24/11/2011Posted : November 24, 2011
Merial helps Horse Trust with new vaccination policy

Merial Animal Health has teamed up with The Horse Trust to implement an equine flu vaccination programme using Proteqflu for all residents at the charity in Speen, Buckinghamshire.

The Horse Trust previously only vaccinated those horses that were likely to travel, but marketing manager Susan Lewis said the risks of equine influenza are increasing for the charity.

She explained: "The sanctuary is visited by many people, particularly those that own or work with horses ... which in turn creates a greater risk of infection whether our horses travel or not.

"Vaccinating our horses against life threatening diseases such as tetanus, and diseases that can severely affect their health such as equine influenza will not only protect our herd but also reduce the risk or spread of these diseases."

For the charity, both equine influenza and tetanus are a higher risk than at traditional livery yards, due to the nature of the cases they take on.

Susan said: "All horses are at risk of flu and tetanus infection but rescue horses are potentially more at risk than other horses that are better cared for. Rescue horses are often severely debilitated and therefore may have compromised immunity which, in the face of a challenge, will render them more vulnerable to infection. Similarly, rescue horses may also have open sores or even wounds that would predispose to tetanus infection in the absence of protection."

Dr Emma Batson from Merial Animal Health said: "Currently only approximately a third of the equine population is vaccinated against equine influenza and the threat of this disease is grossly underestimated: an outbreak could have a huge impact on the UK equestrian industry.

"We would like every horse to be vaccinated with a vaccine containing an updated strain and so we are pleased to support The Horse Trust with this vaccination programme and provide Proteqflu and Proteqflu-TE to ensure the residents are as fully protected as possible."

• To find out more about Proteqflu contact the Merial Equine team on 0870 6000 123.