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Heather Weir
Nursing Foal
Username: Ctcountrygurl
Post Number: 13
Registered: 02-2009
| | Posted on Saturday, February 21, 2009 - 07:43 pm: | 
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Ok...so of course another questions pops up...It's been recommended that we give our mare the Rotavirus vaccine now so the antibodies may be passed through...but I'm not so familiar with this vaccine. Has anyone else administered this or know why it is so important for the pregnant mare? Sorry for my ignorance, I am a first time "owner" foaler. lol  |
Ad TB
Yearling
Username: Ajvtbs
Post Number: 80
Registered: 01-2009
| | Posted on Sunday, February 22, 2009 - 01:02 pm: |
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Hi Heather, I did a bit of research into the Rotavirus vaccine last year as the previous year we had two foals with rotavirus. I know you give the vaccine at 8,9 and 10 months gestation. This is what I found.
J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1997 Jul 15;211(2):193-8.
Field study of the safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy of an inactivated equine rotavirus vaccine.
Powell DG, Dwyer RM, Traub-Dargatz JL, Fulker RH, Whalen JW Jr, Srinivasappa J, Acree WM, Chu HJ.
Department of Veterinary Science, College of Agriculture, University of Kentucky, Lexington 40546, USA.
OBJECTIVE: To determine safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy of an inactivated equine rotavirus vaccine. DESIGN: Prospective randomized controlled trial. ANIMALS: 316 pregnant Thoroughbred mares during the first year of the study and 311 during the second year. PROCEDURE: During the first year, mares received 3 doses of vaccine or placebo, IM, at 8, 9, and 10 months of gestation. Serum neutralizing antibody titers were measured before vaccination and 1 and 35 days after foaling. Antibody titers were measured in foals 1, 7, 35, 60, 90, and 120 days after birth. During the second year, mares that had been vaccinated the previous year received a single booster dose of vaccine approximately 1 month prior to parturition. Mares that had received the placebo the previous year and mares new to the study received 3 doses of vaccine or placebo. Serum neutralizing antibody titers were measured in samples taken from mares approximately 1 day after foaling and from foals approximately 1 and 60 days after birth. RESULTS: Adverse reactions were not observed. Antibody titers were significantly increased at the time of foaling and 35 days after foaling in vaccinated, compared with control, mares and for 90 days after birth in foals born to vaccinated, compared with foals born to control, mares. Incidence of rotaviral diarrhea was lower in foals born to vaccinated, compared with foals born to control, mares, but the difference was not significant. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Results suggest that the equine rotavirus vaccine is safe and immunogenic and that reasonable efficacy under field conditions can be expected.
All the foals that got rotavirus had been boarding at the stud farm where the mare was visiting a stallion. We now walk all mares in so they are only at stud for the length of time the cover takes, ususlly less than 30 minutes. We decided since we are not a public stud and we walk all mares into stallions our mares are never in contact with horses from outside the farm apart from the 5-30 minutes of contact with the stallion. I do know of people who have had great success reducing rotavirus using the vaccine. I know when we'd rotavirus foals we had to isolate them, have a disinfectant foot bath outside their stables. Wear overalls over our clothes going into them. The diarrhoea does take a lot out of them and some get very sick and can even die. I guess if theres any way of reducing the risk of the foal getting rotavirus it's well worth vaccinating. |
Heather Weir
Nursing Foal
Username: Ctcountrygurl
Post Number: 14
Registered: 02-2009
| | Posted on Sunday, February 22, 2009 - 03:08 pm: |
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Thank you so much for the info Ad TB. I wasn't sure since she hasn't had the first two (to my knowledge of course) whether or not it would be worth it, but I guess it doesn't hurt. I'd rather be safe than sorry. |
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