Protect
Your Horse from Strangles
Strangles
is an upper respiratory tract infection caused by the bacteria
Streptococcus
equi ( Strep. Equi). It can affect horses
of any age although young horses (age 5 and
under) tend to be more susceptible.
This
contagious disease has many forms, the most common of which is the form responsible for abscess
formation in the lymph nodes in the head. These nodes are located between
the mandibles of the jaw and in the throatlatch area. The swelling can
be severe and result in respiratory distress, hence the name "strangles." Affected
horses also run a fever > 102, are anorexic,
may exhibit dysphagia (difficulty swallowing),
have a cough and a thick nasal discharge.
Another form of the disease is called "bastard strangles" in which
internal lymph nodes are involved. This
can lead to pneumonia, weight loss, or colic.
This can be difficult to
treat but is not a common problem.
Purpura hemorrhagica is another serious
complication. The horse's immune
response to the disease results in small hemorrhages
in the mucosa, and mild to severe
swelling of the head, limbs and abdomen.
Strangles is very contagious
and may affect up to 100% of the horses
in
a barn if strict quarantine procedures
are not in place. Infection is by ingestion
or droplet inhalation. So the horse with a cough or drainage from the
nose or lymph nodes is most contagious and can infect neighboring horses, or
persons working with them who may then carry the organism to another animal
if they are careless in their hygiene. Affected barns are quarantined to prevent
the spread of the disease. The length
of quarantine is dependent on the course of
the
disease in the barn.
Fortunately there are many things you can do
to protect your horse:
-
Ideally,
new horses coming into a barn should be isolated from the
rest of the population for two weeks. If they are carrying
the disease, it should be obvious by that time. This
may not always be possible, but there may be ways to minimize
any contact to the new horse.
-
When
traveling in a trailer and going into a new stall, take
a few minutes to mop down all surfaces with a disinfectant
solution. The bacteria is easily killed by this method.
-
When
there is a known sick horse, handle that horse last, or
designate a single person to care for that animal and go
through a
disinfecting process after handling.
For me, I visit these horses last during my
day, I take a complete change of clothes, bag
the "dirty" stuff which then goes directly into
the washer with chlorhexidine solution and dried on hot. Boots are
covered in plastic and then still disinfected 2-3 times, long plastic sleeves
and double gloves are worn. No equipment enters the barn unless necessary
and that too is completely disinfected. Lots of Lysol, Clorox wipes,
etc.!
Being diligent means going the
extra mile to prevent any spread
of disease. Conversations
with our local state veterinarian lead me to believe this is an extremely
effective method of control - and no it won't travel by car tires, etc.!
-
Vaccinations
are also available. There is an intramuscular form
as well as an intranasal form. I see advantages and
disadvantages to each and so when counseling clients I
try to advise them fully of their options.
For more information on these
vaccines, go to Intervetusa.com or
to Fortdodge.com. These
links will take you directly to the area on each Web site that deals with
strangles and strangles vaccines.
I
hope this helps to answer some of your questions, or maybe
now you
have new ones.... Remember that preventive medicine
works best when taking into account all the different factors
affecting
your horse: age, use, nutritional status and feeding program,
exposure risk, management and veterinary care.
Lets
work together to keep our horses healthy!
Jeanne Best, DVM
Royalton Equine Veterinary Services, P. C.
