Eurobodalla vets have mixed feelings about vaccinating the shire’s horses against the Hendra virus, after the death of a horse from the disease on the NSW North Coast last week.
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Neither John Law, of Surf Beach’s Eurocoast Veterinary Centre, nor Janelle Dunkley, of Moruya Veterinary Hospital, have vaccinated their own horses against Hendra, but say owners moving horses into riskier areas should consider it.
Ms Dunkley said her own herd was at low risk while at home, but that was not the case for competition horses moving around the country.
“If I was competing or heading north, particularly into an area where I would be mingling with horses from the north, then I would be vaccinating,” she said.
Mr Law, however, has chosen not to vaccinate his string of racehorses, fearing loss of form.
“I am always wary of new vaccines, particularly for viral vaccinations, because anecdotally, all those racehorses who were vaccinated for Equine Influenza suffered a loss of form,” he said.
“I worry that will be the case, particularly for racehorses and eventing horses. It may be anecdotal and there is no proof for it, but it is one of the things I am looking at.
“I had a loss of form in my own horses, quite severely, and they were never any good after it.
“If you think you are high risk and travelling, particularly north, for competitions into the subtropical and tropical areas, I would recommend it, but otherwise I would hold off.”
Ms Dunkley said vaccination was a tough decision.
“We are sitting in this area where we feel a little protected but that could be a false assumption,” she said.
“We do not know everything about the virus. No one can tell us where it is going to spread or how far south it will come. The safest way to avoid that risk is to vaccinate.
“If there was a Hendra case in Newcastle, we would have our horses vaccinated without thinking twice.”
Ms Dunkley said the veterinary peak body recommended all horses be vaccinated for Hendra.
“If it did come south or someone got sick, it is too late then to say, ‘oh, we should have done it’,” she said.
“But on the flip side, I understand it is a considerable cost to people and lot of people, have a lot of horses.”