Dolly is lame...Flu/tet jab side effect? Longish!

[HairyCob]

Dolly had a day of it last friday- new shoes all round and her flu/tet jab (first of a new course- bad mummy keeps forgetting them!).

She was fine Friday afternoon, we did a 20min lunging session followed by a 20 min ridden schooling session in the paddock after vet and farrier had gone, with no problems evident.

Saturday afternoon we went on a short hack, not even an hour, mainly walking on the roads, and she didn't feel quite 'right'- nothing obvious visually, but she wasn't her usual self and although not actually 'lame' just felt very, very slightly 'off'.

On Sunday we headed out for a longer hack (hour and a half) and again, she felt slightly 'off'. I asked the other three riders I was with if they could 'see' any lameness, and they couldn't, trotted her up and down past them, and still no obvious lameness, though ChickyD did say she thought she might be 'throwing' one foreleg slightly.

I continued with the ride for a bit, not sure if I was imagining things, but thought maybe she was just favouring one foreleg, and somehow that shoulder didn't seem to be moving quite the same as the other one . About 1/2 way round, after a short trot and slight 'spook' she felt even more 'off', so although the others still couldn't 'see' anything, I got off and led her home to be on the safe side. (Not pleasant, leading a horse who'd frankly like to be going faster and IN FRONT if you don't mind, two miles in that heat! )

Nothing obvious showing still, but she did 'perk' up once I got off- I must admit to wondering if she was 'having me on'!!

Later Sunday evening however she was noticably stiff and favouring the leg; no swelling, heat or punctures anywhere, but a little 'touchy' about her shoulder. I left her in her small paddock overnight with strict instructions not to 'hoon' about, and checked her again first thing Monday- she was still stiff and favouring the leg, but not *quite* as badly, so again, she was ordered to 'take it easy'!

By Monday evening the stiffness was practically gone, and today she is wandering about 99% back to normal. Obviously I'm going to give her a couple more days off 'just in case', but she's definitely much, much better.

I guess she may have pulled a muscle or something, but it occured to me that she'd had her 'jab' above that shoulder and I wondered if it was likely to have caused her sufficient discomfort that she'd stiffened up from 'clenching' it or 'holding' it awkwardly?

Anyone had a similar experience following a flu/tet?

 

[eventerbabe]

is the injection site clear of any swelling? toby once had a reaction to his jabs and couldn't flex his neck comfortably to one side.

 

[Lot1983]

is the injection site clear of any swelling? toby once had a reaction to his jabs and couldn't flex his neck comfortably to one side.

One of the horses from our yard had this and she couldn't graze properly, vet came out and looked at her and she was fine, gave her a few days off as she was quite stiff

 

[Adk_Katie]

My pony, Mora, had a similar reaction to a West Nile vaccine a couple years ago. It seemed to set on faster though. She had the injection in the morning and when I came to bring her in in the afternoon she was really listless. I had to go get her in the field which never happens, she usually runs right up to the gate. She had a lump where the injection was given and was noticably off on that leg. I gave her a few days off and she was fine.

On a similar note, my puppy had a horrible reaction to his first Rabies vaccine this fall. He had the vaccine in the evening and was fine that night and the whole next day until the evening. I went to get him out of his kennel and he fell down in it twice before I could even open the door and fell another 10 times in the next 2 minutes. His back legs kept giving out. I took him to right to the vet who gave him a cortizone injection and he was fine right away after that.

So after all that I watch my animals like a hawk after the get any vaccines!

 

[HairyCob]

Yes, the injection site is clear- and has been since she had it- vet said it was OK to ride as long as she DIDN'T react to it- so I checked it Friday, Sat and Sun before tacking up!

No swelling, no heat, couldn't pinpoint where it had been given exactly- so just as it should have been!

Cross posted with you Adk Katie and Lot1983- thanks for your replies, perhaps it was a reaction to the jab then, if you've both experienced similar.

 

[chewitmonster]

Silver had his vaccine in the chest because the last time his neck swelled and he couldn't reach to eat or drink!

This time round he was fine that day and the day after no problem. It wasn't until the second day that he was hopping lame and very very stiff.

Poor boy. No swelling or heat, but he didn't like me touching his chest - tried to flick me off like I was a fly.

Vet had said to give him the first day off and I did, but he didn't react until the second. I gave him some bute as again he couldn't stretch down to eat, for that night and another in the morning so he could graze and he was okay by the fourth day. I think I ended up giving him the week off though as he wasn't quite right.

 

[lachlanandmarcu]

Flu/tet jab side effects

On a related topic (sorry to hijack), watch out for your date for worming and flu/tet. I didnt (they were 2 days apart) and my horse has suffered recurrent intermittent illness since. We reckon he had a low level bug and the load of the combination just knocked his system over.

Thankfully the bouts (wont eat, lies down all the time) are now getting less frequent, and bute is generally effective. Vet can't pinpoint except that at the beginning he was def fighting off a virus (flu?!!!) but later on symptoms less specific.

thanks everyone just wanted to warn - o'wise you like me will be feeding Blue Chip AND haylage AND pink powder to your formerly good doer IDxTB! thank goodness my Haflinger mare lives on potato peelings and gruel

 

[thoroughlybred1]

i had an old boy some years ago, that everytime he was given his booster went down with laminitis. We eventually got a letter from the vet, which the pony club accepted, allowing him to compete without having the innoculation - never had laminitis again.

More recently, another old boy that had had the course and boosters all his life, but due to the above i had stopped a couple of years ago, had to restart the course in order to attend some RC comp he'd qualified for. We duly arranged the first jab of a new course and within 10 minutes of recieving it he collapsed. By the time the vet returned, he seemed ok. 2 weeks later he was dead.

It is very worrying that such a small amount of vaccine can cause this in such a large animal..........

i choose to stop vaccinating against flu at a certain age as i believe after years of boosters it should not be neccesary to continue to pump the body full of drugs. The drug companies however insist that the boosters at annual intervals are imperative enough that if you should lapse, the whole course needs to start again - well of course........why sell just one vial of vaccine when you can sell another course of 3!

 

[HairyCob]

I have to confess that part of the reason I've been so lax with getting Dolly's done is my inate dislike of what seems to me like innoculation for innoculations sake. She never leaves the yard apart from when hacking, she doesn't compete and we don't have horses coming and going from the yard. She's also not accident prone (touches wood rapidly!) and since I've owned her has never had a bite, cut scratch or graze so I've had no concerns about tetanus either.

Also, my thinking is that surely if the tetanus innoculation builds up in humans to the point that if you've had it three times in ten years (I think that's the figure!) you never have to have it again, then the same applies to horses?

I'm quite sure that Dolly has had plenty of tetanus in the past, and I'm pretty much convinced she is 'covered' already by them....

BUT.... the little seeds of doubt are sown now and again, and somehow I convinced myself that she *should* have her jabs this year

Wishing I hadn't now- she's still 'off' on that side, there IS a slight lump there tonight (wasn't there yesterday!) and so she's off work and getting fat

Not sure I'll be having the full course... will discuss it with the vet tomorrow if I can- going to hear her lecture about laminitis- will have to control myself so I don't yell from the back about the veterinary profession putting my horse at risk of lami due to being off work through pointless jabs

 

[domane]

What about when you nearly severed an artery with your clippers????

Does THAT not constitute a "cut"??? Eh?? Eh????

 

[HairyCob]

What about when you nearly severed an artery with your clippers????

Does THAT not constitute a "cut"??? Eh?? Eh????

Ah, yes Jane, that was a cut, but it was a *Clean* cut- no mud in it, therefore unlikely to have tetanus in it, and it was immediately irrigated with sterile water and treated with anti-bacterial and anti-microbal wash, thus killing off any little blighters that might have been hanging around on her fur or the clippers

 

[domane]

Ach - you nurses with all your techey-speak!!!!

 

[Sooty]

The drug companies however insist that the boosters at annual intervals are imperative enough that if you should lapse, the whole course needs to start again

... actually the drug companies themselves agree that tetanus jabs are effective for at least 3 years so no idea what the annuals are all about ... keep the vets in business I suppose.

I'm about to have my yearling's second tet jab done (first was last month) but once he's 'primed' he won't have a booster for at least 3 years (homeopathic vet I asked reckons their effective for 5).

Last week I had the (non-homeopathic) vet out to treat my mare's abscess and he asked whether she was covered for tet. I said she was as she had one 2 and a half years ago and he said 'fine'. I know I wouldn't be able to do this if I competed or insured her though

 

[NoviceNic]

Any chance that it could be a nail has gone through a white bit???

I also now of a pony that was extremely poorly after having her jabs. Hoospitalised and everything. Equine Hospital said that she had a reaction to the way the jab was administered. Never had that vet out again to jabs after some of the horror stories we heard about others horses problems with the same vet...

 

[thoroughlybred1]

the tetanus booster is usually administered every second year once the initial course has been done - its the flu that it is insisted upon every 12 months. if my oldies are not "up to date" with their vaccinations, yet suffer a cut/operation, i ask the vet to give them a texoid to cover for tetanus risks

 

[HairyCob]

Well, I spoke to my vet on wednesday night (hijacked her at the laminitis lecture I went to!) and she confirmed from what I told her that Dolly's lameness was probably caused by the jab.

Interestingly she also told me that in future if she has a reaction and I'm concerned enough to need to call her, not to worry about the cost (not that this would have been an issue had I needed to call her!) because if a horse has an adverse reaction to a vaccination and requires further vet attention because of it, the company that makes the vaccination will pay those costs.

Not an issue in this case as Dolly is now 100% sound and we went on an hours hack yesterday... with three geldings... and she's coming into season... you'd never have known she was 'off' earlier in the week if you'd seen her jogging and dancing up the road with them... little tart!

 

[Rips]

She's also not accident prone (touches wood rapidly!) and since I've owned her has never had a bite, cut scratch or graze so I've had no concerns about tetanus either.

Oooh - please don't say that!!
I know what you mean about the flu jabs, if shes not in contact wth other horses much (in my experience, the horses on the yard tend to take on flu symptoms after the jabs, when they never would ordinarily be sick.) We always give them a day or two off.

But tetanus is so important! Mocha got a scratch up high on the underside of her hind leg, it healed without me ever noticing it, but an infection went down under the skin and right into the muscle. One day I went down and her whole hing leg was swelled about 4x its normal size - she couldn't move at all. It swelled so much that it split open a wound deep to the muscle. I mean she probably had this infection for days and I never knew about it. If she hadn't been vacc. against tetanus....
The vet had to go out into the middle of the field and inject her, she didn't move off the one spot for days. She got like 10 injections in 4days, including a second tetanus (just in case!)

 

[svenja]

my mare gets bad reactiosn to jabs- once she got spasms in her neck, the other time her hind pasterns swelled up.... so you never know! As long as she is back to normal now I wouldn't worry.