need some info re strangles

asbo

asbo

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nearby yard has strangles, only just found out today but i think they have had it over a week or 2.

the old boy on my yard has lost interest in his feed the last few days and become pretty down, he is 30 now and has lost a heap of condition this winter, looks like a rescue case to be honest :-(.

is it possible he could be showing signs now, even though none of the horses have been out the feild? horses hacked past us today heading in the direction of the other yard, is it possible passing horses could pass it to ours?

sorry for the daft questions, not had a horse with strangles before.
 
It's possible but I wouldn't be convinced yet. Check his temperature twice a day and if thats high it is more likely to be strangles and with an old boy like him you should start him on penicillin straight away. It can take up to 10 days from exposure to strangles to a horse getting sick. Being older his immune system will not be as strong so he will be more susceptible to strangles but the more common signs are snotty nose and swollen glands. If they are riding out from the infected yard that it is very irresponsible and it should be completely closed down with no horses leaving the yard, not sure what you can do about it though.
Also sounds like your boy has been loosing condition for a while and needs some help with diet and possibly a visit from the vet. I hope he picks up soon.
 
vet was out for jags 2 weeks ago and owner had them look at him, they said the amount of feed hes getting along with haylage he should be holding weight but hes not.

he has all his teeth still and they have just been done, i think he should be getting smaller feeds over the day rather than 1 huge feed that he cant eat but thats not going to happen.

thank you x
 
From what you say, I would doubt he has strangles. Symptoms begin with depression, unable to put head down to eat/drink, snots, possible cough, abcessess appearing beneath the jaw (amongst other places) which need to burst before he will get better. If you think he has strangles, DO NOT give antibiotics until any abcessess have burst - speak to your vet about this and treatment involved.

Its difficult at this time of year for the oldies to get the best neutrition from their fodder, does he have a vit/min suppliment in his diet? This would have been my first action as he began to lose weight. If his diet is good, I would then have full blood profiles done which will indicate to the vets any areas which should be examined in more depth.

Hope the old boy improves x
 
thanks for the replies.

hes mega depressed, very down and really doesnt seem happy to do anything, its heartbreaking to watch him.

all the horses were coughing last week, my sec a has COPD and had a runny nose yesterday and today, but seems fine apart from that.

have spoken to the owner and asked her to check him tomorrow and if hes still not right to call the vet out.
 
Working out how much a horse needs to eat on paper is one thing - looking at the horse is much better! I comletely agree with you that he needs more than one feed a day - he probably needs 6. Of course there may be a sinister reason for his weight loss and that may not be treatable but it sounds like it isn't going to be investigated so you have try and feed him up. Ideally he at least needs a blood test to give you a clue - maybe you could persuade the owner to do this. If his teeth are worn out and he can't chew his food properly then soaked high fibre cubes are brilliant and some oldies have to live just off these. Linseed meal/oil is very good for weight gain. If I had to stab in the dark I would treat for liver problems and give him Ron Fields Remount as it may make a big difference if it is the liver.
All of those things tackle long term problem though not immediate difficulties of getting him to eat which really should be investigated - how annoying that the vet didn't take more innitiative. Echinacea is very good to support the immune system and may help if it is a virus. My biggest concern would be him not taking in enough water so make sure everything he does eat is nice and wet. Is the problem really that you can't get through to the owner how bad he is? I feel your frustration!
 
if i am 100% honest i dont think he should have been here this winter, he doesnt do stables so has lived out in what has been a horridly bad winter here, my sec a lost weight and thats unheard off from her!

hes on srn hifi, 16+, alpha beet, mollasses, 1/2 bute and oil once a day, its a heck of a lot for one meal.
 
Hi i doubt it will be strangles, with the long term weight loss. the other symptoms, snot cough etc will happen pretty quick. Also horses riding passed wont pass it on, has to be contact. (you will see many vets go from infected yard to uninfected yard, with same car just wash hands and remove waterproofs) Id just make sure no one at the yard has physical contact with people from the other yard. Also make them aware that they should not be riding out/turning out/competing with the disease on their yard!
 
To be quite honest it is more likely he is fed up with life and wants to "go on", rather than he's going down with strangles. But if he did get strangles, would it be kinder to treat him or have him put to sleep?
 
asbo said:
hes on srn hifi, 16+, alpha beet, mollasses, 1/2 bute and oil once a day, its a heck of a lot for one meal.
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Is he only fed once a day? If so you should split it into two, maybe three feeds.
If you are already doing that, you need to revise his diet and up the calorie intake.
Are you up to date with his teeth? If something is amiss in his mouth, he is going to be feeling rubbish and again not want to eat.
Allen and Page Fast Fibre is great for oldies, its soft, and as you have to soak it, you can get some water content into them.
However given his good age, perhaps he is just telling you its time to let him go.
 
I'm guessing you're near Jedburgh, as I was at an endurance ride a few miles from there yesterday and we'd been warned that a yard 12 miles away had strangles. The vets at the ride were at pains to point out that there had to be physical contact to spread the virus, and they were careful not to do any checks other than heart rate; we were warned not to let horses share buckets etc.

It sounds as though the old boy has simply had enough. 30 is a very good age!
 
Try not to panic about the strangles outbreak. It is rarely as life threatening as people make out. We had it on our yard twice and none of the horses were on deaths door, some were hardly affected at all. It is really unlikely to be spread by passing a yard. It is an airborne virus but the virus will only be shed within a certain area of the infected horse and I wouldn't have thought would be transmitted on the wind.

There is a preventative vacinne on the market but a lot of the horses on our yard were vacinnated with it and a lot of them were quite poorly and one horse suffered an enlarged heart as a result of the vacinne. The vet has made the decision not to vacinnate with the strangles vacinnation anymore as a result of the reactions to it from our horses.
 
just wanted to say thanks to everyone xx

horse in question seems ok now so fingers crossed. hes not my horse so nothing i can do about his feeds, his teeth have been done, think hes had enough but its not my call
 
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