Strangles at our yard ****advice urgently needed ******

[horseygirl123]

We had strangles diagnosed at our yard on wednesday which was brought in from 2 foals from the new forest.
The foals have been at the yard now for 4 weeks but only one developed absesses which is when we realised it was definately strangles (had runny noses for a while before that)
We had the vet out wednesday evening and asked his advice as to what we should do with the rest of the horses.
As the foals are stable in the outside block with 4 other horses, which are also showing signs, he said to keep that area quaranteened (sp) which we have done and to keep the infected horses in one field, and the 'healthy' ones in the other field at least 100m apart which we have done.
Told to check temps morn and pm and if its over 38.5 they have a fever and very likely to have strangles.

so........ brought them in last night, (temps am were all 37.5) and temps were up to 39.5 in my 2, 39 in a couple of the others and 37.5 in the rest, but we had no choice but to bring them all in, due to the fireworks.

So, now we have a stable block with some infected and some not.
From sunday once all the fireworks are finished with we are going to do what the vet suggested and turn away the healthy ones in one field and sick ones in the other (he said to do this for 3 months) but if some of them get really sick we can bring them in and nurse them.

My concerns are .........
If in the morning their temp is 37.5 then in that pm, 39, then next morning 37.5 again have they got a fever or not??

I have a 24 yr old pony and a mud fever sufferer and to turn them away for 3 months over winter worries me (I'll check them 2 or 3 times a day but still, its winter !!!)

If we turn away and disinfect the whole stable block, and one gets really poorly and has to come in, do we then have to wait another 8 weeks (the time we have been told the virus can live in wood etc for) from putting that one back out until we know we are 'virus free in the stables' again?

Is it normal practice to turn away for that long?

What has anybody else done in this situation, where some have got it and some havent when they live in the same stable block?

How long till we can resume riding again/ hacking etc?
Is the safest thing to do, to turn away, leave it 3 months, do swabs and if they come back clear, resume life as normal??

As you can tell, I am very worried/confused about the best course of action to take !!!!!!!!!

thanks in advance for anyone reading this and your replies !!!!

 

[kirby]

I do not know about strangles, but don't worry if you do have to turn them away for so long, iam sure they will love it!

Regards to your 24yo ith mud fever, isnt there an arrangment you could come up with your YM for an area where your horse could dry of their legs, or maybe some really good barrier cream for protection against it.

Hope all comes toghether for you and others on your yard

 

[wildponies]

Horses who have had strangles need to come back with 2 clean swabs before you can treat your yard as 'clear'. In a case such as yours where horses have been mixed I, personally, would advise all horses get swabbed.

Make sure everything is disinfected and don't share buckets / brushes etc. Gooes without saying.

Have foot baths into and out of all fields and stable blocks etc.

Avoid unneccessary movement of animals. Those that can live out - leave them out.

Yes strangles can live in wood but only in certain conditions (think its too cold at the mo for it to survive in wood although i may be wrong).

Horses can be carriers of strangles too so it tends to pop up on yards even where there hasn't been any movement of horses.

Stop all hacking to and from the yard. Warn all farriers, vets and dentists that your yard has strangles & they will normally do your yard as 'the last stop' of the day.

You can't really put a time limit on it. Because if any more cases of strangles are confirmed (by swab) then the whole process starts again. As soon as the last known case of strangles has been given the all clear (normally by 2 successive clear swabs) the yard can return to 'normal'.

Hope this was of some help!

 

[horseygirl123]

thanks for your replies

We are definately going to get ALL the horses swabbed, as advised also from vet.

A couple more questions tho ....

If it turns out all the horses come down with it and we 'carry on as usual' ie bringing them in of a night, do we then need to turn them out for any length of time one they are feeling better in order to disinfect the barn and wait for the virus to die?

How long is it that the horses (and area) are infectious?
If after swabbing, some horses are carriers and the rest arent, do those that are carriers need to be isolated until they have treatment?

And one last question !!
If we end up with a couple of horses uninfected how do we deal with it then?

Guess what i am trying to say is, does the barn need to be 'horse free' for the three months until the swabs are done?

thanks again for reading and replying

 

[jaydevon]

a bit of general info... stangles is highley contagious, both on items, and air borne, stangles can also live in soil for many years, if not decades,

there is a very high chance of the unifected horses becoming infected,

personally... i wouldnt risk putting the non infected ones any where near the infected ones, and the infected ones should be kept in, as EVERYTHING will need to be disinfected at some point.

if your very worried about your old chap talk to your vet, a course of antibiotics now will not only help the mudfever but may give him a boost aswell.

strangles its self isnt to bad, but ive known/heard of many of the nf ponies ending up with bastard strangles, although simular it is much worse than normal strangles, have a chat with your vet and do some googling on both, it can take a long while for a yard/horse to be free of it, most of all take no chances whats so ever.

 

[kturner]

Been through it twice. Oh yes, they can get it again. There are 32 different strains of strangles much like out colds having lots of different ones.

My pony got it twice, he was cleared the first time and after the second time as well and has not had it since, in case you think he didnt get rid of it the first time. He had it a year apart.

I know about 4 other ponies that this has happened to.

The vaccine has been removed from the market and only covered the 4 most comman ones.

 

[horseygirl123]

Thanks again for your replies.

So, when you say they can get it again, can they get the same strain again?
If all the horses that are infected are quarenteened together and they start recovering can it start all over again, or does a new strain need to be introduced?

I did speak to the vet about anti-biotics but he strongly advised against it so didnt bother
Think with the mud fever I will clip out her heels (its my mare with mud fever, the 'oldie' hasnt got it) and keep drying the area as much as i can and apply a barrier daily.

I'm still unsure on the 3 month turnout ????
Is that what happens other places, or do you keep your horses in?
And if so, do you then kick them out and sterise and keep barn horse free?

sorry to ask so many questions, i've been reading and reading up on it and dont really seem to be getting any answers !!

 

[gb050573]

So sorry to hear you are going through this - it's one of the nightmares we all fear and dread.

I don't know much more than others about it, but if it were me and my pony was declared clear I'd have him as far away from the infected lot as physically possible on the same yard. Regardless of whether it was for 3 months or longer.

I hope you can speak to the vet and that the yard can reach a consensus about how to deal with this unfortunate break-out.

 

[kturner]

They will have an immunity to the particular strain that they have had and wont get that one again, but can get a different one. That is why it happend to us, we changed yards and it was a different one there.

We quaranteened for 8 weeks, but they stayed in. It was mid winter. They had sides that went all the way to the ceiling so couldnt touch each other.

Second time it was summer and they all stayed out.

 

[igloo]

If its anything like colds they wont get the same strain again - due to the body building up an immunity to it.