Vets urged to recommend EHV vaccination

Vets have been urged to recommend horse owners vaccinate against equine herpes virus (EHV) following fresh insights from a recent survey.

Zoetis recently conducted the survey, completed by 2,256 horse owners, aiming to document the current rate for EHV vaccination, owners’ level of understanding of EHV, the impact to their horse and the barriers and drivers for vaccination.

Just 17% of respondents reported vaccinating against EHV – in contrast to 95% doing so for flu and tetanus – despite 86% of them believing it significantly reduces the spread of the disease.

However, of those not vaccinating against EHV, 93% said they would if their vet advised it.

Common reason

Vets having not recommended it (65%) was the most common reason cited for having not vaccinated against it, while 40% said they had been unaware there was a vaccine for it.

While 98% of respondents recognised equine gatherings as a risk factor for the spread of EHV and 94% understood it could be spread via nose-to-nose touching, more than a quarter did not understand exactly how EHV was transmitted or the risks of disease to their horse.

One in four owners also did not know EHV could be transmitted via air droplets, shared equipment, handlers or bedding.

‘Highly regarded’

But, more than three-quarters (78%) of owners not currently vaccinating said they would now be likely to do so, now that they were aware of the potential impact EHV could have on their horse.

Zoetis national equine veterinary manager Wendy Talbot said: “The results confirm that the veterinary profession remains a highly regarded source of advice and recommendation in order to help reduce the potentially fatal risks of EHV outbreaks.

“Education and awareness are key to helping horse owners understand the seriousness of the disease threat and how vaccination helps to reduce the spread.”