Rhino questions

[Country Lady]

After reading the discussion about abortions I am a little somber and concerned. I purchased a breed mare (my first baby) that is expecting the end of March. I was informed that she did recieve her vaccines this spring and would not need anything else till next spring. I was noticing that some people gave several doses of this rhino vaccine. She is 6 months a long, does she need an additional shot?? I did have her to the vet and they never said anything about additional vaccines. I was assuming she was done until spring. What are the signs, and what is the vaccine schedule for this. She is perfectly healthy and I will do what ever I need to to ensure that her and this foal stay that way. Thank you for your help, and I do enjoy following a long with your discussions I have learned so much, Thanks!!!

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

Pnumabort-K is the vaccine (from Ft Dodge... I forget what the other brand is... Prodigy maybe?). Its given in months 5, 7, and 9 of pregnancy.

 

[Charlotte]

Hi Country Lady,

In your situation there are a couple of things to consider.

1. How far along in her pregnancy was your mare before she was delivered to you? (she could have already been exposed to Rhino and there would be nothing you could do now)

2. Will she be exposed to any strange horses or horses going places for the rest of her pregnancy? Rhino is spread from horse to horse and it is a virus so is passed by coughing, nose blowing etc through the air. Will you have new horses coming to your farm? Does your neighbor accross the fence have horses that come and go?

If you mare hasn't already been exposed and if you can prevent her from being exposed to new horses or horses that have 'gone places' then it's unlikely that she would be exposed to Rhino.

Good luck with your first baby! Please keep us updated on your mare's progress.

Charlotte

 

[targetsmom]

Having just had a mare abort last month, likely due to Rhino (and waiting for the other mare to abort any day now), I wonder if anyone gives Rhino shots more regularly than at 5, 7 & 9 months? I give the shots in spring and fall, but we seem to have picked it up at a show in August. So I wonder about having ALL the horses get Rhino shots every three months??? Does anyone do that? Of course, this is because we have horses going to shows during the spring and summer.

 

[Country Lady]

She is between 6-7 months now, she has been exposed to a colt that went to the fair. Is it to late to give it to her now?

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

Ask your vet that question Country...

As far as giving it to other horses, no, its not needed. The mare herself can fight off the disease easily, the only problem is to the fetus. In fact, if she gets Rhino early in pregnancy, say, months 2 or three, its not a problem.

Some areas recommend giving another shot at month three, but most places just start around month 5.

 

[Charlotte]

Did she JUST get exposed? If she's been exposed it's probably too late, but you can try and see what happens. Of course, your colt may not have been exposed to a Rhino carrier anyway. There is not really any way to know.

Charlotte

 

[Becky]

If she's been exposed to Rhino, it would be too late for the vaccine to do any good. But, if she hasn't been exposed to Rhino, then the vaccine could be effective. If you don't know, you may want to vaccinate.

if she gets Rhino early in pregnancy, say, months 2 or three, its not a problem.

My understanding is that a mare can contract Rhino early in pregnancy without any symptoms and abort months later. Has this thinking changed?

 

[Minimor]

Do ask your vet for his recommendation. What my vet has said in the past is even if the mare missed her first shot of Pneumabort-K at 5 mos. there may be some benefit in giving her the remaining 2 doses. It may give some protection, but if the mare has already been exposed to the virus then it may also be too late. Just because your mare has been exposed to a colt that has been to a fair doesn't mean that she will have been exposed to any virus. If the colt is healthy and isn't carrying anything then he will have brought nothing home to your mare.

Remember that even if your horses get a respiratory infection it doesn't necessarily mean that it is rhino. There's been some virus circulating around this area the last couple of years--whatever it is, it isn't the abortion form of rhino, because even those farms that don't give the Pneumabort-K vaccine to their bred mares have not had any foal losses even though they've had sick horses.

 

[kaykay]

I have had 2 vets now recommend giving the rhino shot before the mare is bred and starting at 3 months, 5, 7 and 9 months. Both said they are finding it more effective this way especially if a farm is like us and shows horses. We do not have a seperate show barn so have no way to quarantine show horses from broodmares. Both of them said it cant hurt and can only help.

I have always been told by both of the above vets that usually what happens is the rhino virus is around early in the pregnancy and the mare aborts later. This is why its so heartbreaking.

 

[targetsmom]

I also read in one of the foaling books that Rhino can also be responsible for foals carried to term that don't get out of the sack. Like Kay said, they don't always abort right away when they are exposed to the virus.

Because we show, I think I will do the 3 month shots if we ever breed again.

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

No, a mare has to contract Rhino in the later months in order for it to cause abortions. Usually it causes abortions late term, even if contracted at month 6. That's why we don't start vaccinating until month 5.

 

[~Lisa~]

I can not give you the reasons why as I do not know for sure but vets at well respected hospitals in CA told me not to give anything at all in the 9th month -

When I vaccinated we did 4-6 and 8 and then the mare got her vaccinations in the 10th month.

 

[Minimor]

This is what the Merck veterinary site has to say about rhino abortions:

Abortions occur 2-12 wk after infection, usually between mo 7 and 11 ofgestation. Aborted fetuses are fresh or minimally autolyzed, and the placenta is expelled shortly after abortion. There is no evidence of damage to the mare’s reproductive tract, and subsequent conception is unimpaired. Mares exposed late in gestation may not abort, but give birth to live foals with fulminating viral pneumonitis. Such foals are susceptible to secondary bacterial infections and usually die within hours or days.

The Waterloo animal hospital site says this:

Abortion "storms" on breeding farms are the most feared clinical syndrome due to EHV-1. Affected mares have generally shown no clinical signs before the abortion occurs. Most EHV-1 abortions occur in the last trimester of pregnancy. They may occur up to three months after the respiratory phase of the disease, which often goes unnoticed by the owner or handler. Aborted fetuses or stillborn foals are not decomposed. Near-term foals may be born alive but succumb to fulminating pneumonia within a few days.

 

[kaykay]

Thanks for posting that Minimor. I know all the vets I have talked with say they can get it early and abort later. One vet I talked with believes that is why some think the shot caused the abortion when in reality the mare was already exposed so the shot did no good.

Bottom line its always best to put a call into your vet