months after the initial course.
     
  • To maintain full immunity a booster should be given every 6 months.
     
  • Foals are vaccinated from 16 weeks.
     
  • Hendra is a FATAL disease of horses and humans. There is no effective treatment. Horses are at risk if they travel to areas where known infections have occurred or come in contact with infected horses.

 

Worm control 

There are a number of worms that infest horses; the most important are large red worms (also known as large strongyles), small red worms (also known as small strongyles or cyathostomes), threadworms and large roundworms. 

An effective worm control program consists of drenching to remove worms from the horse; limiting reinfestation by removing manure, harrowing paddocks, or grazing management; and monitoring worm burdens using faecal egg counts (FEC) that we can complete in the clinic. 

We recommend that horses have their faeces tested every 2 months with a FEC and only wormed if counts are above 200 eggs per gram. Where FECs have not been performed, horses should be wormed every 2 months rotating drenches from a different chemical group on each occasion.

 

Drench program

Foals: Foals should be drenched from 6 weeks of age every 4 weeks until 6 months of age.

Pregnant mares: Pregnant mares should be treated just before foaling to control roundworm. Make sure the drench is safe to use in pregnant mares.

Other horses: Drenching may be required as often as every 6 to 8 weeks, or as little as twice a year, depending on the drench used and whether reinfestation is being controlled. Use a FEC to determine when drenching is necessary.