There are so many articles and so many shots! What's the best thing to do? Is it best to do all of them? Equus Magazine has run articles about the effectiveness or lack of proven effectiveness.

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Hi, ladies:

I've been in this game for 52 years, since before we had vaccinations for most things, and I have to say that life is better now that we have them. I get a flu shot every fall, and had the pneumo-vac 8 years ago, and I no longer spend half of every winter with bronchitis and/or pneumonia.

I vaccinate for EVERYTHING, using IN vaccines when possible (the vet who used the IN strangles prior to injectables should be strangled himself -stupid thing to do) as there's no local reaction. However, a localized reaction is a small thing compared to the loss of condition and training and enjoyment (not to mention the huge increase in costs and stress) when horses get sick. Moving horses around does not avoid the vector, communicable diseases are spread by flies/mosquitoes, and often by PEOPLE. The only vaccine I don't use on a regular basis is Rhino, as we are not yet in the vector for the neurological form, and even thought the vaccine is not thought to be of use against that form of the disease I did vaccinate for it when I shipped a horse East for a competition this spring. Had he contracted that particular piece of nastiness in the absence of the vaccine I would have felt that I had not done all I could to protect him.

I teach all over the Pacific Northwest, and I've seen many, many more sick horses due to a lack of vaccination than I've ever seen because of them. Anecdotal evidence regarding vaccination reactions is not reliable, and some protection is always better than none - wouldn't you rather have some protection against AIDS or TB than none??
I have to lean toward what Jen has said, and agree with the down side of the chemicals being introduced into our horses systems. Seems to me if our horses are never ever exposed to any germs, bacteria, viruses, etc etc, then of course they are going to be suseptible to every nasty germ that flies by. I liken it to a human that is kept inside, no interaction with a "sick kid" who knows what that sick kid has got. Fill the kid with shots of all kinds (kid is a walking pharma) and the minute the kid is older and insists on going out and playing with other kids..Wham! they are hit with both barrels and come down with some strange disease. Same with the horses, Let them out in the pasture, from day one, run and play and jump with their baby buddies. The less chemicals the better. The immune system is there for a purpose and will work if not interferred with. Of course there are exceptions, sometimes like humans the horse needs the meds. I don't trust the modern preventative meds all that much, seen too much negative reactions, and strange sicknesses, Call me old fashioned, or ignorant, or uneducated or stupid if you wish, but this management seems to be working for me.
Decisions --decisions. There is so much to learn on the health field for us and our precious friends. There are many alternatives such as homeopathy, chiropractic, reflexology, chinese medicine including herbal type stuff and acupuncture, esoteric therapies, massage, essential oils, There is so much we don't know and so much we don't understand. And we can't forget how many lifes are saved with traditional meds nor can we ignore how many times much damage is done by medical drugs before someone recognizes where a problem is stemming from. Like when so many babies were born with no arms or legs because of some medical drug pregnant moms had used without the medical field knowing the dangers involved with it. It's all so complex as is our bodies. There is lots to look forward to as progress is made. It is a known fact that many childrens vaccinations cause horrible side effects in some babies and yet some feel it is worth the risk because they hope the good outweighs the bad. Hopefully with research they will find more and more ways to do good things with less negatives. Ever hopeful for a better tomorrow yet fearful of the opposite. Bottom line: we each have to listen to our gut and learn all we can. No one has all the answers and doctors & vets and scientists are not God.

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