Zoetis Reminds Horse Owners of the Importance of Booster Vaccination for Pregnant Broodmares in the Third Trimester
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Zoetis’ Core EQ Innovator® is the first and only vaccine shown to be safe for use as a booster against all core equine diseases, including rabies, 4 to 6 weeks prior to foaling.
PARSIPPANY, N.J. (Dec. 11, 2024)—Zoetis Inc., the world’s leading animal health company, is reminding horse owners of the importance of vaccinating broodmares during pregnancy in accordance with the AAEP’s guidelines. The AAEP recommends administration of core vaccines at 4 to 6 weeks prior to parturition to help protect the health of both the mare and her developing foal.
To ensure safety and instill confidence in practitioners and horse owners working to follow the AAEP’s guidelines, Zoetis conducted a study to evaluate the safety of its Core EQ Innovator vaccine when administered to pregnant broodmares in late gestation. The USDA-approved results showed that the vaccine is safe for administration in the third trimester of pregnancy.
Helping your broodmare support her foal
According to the AAEP and equine reproduction experts, pregnant mares should be vaccinated against tetanus, Eastern and Western equine encephalomyelitis (EEE and WEE; also called sleeping sickness), influenza, rabies and West Nile virus 4 to 6 weeks prior to foaling.1,2 This springtime vaccine series allows a mare to produce antibodies, which are sequestered by the mammary gland and passed to the fetus via the colostrum.2 Providing core disease vaccines to broodmares in the last 4 to 6 weeks of pregnancy is a vital step to supporting not only their immune health but also the well-being of the foal in those first few months.
“According to the AAEP, it is important to vaccinate broodmares 4-6 weeks before foaling for their own protection, as well as to maximize concentrations of immunoglobulins in their colostrum to be passively transferred to their foals for protection against field infection for several months,” explains Dr. Nathan Voris, Director of Equine Technical Services at Zoetis U.S. “The foal must receive adequate amounts of high-quality colostrum during the first 24 hours of life for this protection to occur.”
Launched in 2018, Core EQ Innovator is the first and only single-dose vaccine that includes protection against all five core equine diseases: rabies, tetanus, West Nile virus, EEE and WEE. Notably, Core EQ Innovator is also the only commercially available rabies vaccine that’s approved as safe for use in broodmares during the last 6 weeks of pregnancy.
Core EQ Innovator is also the most used vaccine for protection against West Nile virus and was the vaccine of choice for 40% of horses vaccinated for rabies in 2023.3 Veterinarians using this vaccine can expect 99.7% reaction-free administration, according to two field safety studies.4,5
“Only one in five horses is currently vaccinated against rabies.3,6 Of all the core diseases, rabies is the most dangerous because it’s 100% fatal and can be transmitted from an infected animal to humans,”said Dr. Kevin Hankins, Managing Equine Veterinarian, Zoetis.
Zoetis is known as an industry leader in developing products that align with the AAEP’s guidelines to promote equine health. The research, veterinary and product development teams are committed to doing what’s right for horses at all stages of life. To learn more about how Zoetis continues to innovate, support the industry and be by your side with mare and foal care solutions, visit ZoetisMareAndFoal.com.
