TETANUS is not a new disease. Despite being well understood and easily preventable, it continues to pose a threat to the 21st-century population – human and equine alike.
Correct and preventative management is no mystery, and owners who implement effective immunisation and reduce the risk with good wound care guard against infection. Despite this, vets still are presented with the disease and each unvaccinated case is a tragedy.
The challenge with preventative medicine in general, and tetanus in particular, is that many horse owners have never witnessed a case and forget that it is a significant risk. The reality of tetanus is a dreadful disease – it is commonly known as lockjaw due to the mouth clamping shut in the later stages, so the poor animal cannot eat or drink. The survival rate is extremely low
