Riverina Equine Vet

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Vaccination month - April

Infectious diseases can kill your horse, why risk it when you can PREVENT it.

When it comes to avioding deadly and devastating disease in our equine friends, being proactive and well informed is the best approach. We recommend vaccinating your horse with Equivac 2 in 1, which covers two of the most common infectious and contagious diseses, Tetanus (Clostridium tetani) and Strangles (Streptococcus Equi).

What is Tetanus? Tetanus is an often fatal bacterial disease caused by the organism Chlostridium tetani, which can be found in soil and droppings. It can affect humans and horses alike, with the bacterium surviving in the enviroment for long periods of time. 
The bacteria can enter the horses' body through wounds, particularly puncture wounds where there is a lack of exposure of the bacteria to oxygen. The spore then re-activates and multiplies, producing a potentially fatal neurotoxin. 

What is Strangles?  Stangles is a respiratory disease of horses caused by the bacterium Streptococcus equi. Although most horses recover from symptoms such as a snotty nasal discharge, fever and labored breathing (due to englarged lymph nodes), strangles is highly debilitating and may be fatal: your horse may suffer for days or months, and due to it being highly contagious they need to be isolated from other horses for 6-8 weeks.

Did you know that up to 80% of horses that get tetanus will die or have to be euthanised? 

Contact our friendly staff for more information.