Allergy testing for horses is available at the UF Large Animal Hospital. Appointments are typically scheduled on Monday afternoons. Contact us for more information about pricing or to schedule an appointment.
Bringing Your Horse to UF for Allergy Testing
A visit to the UF Large Animal Hospital for an equine dermatology examination takes approximately half of a day. The intradermal test will take about ½ hour to administer, followed by an interpretation of the results. The dermatology veterinarians will then discuss whether or not a vaccine is needed for your animal.
Equine Allergy Vaccine
To prevent adverse reactions to the vaccine, the UF Large Animal Dermatology service will not administer the vaccine the same day, but will make/reconstitute the vaccine series for the owner to take home for administration (1 year supply initially). If it is late in the day we can ship the vaccine to the client. Annual follow-up visits are required in order to continue to receive the vaccine refills.
The allergy vaccine has a positive response in approximately 60%-80% of cases, but takes approximately 3-12 months before results may be noticed. The allergy vaccine is typically a life-long treatment, which will involve administering subcutaneous injections, based on a recommended schedule by the veterinary dermatologist. Other treatment options may be offered for short term relief for patients during this time and will be based on doctor’s recommendations for each individual patient.