The Importance of Vaccination

Q. - Why are vaccines important for the health of our horses?

A. - Basically, vaccination is the administration of some antigenic material (a substance capable of inducing a specific immune response in the body by binding to a specific antibody; it can be a property of bacteria, viruses, other foreign proteins, or even host tissue cells) that is designed to stimulate the individual immune system to fight disease. So, in a sense, a vaccine is “priming” the immune system against a specific disease.

Vaccines can prevent, ameliorate, or lessen illness from a potential infection or infectious diseases, but the tricky part is vaccine selection and administration protocols; things of that nature can be complicated.

In a sense, vaccination is not “one size fits all.” These decisions are based on risk of exposure to the diseases, the consequence of a specific disease, the effectiveness of the product, and potential adverse effects. You really have to weigh the cost of the vaccination against the potential cost of the disease.

Something else to remember is that a vaccination program is really designed to protect a population, as well as the individual animal. Also, vaccination is not a remedy for poor management. So, proper management, parasite control, and biosecurity measures are also necessary (in addition to vaccination).

Apple Cider Vinegar for Horses

Q. - I have heard many differing opinions about the possible health benefits of feeding horses vinegar. Is vinegar good for horses to consume?

A. - Vinegar in small amounts is fine for horses. It helps acidify the urinary tract, which might be helpful for some horses prone to urinary tract stones.

I suggest no more than a cup a day and use raw apple cider vinegar with the “mother” in it. The mother (mycoderma aceti) is a culture of cellulose and acetic acid bacteria used to ferment cider or wine into vinegar. The mother will look cloudy at the bottom of the bottle and is an excellent source of live microbials.

Start by adding a tablespoon of the vinegar to the horse's feed twice daily. Gradually work toward 1/2 cup to each feeding (two feedings per day) for a total of one cup per day.

Older Creature Comforts

Q. - My senior horse is 30 this year. Overall, he's a healthy horse with minor issues (I have him on a pellet diet because of his teeth). My biggest concern is his mental happiness. As his body deteriorates, how can I keep him comfortable and happy?

A. - What a great question. I don't know of any research on changes in horses' mental comfort or what we might interpret as loss of happiness in horses of advanced age like we think of in some people of advanced age, so I can only answer from experience. It has been my impression that the behavior and "attitude" of healthy, physically and socially comfortable aged horses doesn't differ much from that of younger horses. Rather, their attitude generally reflects their physical health and comfort as well as their social and environmental comfort.

If your 30-year-old horse appears happy, I would not expect that to change until he develops a physical or social discomfort. If you think your horse is not as mentally comfortable at 30 as he was at 20 or 10, then I would recommend working with your veterinarian to try to figure out if anything physical or environmental is bothering him that could be alleviated. Unfortunately, many of agings inevitable aches and pains are not easily relieved long-term without side effects that can also be bothersome. And as horses age, they tend to lose some of their trusted herd-mates, and available new companions might not be equally compatible.