Any ideas other than strangles?

[Equus Leather]

Posted for a friend.

Mare, usually never ill, lives out most of the time, in light work.

Fri - suspected colic as no poo passed for 7 hours, rang vet, who said give 2 bute and wait till morning (not happy but whole other story). Mare passes poo in middle of night.

Sat/Sun - very bright and cheerful, back to normal self

Mon - given day off, in field, fine.

Tues - ridden in school. Very lethargic, coughing when ridden. Green mucus from nose. Vet called. temp of 105, swollen glands, not eating or pooing. Given antiinflamm, abs, painkiller.

Wed - ~Vet back, temp 104, not eating drinking. Bloods/nose swab taken. Vet coming back this pm.

Vet says not classic strangles (but not ruling out till results back obv).

New horses brought onto yard last week....dodgy background, one arrived with a cough and snotty nose....stabled next door to this mare and in adjacent field.....

 

[scotsmare]

Would be quite quick for her to get it - incubation period is normally a bit longer - could just be a virus of some sort.

Why were new horses not put into isolation???? Particularly when one arrived ill!!

 

[kellyeaton]

if not strangles maybe some kind of viral infection!

 

[lauraandjack]

Incubation period of strangles is 5-7 days usually, but not every horse will have read the textbook!

You can also get what is known as false strangles, caused by a related bacteria, which has very similar but not quite so severe clinical signs, and does not have the classic strangles abscesses.

This sounds like it is either the early stages of strangles or false strangles.

 

[Equus Leather]

It's a DIY yard with no real YM, so people just seem to do what they like. Apparently new people were told not to bring horse until cleared by vet. Owner goes on holiday and new people arrive with horse apparently cleared by vet....hmmm....

Their idea of isolation was to keep him in his stable for 48 hours, but after 12 they turned him out...what can you do? This horses cough and snot has cleared up....whereas my friends horse seems to have gone downhill quite rapidly. New horses arrived 12 days ago.

 

[lauraandjack]

Definitely the right sort of time frame for strangles/ false strangles, and the symptoms fit.

Is your friends mare vacc for flu? Flu doesn't tend to give them a really manky nasal discharge (more whitish or clear) or very swollen glands (they will be a bit enlarged but not spectacular).

I have to say it sounds horribly like strangles to me! They don't want to eat or drink with it because there are swollen glands inside the head too (if this makes sense) so swallowing is difficult and painful.

Horses can be carriers of strangles once they recover so can give it to others without showing clinical signs themselves.

Has your friend got her mare isolated? I think this would be a good plan if she hasn't done it already. Remember clothes and mucking out tools can spread it if shared between horses so use overalls when going in with her.

 

[charlie55]

A girl did this up our yard, got a horse from a sh!tty dealer, bought it up to our yard of 53 horses with horse flu!!!

The YO moved her to her farm and isolated the horse from any other horse..

If the said horse has caught this from the new one, id give the owner the vet bill!!

 

[baily]

sounds like the type of strangles my horse went down with instead of abbsess he had it on his lungs and pouches treat as strangles until you know otherwise

 

[Equus Leather]

Thanks for all your replies.

Vet has definitely ruled out strangles.

They sedated her to try and get a tube down and look at her throat, but even sedated she wouldn't let them. Temp is 104, not eating or drinking. Vet has said it is a respiratory infection of some sort and definitely caught from horse to horse contact.

Vet is giving the mare till 8pm to drink and have temp down, otherwise they will have to put her on fluids.

They don't really have facilities to isolate her (it's a very bog standard diy yard) so she's keeping her in, noboday allowed in except her, all the usual with tools etc etc.

Seems the new people brought this onto the yard, my friend is livid, as expected, but hasn't said anything yet.

Just goes to show how isolation periods should be used when moving horses onto new yards!