Posted by Chris on June 07, 2003 at 03:03:25:
In Reply to: Re: Tetnus Requirement? The horse and I both. posted by Steve on June 06, 2003 at 09:20:37:
High Price, High Respect.
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Tetanus? Well... that's a nice thing to insist on for the horses, for sure. It should be remembered that the horse is the most susceptible animal to tetanus.
FARRIERS DEFINITELY NEED TETANUS SHOTS. Vaccination is the only way to provide long term protection against tetanus.
"Treatment" is difficult, time consuming, very expensive and often UNSUCCESSFUL. It involves the use of tetanus antitoxin to neutralise unbound circulating toxin, penicillin to prevent further growth of C/. tetani (Clostridium tetani) muscle relaxants to relax the rigid muscles, and supportive therapy until the toxin is eliminated or destroyed.
It's nasty.
Vaccination is the only way to provide safe, effective long-term protection against tetanus. If an unvaccinated horse is injured, tetanus antitoxin should be administered to provide immediate but short-term (3 weeks) protection. At the same time a vaccination program should be commenced to develop long-lasting immunity.
Tetanus antitoxin provides immediate protection but this protection only lasts for 3 weeks. Horses given tetanus antitoxin can develop tetanus once the levels of antitoxin have dropped below the protective level. It is extremely risky if owners are relying on the use of tetanus antitoxin given to horses, after a wound, to protect them against tetanus, as some cases of tetanus occur from wounds which are so small they are not noticed.