West Nile shot ...to give or not to give?

Question

I bought a ticket and jumped on the West Nile ban wagon years ago whe it was in its "prime" here in Texas. I have 6 horses and I am being told by my farrier that the shot is not 100% fool proof. He says the horse can contract it even after receiving the shot?
I here alot of different stories??? What are your thoughts?

Answer 1

Fort Dodge says the efficacy of their vaccination when given properly is 95%. I'm sure there are more studies out there.

I'm in West Texas and several years ago, when the WNV first became an issue and the vaccine came out, we decided to vaccinate all 25 of our horses. We went through and gave the first injection with no problems. We waited three weeks for the second round. Literally on the day we were giving the second injection, one of the geldings (a 5 year old) was acting odd - his lips kept twitching, he seemed very off. The vet came out and pretty much immediately diagnosed him with WNV, saying the lip twitch is an early sign. We treated (see below) him and he would appear to get better, then get worse. He evenutally died. Thankfully, we haven't had to deal with WNV again.

I would definitely err on the side of caution and get the vaccination. And make sure you follow up with the second round 3-6 weeks later.

The treatment I was referring to was not for WNV particularly but for the symptoms, as other posters have pointed, there is not a fix for it. However, our vet followed a treatment regimen that many vets were having good luck with in getting horses through WNV. Basically, he used a course of anti-inflammatories, steroids, and antibiotics. You could smell the DMSO from the front gate of our place.

Answer 2

I don't know of any vaccine that is 100% fool proof. There can always be something wrong with the vaccine, how it was handled, how it was given etc. I figure it's a good enough reason to at least try to protect instead of doing nothing. The last big thing I had heard about West Nile awhile ago was that after testing a bunch of horses that were never treated or suspected of having West Nile showed that they in fact had had it in some mild form but never showed symptoms. In either case for the mosquito born viruses that you can't really get away from (such as the nose to nose contact transmitted disease where keeping your horse away from others can control the spread) I suggest vaccinating. Especially if it's a high case area. Some people may spend too much money on vaccinations they don't need but that's for you to decide I guess. But I too used to vaccinate all my horses for West Nile, and still would if I could afford having horses again and going to school still!

Answer 3

When West Nile went on a rampage through the Midwest a few years back, 3 horses, at different locations, within 10 miles of where I live died from it. ALL of them were vaccinated. Mine were not, as the vaccine was in short supply. Mine are all fine. While this may not be proof of anything necessarily, it made me stop and think.

After some long discussions with vets and ISU, we weighed the risks, costs, and advantages, and opted to not give the vaccine. From what I can gather, even today they are not sure how many boosters it takes to be effective, how closely the initial shots should be given, and if it is even 50/50 odds that it will work....and how much may actually be too much.

Answer 4

Since when is your farrier also a licensed vet with a degree? I would ask your vet about the shot, and also do my own research into whether or not it's advisable in your area. NO VACCINE is EVER 100% foolproof- we have seen plenty of cases where horses who got the strangles vaccine still got sick, and the same thing has also happened with Potomac Horse Fever, or PHF. But to me, giving the shot is far better than not giving it- and I prefer the peace of mind that comes from knowing that my horses have at least SOME protection from the disease. Something else that you may want to consider is that WNV can be spread from horses to people- the reason the disease got such wide publicity in the first place was because it was so infectious to people and there were many who died when it first emerged in this country in 1999. I should think that this would be reason enough by itself to vaccinate your horses- do you really want to get sick and possibly die from handling them or being near them if they get this disease? Your farrier is probably unaware of this fact, or if he knows it, he hasn't stopped to consider it.

By the way, some of the vaccines given to people aren't 100% foolproof either, and many of them have to be given periodically throughout a person's entire lifetime. There is also emerging evidence that the old school of thought that said to let kids contract chickenpox because it will make them immune for life is not only flawed, but dangerous. Chickenpox can KILL if there are complications such as pneumonia or meningitis that occur with it or follow it, as we are learning at great cost, and what's worse is that the virus doesn't die after the illness ends. That virus stays in the body for life, and can reappear in adulthood as shingles. This just goes to show you that we can't expect perfection in anything.

I would go ahead and vaccinate your horses- they may never get sick, or if they do, perhaps the illness will be less severe than it otherwise might have been. Either way, it's better than watching an unvaccinated horse die from an illness that is at least somewhat preventable in most cases, and far better than possibly contracting the disease yourself from handling your horse if he's sick. Good luck.

Answer 5

Your ferrier is not a vet- talk to your vet and see if he thinks it's necessary. It there are a lot of mosquitoes in your area or you live by swampy places etc... then i suggest you get it. No shot is 100% fool proof and with every vaccination there is a small chance the horse can get it after recieveing the shot. Vaccinations are actually VERY VERY small portions of the diesease/illness but enough for the body to fight off and be able to recgonize the next time (if it happens to come) and be able to kill it off right away (unless the dna strand of west nile mutates, then a new one is required everyyear) Just make sure your horse is healthy. Personally, I give all my horses the west nile shot- especially since i live in michigan.

Answer 6

There's no vaccine that is 100% foolproof. it just doesn't work that way. The only way to ensure your horses are 100% protected is to not have a horse. I would do my research. There's a lot of info out there on this vaccine and i'm not very happy with it. I did have a mare that i tried to have vaccinated twice and both times she came down with pnumonia so I recommended to her new owners that they not vaccinate her. My other horses had no reaction, however, like every vaccine, it has risks. Do some google searching, read up and then decide whether the risks in your area are worth it.

Answer 7

Hey I live in MN and my horse got west nile!!! It is nothing to joke about- even if the shot promises a better chance at not getting this- IT IS WORTH IT!! It was the saddest thing I have ever been through with my horse- however, he DID survive it! If you could see what this terrible disease does to them you would be shocked. We had to go roll my horse over every half hour because he was too weak to get up and he would suffocate himself otherwise. Very sad. But, we got him treated early and now he is healthy. I am even starting to rodeo with him again. So now I get my shots- all of them- on time, every time.

Answer 8

west Nile is one of those things you never know about. one of my friends vaccinates all there horses and had 2 of them get west Nile while a another friend of mine does not vaccinate and her horses has not gotten west Nile. The west Nile vaccine is supposed to be 95% effective if given correctly I am OK with these odds and have always vaccinated all of my horses and never had any problems

Answer 9

No vaccine is 100% fool proof.
For the small price of the vaccine I would rather give it and know that I have done my best to prevent West Niile in my horses.

Answer 10

I think that it is better to be safe than sorry! I always give my horses the vaccine! Think about it wouldn't you rather give your horses the shot as a precaution instead of them getting it maybe and costing you a lot more in vet bills!