• If you are having problems logging in please use the Contact Us in the lower right hand corner of the forum page for assistance.

Horses and Rabies?

Help Support Ranchers.net:

R

ReRun

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 2, 2009
Messages
56
Reaction score
0
Location
Colorado
We had a vet come out last week to do vaccinations, float teeth, clean sheaths and a couple other odds and ends on 20+ horses for the summer (Spring flew past us way too quick). The vet ended up vaccinating them all for Rabies on top of all other spring vaccinations. I had some friends bring my colt up for me (I was working) and throw him in line so he could get his once over and spring shots, which ended up included a $20 rabies shot... Now if I would have been there, I would have saved that 20 bucks for something else.

My question is: has anyone heard of vaccinating horses for Rabies? Has anybody done it? Does anyone know the purpose of doing it?... It just seems a little silly to me. :roll:
 
If you are in a area where rabies are prevalant, it's good to give
a rabies shot. We had a roping steer once that had rabies. By the
time he died and his head was sent in, several people had handled
him--2 vets, vets assistance, us and a couple of others. All
had to have a series of rabies shots. :shock: All that has to happen
is a rabid skunk (or any other rabid animal) bite your horse and
he will most likely die...and if you put your hands in his mouth
to check him because he is salavating...you could contract
the disease.

$20 is pretty cheap insurance.
 
The vet said our area is going through a rapid rabies outbreak and if a horse at our barn turned up with it and other owners didn't have paperwork showing their horse/s were vaccinated, the horse/s would have to be Euthanized.

I've just never heard of a livestock animal contracting Rabies or vaccinating them for Rabies... Just wanted to get feed back on it. Thanks FH you just confirmed they can... I've heard of people getting it after being bit by a dog, but never known anyone who has. Luckily.
 
ReRun said:
The vet said our area is going through a rapid rabies outbreak and if a horse at our barn turned up with it and other owners didn't have paperwork showing their horse/s were vaccinated, the horse/s would have to be Euthanized.

I've just never heard of a livestock animal contracting Rabies or vaccinating them for Rabies... Just wanted to get feed back on it. Thanks FH you just confirmed they can... I've heard of people getting it after being bit by a dog, but never known anyone who has. Luckily.
Click to expand...

I've only seen one horse with it-- but lots of cows... We live in an area where we are usually considered under a rabies quarantine most of the time...One neighbor up the river had 3 cows with it in one year...
 
I haven't had to deal with it....but we do give our horses rabies shots. Along with the others. Watched a deal on RFD not long ago and they were showing what all happens when a horse contracts rabies. And yeap everyone that came into contact with it had to undergo the shots too.
 
I know a man in our area who had his dog get tangled with a porcupine. A bunch of his friends came over, helped him hold down the dog, and pulled the quills out themselves. They must have had to have a couple of goes at it, because there were quite a few people involved. Guess what? Two weeks later, that dog came down with rabies. :shock: :shock: Not only had they handled the dog, but they'd all been digging around in his mouth!

By the time all was said and done, including his immediate family, about 10 adults and a bunch of kids, some as young as 2 years old all went through the rabies shots. All over an $18.00 shot.

It's scarey to think that since this man didn't bother to take his dog to the vet to have the quills removed, and didn't want to spend money on a rabies vaccination, it would not be unexpected that he didn't call a vet when the dog got sick! Lucky for him and his family, he broke with his do it yourself tradition, and reported the sick dog. What a disaster that would have been.
 
also,they don't always have the antidote on hand.

when my brother was bit by a rabid cat, they had to fly the vaccine from chicago to des moines.i picked it up at the airport,then delivered it to the doctor in southern ia.was a long ordeal!

i've witnessed a mule die of tetnus also.the mule got a piece of {rusty}wire poked in his eye.not a pretty site.

i think the vaccinations are a good investment.
 
Well thank you guys!... I feel a lot better now about the $20 rabies shot :)

I've had the same Equine vet for the past 20 years (never vaccinated for Rabies before), but he passed away 2 years ago and I haven't needed a vet since... I was just curious if this new vet was giving all of us the run around and just trying to rack up vet bills. Sounds like she'll be honorable.
 
This kind of struck home today they presented the Memorial Sports Award at the Jr. High School in memory of that boy who died up here from rabies. It was almost 40 years ago but I still remember my sister crying about losing a friend to it.
 

Latest posts

Top