We want to share part of a press release we received from Merial this morning, as we believe 2013 may be a good one for mosquitoes (and therefore not so great for us and our horses):
“With more than 600 cases of equine West Nile virus (WNV)?and more than 200 cases of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE)?reported in 2012, it was one of the worst years on record for mosquito-borne diseases.?Besides the alarming number of equine cases, more than 5,000 cases of WNV were reported in humans, resulting in 243 deaths. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this was the highest on record since 2003.”
The references cited are from the USDA and CDC, and they echo Contributing Veterinary Editor Dr. Deb Edredge’s warning in August 2012.?(Accessible to everyone.)
Contact your veterinarian now to determine which vaccinations your horse should get this year and the frequency. ?If your giving several vaccines, discuss the option of breaking up the injections into multiple barn visits, if possible, to minimize the chance of a reaction. Subscribers can read our vaccination recommendations.
For topical relief, we find pyrethrin-based fly sprays are your best bet for mosquitoes, such as Farnam’s Endure Sweat Resistant and Absorbine’s UltraShield EX. ?We also find ourselves reaching for Farnam’s Mosquito Halt. Most recently, we used Fly Armor, which is a citronella-based tag you can put on your horse. Subscribers can read about Fly Armor.
