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It’s Everywhere: Why Tetanus Vaccination is Imperative

A trip to the doctor or emergency room may prompt the question “When was the last time you had a tetanus shot?” Though some will have to think back to their last injury for that answer, when asked about a horse's last tetanus booster, the answer should be immediate: annually.

Tetanus is caused by a spore-forming bacterium that is present in the intestinal tract of horses, humans and other animals. It also lives in the soil, where it can be viable for multiple years, posing an ongoing threat to people and horses, which are the most susceptible animal to tetanus.

The bacteria can enter a body through even small open wounds, cuts or incisions, but puncture wounds are particularly susceptible, especially to the sole of the hoof. Infection can also occur through gastric or intestinal ulcers after eating contaminated soil or feces. Foals can also become infected through their naval as the umbilicus heals. The fatality rate for horses who contract tetanus is 75 percent, so vaccination is imperative.

A horse with tetanus will be overly sensitive to noise and movement. As the disease progresses, the horse's third eyelid will prolapse, his nostrils will flare and he will adopt a “sawhorse” stance, with rigid muscles and a tail held away from the body. Most affected horses will eventually have respiratory failure and die.

Tetanus is completely preventable through vaccination, which is considered an AAEP core vaccine.

When Is A Cough Just A Cough?

Almost everyone knows that one horse who coughs when his rider first gets on. His cough may sound like he's clearing his lungs or the horse may stop moving, throw his head down and cough from deep in his lungs. Most of these horses then go right back to work, happy to do their job, with no more coughing episodes.

A horse who coughs a few times at the beginning of a ride may be clearing mucus from behind his larynx. Some horses create more mucus than others, so a cough for them is normal. If the horse has no other trouble breathing and isn't ill, his coughing may be a natural reaction to beginning work, when he breathes deeper.

A horse coughs when his esophagus is irritated by something, whether that's dust, pollen or cold air. The horse rapidly expels air in an effort to remove irritants from the respiratory tract; this is the cough that is heard.

Prolonged coughing or coughs that become more frequent, a call to the veterinarian is warranted.

Equine Herpes Virus-3 Confirmed In Icelandic Herd Closed To The Outside World For Centuries

Prior to 2021, only three strains of equine herpes virus (EHV) had been confirmed in Icelandic horses living in their native country, which has been a closed herd for more than 1,000 years. Now, four strains have been reported to affect the native population: EHV-2, EHV-4, EHV-5 and EHV-3, the newest strain to be detected.

Scientists had previously speculated that the absence of EHV-1 in Icelandic horses suggested that the virus was not as common in Medieval Europe as it is today. However, with confirmation that EHV-1 does exist in the closed herd, it appears that the virus was common in horses in Europe in the 9th or 10th Century.

EHV is a family of viruses: EHV-1 can case neurologic problems, respiratory disease, abortion, neonatal death. EHV-4 causes nonfatal respiratory disease in foals and EHV-3 causes venereal disease that doesn't affect fertility.

Drs. Lilja Thorsteinsdóttir, Gunnar Örn Guðmundsson, Höskuldur Jensson, Sigurbjörg Torsteinsdóttir and Vilhjálmur Svansson took samples from a 3-year-old Icelandic mare that had blisters on her vulva. Testing was positive for EHV-3.

EHV-3 is non-invasive; lesions typically heal in 10 to 14 days. Infected horses may be dull, have a fever or go off their feed.

Researchers speculate the appearance of the new viral strain in the closed population may be connected to the growing popularity of Icelandic horses, which has led more horse people to travel to the country and interact with the population of Icelandics there.

Read the communication here.

AAEP Publishes Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis Guidelines

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) has published on its website comprehensive guidelines to assist practitioners with identification, diagnosis and control of Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM), a progressively debilitating disease of the central nervous system that affects horses that reside or once spent time in North or South America.

“EPM is widely considered the most important infectious neurologic disease of horses in North America,” said guidelines author Amy Johnson, DVM, DACVIM. “The variable clinical signs and widespread seroprevalence pose challenges to diagnosis. These guidelines aim to summarize essential information regarding this disease process, as well as highlight the three criteria for highest diagnostic accuracy in potentially affected horses.”

The EPM Guidelines, available as a PDF file, were reviewed and approved by the AAEP's Infectious Disease Committee and board of directors. View the EPM Guidelines here.

Besides EPM, AAEP guidelines for 20 other equine infectious diseases are available here. In addition, two foreign animal disease guidelines—for African horse sickness and Glanders—can be found here.

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