vaccine | Horse Racing Free Tips

How Horses Handle Vaccines: Side Effects Rare, But Know What To Look For

As more humans begin receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, discussion of vaccine side effects seems to be everywhere. Vaccinations are a key component of proper horse care, but luckily for horses, adverse reactions to a vaccine are fairly rare. When they do happen in horses, adverse reactions are often in response to the antigens, which are foreign proteins, and adjuvants, which are added to vaccines to enhance the immune response.

A horse experiencing an adverse reaction to a vaccine may seem “off.” He may stand with his head down and seem to have no energy. He may have a decreased appetite or have a fever. Additionally, he may seem body sore or there may be increased sensitivity at the actual injection site—or even swelling—that may cause him to hold his head and neck oddly.

Most vaccination reactions ease in 48 to 96 hours. A dose or two of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories can be given (with veterinary permission) to help him through the pain, but doing nothing is also an option. If the horse's neck is sore, it may be harder for him to graze or eat if he's fed on the ground. A hanging hay net and elevated water source may help him until his discomfort eases.

In rare instances, a horse can have an anaphylactic reaction to a vaccine. This is a life-threatening situation that requires immediate veterinary intervention.

To preempt a vaccination issue, it's helpful to keep track of what vaccines, including brand, the horse is given each year. If the horse has had reactions in the past, he can be given a dose of an NSAID just before or at the time of vaccination to prevent or reduce the adverse response.

Aqueduct Racetrack To Serve As State-Run COVID-19 Vaccination Center

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) opened the first floor of Aqueduct Racetrack on Monday to serve as a New York state run COVID-19 vaccination distribution center.

In doing so, Aqueduct has joined NYRA's other downstate track, Belmont Park, which is home to a vaccination distribution center operated by Northwell Health that opened earlier this month.

Over seven million New Yorkers – including doctors, nurses and health care workers, people age 65 and over, first responders, teachers, public transit workers, grocery store workers and public safety workers – are currently eligible for the vaccine. To determine eligibility and schedule appointments at New York State-run vaccination sites, visit https://am-i-eligible.covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/.

Opened Sept. 27, 1894, Aqueduct has lived several lives beyond racing, often opening its doors to serve the local community during its venerable and varied 126-year-history.

New York State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr., a lifelong resident of Ozone Park who has represented the 15th Senate District since 2008, expressed his appreciation to New York state and to NYRA for selecting Aqueduct as a new distribution site, which is operating seven days a week.

“Aqueduct Racetrack is a landmark and an institution that is universally known to the constituents that I represent,” said Addabbo. “New York state selected a perfect location for this COVID-19 vaccination site and I applaud them for moving so quickly to transform a racetrack into a vaccination center. This is not the first time the men and women of the New York Racing Association have stepped up to support the community and I also thank them for their efforts to protect and support New Yorkers throughout the pandemic.”

Last spring, New York state officials identified Aqueduct as an appropriate location for an overflow hospital to serve the residents of Queens in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, the overflow hospital was not needed then or now.

“NYRA is pleased to be able to contribute to the mass vaccination effort underway across the state,” said NYRA President and CEO Dave O'Rourke. “New York state has led the way through this unprecedented public health crisis and we will continue to do our part to support this effort.”

Beginning in April 2020, the Big A parking lot has been the home of a drive-thru COVID-19 testing location, and it continues in that role. Information regarding COVID-19 testing can be found at https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-testing.

NYRA racetracks have had many previous uses in the community. In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy in 2012, NYRA donated the use of the Aqueduct parking lot to the American Red Cross to operate a mobile feeding kitchen and relief supplies staging area.

In the days following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Belmont Park served as one of the staging areas for emergency vehicles and personnel. Less than seven weeks later, on October 27, 2001, Belmont Park was the site of the first major international sporting event post-9/11 in New York when it hosted the Breeders' Cup World Championships.

In 1944 during World War II, Aqueduct concluded a trio of War Relief Days in which all the net profits were donated to the National War Fund, American Red Cross and other causes, including three Long Island hospitals. The first two War Relief days were held at the old Jamaica Race Course and Belmont Park.

The day's featured race, the Carter Handicap, resulted in the only triple dead heat in a stakes race, with Brownie, Bossuet, and Wait A Bit hitting the finish line at the same time before more than 25,000 spectators on a rain-soaked Big A track. The event was heralded as a welcome break at a perilous, worrisome time in American history – all of four days after the D-Day landing in Normandy.

One of the track's finest moments came without a horse in sight. On October 6, 1995, Pope John Paul II said mass before 75,000, speaking from the 300-foot-wide papal platform in Aqueduct's infield, surrounded by 10 cardinals, three archbishops and 23 bishops. Though rain and wind had marred the first two days of the papal visit to New York, brilliant sunshine broke through just as the Pope began to speak. The crowd was Aqueduct's biggest ever.

The winter meet at Aqueduct Racetrack continues, without spectators, through Sunday, March 21. For additional information, and to access the current television broadcast schedule, visit NYRA.com.

The post Aqueduct Racetrack To Serve As State-Run COVID-19 Vaccination Center appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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How Horses Helped With the Creation Of A COVID-19 Vaccine

People across the United States and Canada began receiving the COVID-19 vaccine this week, less than a year after the novel coronavirus that lead to a worldwide pandemic was first identified. The equine industry played a small but relevant role in this amazing scientific feat.

West Nile Virus first emerged in the United States 1999; in 2005, Fort Dodge Animal Health created a vaccine to protect horses from the mosquito-borne disease. This vaccine was the world's first DNA vaccine approved for human or animal use—and the technology used to make it became key to creating the COVID-19 vaccine.

Conventional vaccines used a killed or inactive form of a virus that teaches the body how to mount an immune response to it. DNA vaccines use small pieces of genetic material from a virus; the material itself is injected into the recipient and their cells transcribe the DNA into messenger RNA, which creates distinct proteins to jumpstart the body's immune response. This immune response will defend against the entire virus. Gene-based vaccines are faster to develop and manufacture than traditional vaccines.

Manufactured by Pfizer, the new COVID-19 vaccine is the next generation of genetic vaccines; it's a novel mRNA vaccine that directly translates into proteins once the cell incorporates it. The equine West Nile DNA vaccine was a beginning step for the creation of this vaccine, proving that nucleic acid-based vaccines were safe and effective.

Non-Compliance Of Flu Vaccine Administration Leaves Horses Vulnerable

Horses in the United Kingdom may be at risk of the flu even if they are vaccinated because of non-compliance with manufacturing guidelines, research shows. Drs. Amie Wilson, Gina Pinchbeck, Rachel Dean and Catherine McGowan created a survey that asked equine vets in the UK to describe their vaccination practices. The study team then compared these protocols with manufacturer guidelines and datasheets.

Of the 304 responses, 92 percent indicated that the recommendations they give owners are not consistent with manufacturer guidelines for administering the vaccine. Vets most often used vaccination guidelines from the British Horseracing Authority and the Fédération Equestre Internationale.

Additionally, there was variation in vaccine booster protocol for competition and noncompetition horses. The most recommended strategy, given by 57 percent of survey respondents, was a 6-month flu vaccine shot for competition horses and annual flu vaccine administration for non-competition horses.

Nearly 86 percent of vets reported that their clients were reluctant to administer vaccines because of fear of over vaccination, cost and the potential for adverse reactions. Of the vets who responded, 66 percent had horses that experienced an adverse reaction to vaccination, but only 19 percent of these vaccination reactions were reported to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate. Most reactions included stiffness, swelling, lethargy and fever.

The study team noted that there is a discrepancy between manufacturer guidelines for flu vaccinations and those issued by governing bodies for equestrian sport and racing. Non-compliance is common, leaving horses at risk for getting the flu.

Read the study here.