strangles

[goldie]

i have i lovely 16.2 chestnut mare, i found a lump along her jaw and called the vet yesterday, she told me that goldie has strangles, if anyone knows more about strangles can they let me know how horses get it in the first place, and what should i be doing to take care of it.:(

[shandy84]

Strangles - infectious disease characterised by swollen throat. Occurs in all countries, especially in groups of horses, e.g. draught, Welsh Mountain Ponies. Young horses particulary susceptible and about 2% of cases die.

Cause - Streptococcus equi bacteria, specific to condition. Spread by eating or inhaling infected pasture droplets. Organism can live in empty stable for about 6 weeks.

Symptoms - (after 4-8 days incubation) fever, to 41 Degrees C (106 F) abscesses in lymph glands around the throat which burst after about 10 days; watery nasal discharge becoming thick us, inflamed eyes, lack of appetite, moist cough. Infection may spread to other organs e.g. abscesses in lungs, brain, liver, muscles etc.

Keep in mind this is the facts of a severe case :)

[Bertie]

A pony at a yard need my riding school had strangles and it was considered highly contagious (sp??) Our riding school took full precautions - carpet disinfectent mats to drive over, disinfectent baths for your feet when you enter the yard, stables, or stalls. No-one was allowed to bring any unknown horses onto the yard (we have a cross country course, they sometimes hire out), Hacks we monitored liveries were not allowed to meet up with others from the neighbouring farm (there both on a long bridle path).

All neighbouring yards treated with as much seriousness as Foot and mouth. I would reccommend isolation of your horse, ensure only you or a select few people touchj or see to your horse and monitor extremely closely.

I hope it gets better soon - keep us updated :)

[goldie]

talked to another vet today who mainly works with horses, and the advice he gave me was to keep a close eye on her and when the abscess comes to a head he will come and drain\ lance it for me, he is against antibiotic treatment at this stage of the disease,her best friend 'cadbury' a 9 year old mare is always with her and the vet told me that because cadbury has just finnished a course of antibiotics she will be ok to stay with goldie, as she would only get more stressed if i took cadbury away, can somebody tell me if this is right:( ?????????????????? thanks bertie for your reply:)

[galadriel]

Whoa, whoa! Applying antibiotics before it gets to the "drain" stage can dislodge the bacteria and send it careening around the horse's system. If it settles elsewhere, you can get into "bastard strangles" where the organs are affected by the infection. Bastard strangles is a LOT worse and much more frequently fatal.

[goldie]

Originally posted by galadriel
[B]Whoa, whoa! Applying antibiotics before it gets to the "drain" stage can dislodge the bacteria and send it careening around the horse's system. If it settles elsewhere, you can get into "bastard strangles" where the organs are affected by the infection. Bastard strangles is a LOT worse and much more frequently fatal. [/
B]
trying to work this computer and its all going wrong, please look up my other msg about strangles if you can find it,, but you are 100% right:) do you think its ok to leave cadbury,, my 9 yaer old mare with goldie? as they are always together..

[galadriel]

If Cadbury has already recovered from it (is that what you said?), then she *probably* should be all right. She herself will continue to be infectious for a while, even long after all of the symptoms are gone. So since she'll be continually re-exposing herself, I'd imagine that it won't hurt to have Goldie continue to expose her also.

I know that you said you've already disinfected everything you can think of, but remember that strangles is nastily pernicious. You will probably want to re-disinfect *everything* once they both seem better, and then again several times...I think it's at about 2 months later when they finally stop shedding contagion.

Also strangles can live in wood, in stall walls & fences etc, especially if the climate is moist & warm. So it can help to spray them down with disinfectant also.

[goldie]

no cadbury had a nasty ear infection which she has just finnished a course of antibiotics, the vet said that should cover her against strangles,, and plus she said horses 1-5 are more likely to catch strangles, so with the antibiotics and cadburys age she should be ok..... and i will clean everything again... thanks for all your help. by the way do you think i should let the local stables know ??? thanks again:)

[galadriel]

Ah, I see...that's different, but if your vet thinks that the antibiotic course she's been on will protect her, then...well, they ARE the professionals.

What is your relationship to the local stables? Are you boarded there, or do your horses share a common encline, or are they just nearby? If there's any chance that their horses might be exposed to yours, then it would probably be a good idea to make an effort to inform them.

[kelsmells]

Am i right in thinking that once your horse/pony has had strangles they can't catch it again.I was wondering as fluella has had strangles in the past and i was told she woud never be able to catch it again.Is this true?
Sorry for butting into your thread goldie:( ;)

[goldie]

i heard from the vet that the disease can be carried by air and there are 2 stables near by to mine.. and i also believe that horses can catch it a second time, i dont really know if thats right its just what i've heard.

[Denise Smith]

Hi - sorry to butt in, but my horse was diagnosed with strangles last May and was finally given the 'all-clear' in December. I had to treat the situation as though we had foot and mouth on our yard and totally isolate my horse and all his equipment. His treatment is a long (and expensive) story, however the only way to be absolutely sure that your horse is completely clear is to have three consecutive nasal swabs taken - a week apart. All three swabs must come back from the laboratory clear from strangles - at that point your horse can immediately go back out with others. Any other horses that have been in contact with your horse can be swabbed by a vet to ascertain whether they have caught strangles or are in the clear.
I hope this helps.

[Tootsie4U]

Dont mess with the stuff. Take every precaution you possibly can. The stuff spreads like crazy! Its synonomous with "horsey chicken pox"!

Almost every herd member of our barn (45 head) caught the virus after a carrier was brought on the land. She didnt show signs or symptoms so she spread it without us knowing what was going on.

Keep them seperate from each other and from the other herd. I understand the mares may get stressed from being apart but if cadbury comes down with it, do you trust her owner to not keep you liable for the treatment and vet costs? If it spreads even further, what do you think the other liverys will do? Im always liability cautious.

As I understand, the virus can still be present long after and before the ulcer shows. It can be transmitted by saliva (so watch out for buckets & water tanks) and any other bodily fluid (clean those pitch forks!!)

Hope your mare is feeling better soon.

[galadriel]

Originally posted by goldie
i heard from the vet that the disease can be carried by air

It's spread much like a human cold, by little moisture droplets. So a sneeze can spread the bacteria around, but it's mostly spread by actual contact; nose to nose, or drinking/eating out of the same buckets, or touching a wall/fence where the infected horse has touched.

How far away are the other stables?

[goldie]

thanks everyone for your advice, cadbury is my mare along with goldie, and another mare that i keep at the local stables, i am lucky enough to have my own stables built at my house so i can keep a good eye on my horses, and know exactly how clean they are and when they are cleaned, i will take every care to make sure i do everything right, as i cant stand to see goldie so down in the dumps:(

[goldie]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by galadriel
[B]It's spread much like a human cold, by little moisture droplets. So a sneeze can spread the bacteria around, but it's mostly spread by actual contact; nose to nose, or drinking/eating out of the same buckets, or touching a wall/fence where the infected horse has touched.


the stables are in the area, not right beside my house but i think they hack by my house every other day.. do you think i should tell them ???????

[galadriel]

If they go by, then yes, you should tell them. Let them know that any horse going by should NOT touch noses with your horses, or spend time nosing at the fences. Hopefully they will appreciate the notice.