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This is a new reaction experience for me. I gave the all-in-one vaccine on Saturday — right shoulder, from the manufacturer that my super sensitive mare has had no problem with in many forms for years. Anzia still had no reaction. Maia's had no problem with it, ever.

Instead, Maia swelled up all down her leg, spiked a 102 fever, we dropped it to 100.1 – 101 range for 36 hours, then no fever. She was lethargic. As of yesterday, she's lame on that shoulder. But, no more heat, fever, swelling, or sensitivity.

Vet advised 1g bute/day until she's back to normal.

On one hand, I feel awful. On the other ... this is the horse who used me as a trampoline

I guess I'll be buying her vaccines from a different manufacturer from now on ... and aiming for that great big butt. Plus some prophylactic bute

Tesla had a vaccine reaction the first spring I had her. I didn't know the BO had given shots, took her out of her stall and her neck was bent and she couldn't walk in a straight line. I would have sworn she was severely neurologic if I hadn't known that she was 100% fine the day before. It was pretty freaky since I'd never had a horse react to a shot either.

Now she gets a shot of Banamine with her each shot and we spread them out over several days, and I have the vet do it for the extra layer of insurance if something goes wrong. I still suspect there is "stuff" going on in the soft tissue in her neck from that incident. It has gotten much better over time, but she had a lot of trouble bending around C4/C5, and in hindsight I wish I'd had more intensive laser and bodywork done on it right afterwards.

FWIW, she also metabolizes sedatives really slowly. It takes her ages to wake up enough to go home after a dental, so I wonder if she just doesn't move chemicals out through her tissues as quickly as most horses.

Hope Maia is feeling better soon.

It's most likely the adjuvant used in the vaccine to kickstart/boost the immune response.

I have never had a horse with a vaccine reaction until this year. I always split my vaccines since I have senior horses and have my vet give them. This year my 23 year old pony mare had the stiff neck reaction at lunch time after receiving her injections that morning. Then the next day the other pony had diarrhea and muscle spasms. The vet thinks this second pony may have eaten something toxic (it was VERY windy and lots of stuff blowing around and she is NOT a discriminating eater) because of the symptoms and timing and not a vaccine reaction. This pony was fine until 32 hours after injections and then violently ill. Neither spiked a fever and both were fine after a dose of banamine. However, both incidents were unexpected and scary.

Sorry to hear this happened, Heddylamar.

MM always gets reactions to vaccines, no matter where we put them or who makes them. Like SF I do banimine with the injections now and find that is more effective than bute. If you or someone at your barn is able to give banimine injections I would recommend giving it the morning off injections or even the day before + the day of and the day after. I can't do an IV injection, but I have started giving the banimine the day before orally.

Other things that have helped with swelling: I cold hose right after the shots and then got on for a quick ride to get her muscles moving some. I also use arnica gel to help with swelling over the next several days until it goes down.

Maia is back to normal ... running around, airs above the ground, all that jazz.

Thanks for the ideas. I’ll get a fresh tube of banamine before next spring’s vaccines. I have one dose on hand, but knowing she’d likely need more for several days, I went with bute since they shouldn’t be given in close concert. I try not to give IV banamine ... but if she keeps this up, I’ll need to keep another vial on hand.

Ariel had her spring shots Thursday--R/F, E/W something else I don't remember, and strangles. Two shots plus the intranasal strangles. Last year she was punky after shots. Yesterday she was all perky and fine, no reations.

Last year, I walked out in the morning to find that poor Rudy blew up like a balloon with severe urticaria (hives). He was positively miserable, even started having trouble breathing! I had to iv dexamethasone and give him diphenhydramine (Benedryl). I write this because, I had intended to vaccinate him the evening before but forgot. Had I remembered to vaccinate him, I would've blamed the vaccine. So sometimes what we think is a vaccine-related reaction might not be. Nonetheless, there is a number on the packaging to call the manufacturer so you can report the adverse reaction--important for the company to know when there is a problem.

Jingles for Maia

Sue B wrote:Last year, I walked out in the morning to find that poor Rudy blew up like a balloon with severe urticaria (hives). He was positively miserable, even started having trouble breathing! I had to iv dexamethasone and give him diphenhydramine (Benedryl). I write this because, I had intended to vaccinate him the evening before but forgot. Had I remembered to vaccinate him, I would've blamed the vaccine. So sometimes what we think is a vaccine-related reaction might not be. Nonetheless, there is a number on the packaging to call the manufacturer so you can report the adverse reaction--important for the company to know when there is a problem.

To your point, the stinker pony is an allergy magnet. He's allergic to cats and palo verde trees based on testing. I have always been prepared for him to have reactions to his vaccines. I've premedicated him with bute and what not; but, he's not really had a serious reaction to any vaccine while I've owned him and regularly updated his core vaccines. A few years back I started him on Adequan and did the conventional treatment plan. By dose number 4 he had a full blown anaphylactic reaction. Like you I was prepared (well at least do my best to keep my emergency kit stocked with non-expired drugs - did much better when I had broodmares and was actively foaling them out) and he was fine after prompt treatment. I'm guessing it was the larger protein molecules in Adequan that likely set off his immune system; but, as you point out not everything is rightfully blamed on vaccinations/vaccines.

Sue B wrote:Nonetheless, there is a number on the packaging to call the manufacturer so you can report the adverse reaction--important for the company to know when there is a problem.

Thank you for this, Sue B. It didn't even occur to me to contact the manufacturer — I've done so now.

After a few more days of bute, Maia's completely recovered, and back to being a crazy woman.

My horse just had a super bad reaction this year too. Strange. Scary.


Prior shots were flu/rhino and lyme- no issuse last month


This week: rabies, potomac combined and then WNV (same day).

Again, if I didn't know the horse was fine before.....I would think something neurological.... not bad just very "full body" lethergy, shoulder restriction on the side that is the worst. Dull, sad look. Walking slow (this horse never is SLOW!)

I had this happen once with a 5 way a few years ago where a bunch of horses got sore from the same batch. I don't do those anymore.

Jingle it goes away!

Oh no, Ryeissa. I'm sorry your horse is going through this too.

I applied ice and cold hosed the injection site, and, after talking to the vet, gave 1g bute/day for several days. She's completely fine now ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

It was the EWV/Flu/Tetanus/WNV combo vaccine from Boehringer Ingelheim. I've given it for about 6 years now with no problems ... then Maia.

thanks.... its so weird.

I had one become ataxic and swell all 4 legs with a rhino vaccine. Rip and Gaila after rhino ran high fevers for several days over Christmas a few years ago. I don’t give them rhino anymore.

Jingles Riot comes round quickly.

aaand now my horse is fine.....

I'm not sure I'd give an anti-inflammatory the day before or in conjunction with a vaccination. You don't want to suppress the immune response, that's the point, after all. The day after, if you must. Not sure if there's any studies in equines looking at Ab titers, etc. +/- immunosuppressants, but the recent advice surrounding Covid vaccinations might be applicable here.

Koolkat wrote:I'm not sure I'd give an anti-inflammatory the day before or in conjunction with a vaccination. You don't want to suppress the immune response, that's the point, after all. The day after, if you must. Not sure if there's any studies in equines looking at Ab titers, etc. +/- immunosuppressants, but the recent advice surrounding Covid vaccinations might be applicable here.

good point. Will talk to my vet next year and get their advice

I hate these vaccine reactions. My guy always gets a Banamine injection before the injected vaccine yesterday. This morning all legs stocked up with heat. I cold hosed and gave Bute - plus sent a message to vet if she used a different brand? We always split the vaccine but I wonder if she forgot and gave him the multi-combo. I will rotate am vs pm with bute and banamine for a few days. He is so reactive to these vaccines...... Anyone have this issue with legs? Vaccine injected in chest pec muscle and that always gets some swelling and heat too - even with all the bute and banamine.

Ugh, sorry, Josette. Mine always gets reactions despite NSAIDs but she doesn't get the stocking up in the legs. However, I always ride her after she gets her shots to get her body moving. Vaccine reactions usually are worse if there isn't movement and so I do a light ride to get her to move her full body and then she gets turrn-out after.

My routine is banimine day before and day of the shot, then cold hose after, then ride, then turnout, and then either bute or banimine for the next 1-2 days. Doing this obsessive routine has kept reactions as small as possible.

Thanks Blob - sounds like you get reactions too even with NSAIDs. I thought we would get some storms rolling through yesterday so I did not ride him after shot. I'll walk him today - he is very cozy inside stall now with his fans. He has large turnout directly off his open stall but likes to hang inside looking out.

My seniors frequently got a daily Previcox dose for their arthritis and I always split vaccines. I had never gotten a reaction. This year for the first time I had two stiff necks and a swollen injection site. These were different horses and over two different sets of vaccinations (six months apart). In two cases the reaction was one to two days after the injection. I suspect that with current conditions my Vet maybe was using whatever vaccines she could get and not necessarily what she usually used in the past. Everything resolved in a couple of days with bute. I notified her(my Vet) but didn’t think to ask if vaccines were a different brand.

I have been wondering if there is something going on this year with brands, or carriers or something. Seems like lots of reactions this year!

I agree SF and wondered the same thing since I’ve NEVER had a reaction before. However I now have more senior horses….

Yeah, Tesla reacted again this year, even with splitting the shots and dosing Banamine (one with 3-way at the vet, then 3 days of paste along with the WNV/Rhino (if I'm remembering the combos right; the second is the one that caused the reaction)). She was punky for about a week. Someone else at my barn had both of her horses react. One of the vets who comes through says she is able to source a different brand (naturally more expensive) that doesn't cause reactions. That's all I heard about it, but I'll definitely look into it for Miss T for next year.

Interestingly, MM had the best spring shots she's ever had in terms of reaction. Maybe I've just really got the forumla down on how to minimize reaction

Since we're moving to a new barn in less than a week(!), Maia got all her vaccines in one go this year and had no reaction I gave Anz her vaccines in pieces — she's ensconced at mom's farm through at least fall.