Help - Strangles - inconclusive tests

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Help my horse apparnatly has strangles BUT..
has had 2 nasal swobs - both negative
2 lots of bloods - both inconclusive - i dont understand the blood test though.
But the pus from the abcess - horse only has one - is positive??

The last nasal swob and pus sample were taken on the same day at the same time - so how come the vets that were insisting that the nasal swobs was the only certain method and now the tests are inconclusive I now have to wait for 3 weeks and I now need a guttarl wash - but apparanlty the reason the swob is negative is because the strangles is in an unusual place and the swob was too far back ????

Horse has been fine throughout, eating well - only one abcess that has finished draining and has started to heal, slight temp over 10 days ago - been isolated for 10 days now.

I am just so confused as to the results
 
If the pus has strangles bacteria present then he has strangles, it's very common to have false negative tests but a postive is conclusive.
Now you need a gutteral pouch wash to check if your horse is a carrier, good luck :)
 
aparantly it is very common for a swab to come back with a false negative reading. Your horse will need antibiotics to kill any bacteria in the gutteral pouch. Definitely not something that will result in pts. We had strangles early last year at my yard. The horse that was worst affected produced a negative result on her swab yet it was blatantly obvious she had strangles given as others had it and she had abscesses the full on snotty nose and high temp.
 
I am just a bit annoyed though. I had a conversation with vet last Tuesday, just as the abcess had been lanced.... he insisted that we did a nasal swob - i asked what was the point and he replied you need 3 negatives before we can say she is clear.... I said well its obvious she will be a positive then isnt it ? he said it may be strep zoo - though ???? - so i just feel like i have had a swob shoved up the poor girls nose - and she is only a baby and getting head shy by the day - for nothing - i have paid for a test that is uselss. So i ask myself how many horses have had 3 negatives test but are definalty carrying strangles ?
 
blood tests r a pile of sh**e go by the diagnosis on the actual pus! best thing to do is your quarentine (think mine were 6 weeks) them guttural pouch was - they sedate for it, do a swab at the same time. this will check whether she still has it and also flush the pouches with antibiotics which will prevent her being a carrier. sounds like your vets at it perhaps? id just leave the wee soul till after 6 weeks (or whatever vet suggests) hope shes ok
 
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