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Veteran
Posts: 291
 
| What if your horse gets a yearly vaccine but you don’t find a bad cut until a couple days after the fact and they are due again? Is it likely that tetanus has already set in? |
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| I would have a vet out to take a look and give the vaccine ASAP. A lot of people don't remember when they last vaccinated, so we typically just give a shot when we are treating horses for an injury like a laceration, even if it is a couple days old. Tetanus can be fatal, as you probably know, but there are treatments if it hasn't progressed too far.
A few years ago, we went out and saw a horse once that the owner described as "walking funny and not able to chew right", come to find out it had sustained a laceration three weeks prior that the owner had been treating, and they hadn't vaccinated any of their horses since 1982. That horse was not able to be saved since the disease had progressed so far, but we have successfully vaccinated many horses after an initial injury and they have not died from tetanus.
It can take up to a couple weeks from the time of the injury for the bacteria to start producing an infection, but once infection has set in, the horse can go downhill very rapidly. Tetanus is very susceptible to penicillin, so I would absolutely recommend having your vet take a look, try to get that wound cleaned up as best as they can, and get the horse started on a course of antibiotics, as well as updating their tetanus vaccine. |
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| A regular cut probably won't be too much of an issue for breeding tetanus. My friend's horse had it a couple years ago from a deep puncture that the outside closed, which was the breeding ground for tetanus. The vet said more open wounds don't usually cause it because it's not the dark, closed environment and usually bleeds out some of the toxins.
Not saying they shouldn't get a shot as a preventative or provide antibiotics. Tetanus is NOT something you want your horse to get. |
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 Expert
Posts: 5293
| SO why is tetanus given every 10 years to humans but annually to horses??? That is the question. LOL |
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  Roan Wonder
Location: SW MO | Besides it's a different vaccine It maybe because tetanus comes from horses. They used to make tetanus vaccines for humans from horses. |
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Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| FLITASTIC - 2018-03-13 9:34 AM SO why is tetanus given every 10 years to humans but annually to horses??? That is the question. LOL
Because MOST humans aren't quite as accident prone in a dirty (even if "cleaned out") environment with fecal or other matter that harbors tetanus. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Nateracer - 2018-03-13 9:58 AM FLITASTIC - 2018-03-13 9:34 AM SO why is tetanus given every 10 years to humans but annually to horses??? That is the question. LOL Because MOST humans aren't quite as accident prone in a dirty (even if "cleaned out") environment with fecal or other matter that harbors tetanus.
My answer is pretty much like this^^^^^ Humans live in doors and we try our hardest to avoid getting our selfs hurt cut are stick nails up our feet, horses are looking for places to hurt themselfs and live in a dirty world compare to us, the only time I give a tetanus to my horses is when they get a nasy cut are puncture and then they get a booster. |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12841
| Probably because we do not get the same vaccination and we are not exactly in the same environment. If you are in a bad accident or have a serious wound they give you a fast acting tetanus vaccine. Had one they are not cheap. |
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Tetanus