At 21:07:04 on 09.03.10, HorseVet wrote:
Hi Yonina Yes. There is always a small risk and maybe if someone shoes their horses then tetanus is a slightly bigger risk simply because a nail is being driven into the foot. It is interesting that humans are supposedly covered by anti-tetanus every 20 years but the NHS pays for it and they have a limited budget and are probably broke in reality but in private veterinary practice horses seemingly require anti-tetanus every 2 years. I don't buy the idea that horses are any more prone than other mammals - they've survived millions of years with scratches and wounds in the wild etc. It seems to be more money-driven than health driven as so many things are. Best wishes HorseVet
http://www.naturalhealingsolutions.co.uk

At 22:56:06 on 09.03.10, Yonina wrote:
That's encouraging - mine are all barefoot, so that's not a problem. Thank you very much for your feedback, HorseVet. I wish more people thought like you. I read on another forum on this site of a place that had some laminitic rescue ponies that "of course" had to stay in 24/7! They need exercise and lots of it, much more than you could ever give them by riding. I love Jaime Jackson's Paddock Paradise idea. I am just about to do my best to convert my small field. This should help with the laminitic tendencies that my horses have, due to the extra movement it encourages, and hopefully include self-medicating nibbles and not too much green grass.

At 01:20:30 on 10.03.10, Tina S wrote:
Very interesting re: the tetanus vaccination, as I have often wondered the same... On the subject of various medications, I find it bizarre that every known animal has oral antibiotic variations of most preparations, yet for the most dangerous (by relative power, size etc)companion animal - a horse - most of it's antibiotic preparations are injections. I have only been offered one oral alternative. Some vets will say it works fine for most applications, others say "oh no, this will only work for respiratory or digestive tract infections"... I wonder if Bayer and Pfizer etc have ever conducted a study into numbers of handlers injured each year worldwide from having to inject horses? Have they considered researching more into oral formulations? Are they sitting back giggling at the notion of little girls trying to inject their ponies? I've done countless injections over the years, but I sure as heck still don't enjoy doing it, and do avoid it unless completely necessary. :/

At 23:45:52 on 12.03.10, HorseVet wrote:
I think certainly in the UK oral antibiotics are commonly used for most body system infections and more! Personally I use herbal antibiotics these days with great results so there are alternatives that work. Best wishes HorseVet
http://www.naturalhealingsolutions.co.uk

At 00:26:19 on 13.03.10, Tina S wrote:
Cool! Thanks for the heads-up! Can you come to Oz and let our vets know about these oral antibiotics? Seriously though, which herbal antibiotics do you recommend? I'd much prefer to use something natural over an injection any day. :)(I've had a look at your site, but haven't read everything yet)

At 00:34:50 on 13.03.10, Tina S wrote:
Aha! Just had a better search in your site and found it! :) :)