People who have experienced strangles???

JustKickOn

JustKickOn

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 November 2006
Messages
16,994
Visit site
Just a quick question to those of you who have experience strangles with your horse..

What were the first signs your horse showed of getting it?

Thanks
L :(
 
Very first signs were basically a pony looking depressed and quiet, although it fairly quickly (few days) escalated into a runny nose and raspy breathing. The signs after that were the very obvious ones! We had 12 ponies at uni, of which 10 got it, of which 2 got ******* strangles. All survived thankfully!
 
Two horses arrived on the same day.

One horse had a bit of a runny nose the day she arrived from the States, the next morning I found a lump under her throat and then it burst - all over everything, lovely! (So much for import quarantine eh?)

The horse she infected (despite quarantine rules like DO NOT touch this horse please) became very listless over the next week or so, lost his appetite and was not himself at all, he ran a temperature consistently over 100, got a snotty nose and a small abcess which was lanced. Poor boy was very unwell, whereas the mare never seemed poorly at all, either during or after the illness.
 
Thanks Enfys & Goldenstar.
Yesterday AM there was a big green glob of something on the yard (horse has stable and yard over night). Last night they were out in the field. She has a snotty nose (thick creamy mucus, colour is varying from a yellow to off white) and is coughing, more so than yesterday. Checked for lumps and heat by the lymph nodes and all along neck and face etc and couldn't feel anything. Heart rate realatively normal for her and breathing ok at rest. Raspy when she's been moving. Seems herself but a little quieter. Owner is checking her temperature asap and getting back to me. The more I read, the more worried I am becoming for her :(
 
They were all different, horse 1, who probably brought it in, off food, high temp, runny nose, vet treated as if flu, he had no swollen glands, horse 2 a few weeks later, swollen glands under jaw, no temp, eating well, treated as an abscess , horse 3 full blown symptoms, high temp, off food, coughing, swollen glands, runny nose, treated as strangles but vet at the time was surprised that the others had it as they were not really classic.
Others in yard were kept clear once it was diagnosed.
I think it does affect horses in different ways the younger and more vulnerable ones usually being more poorly with the full symptoms, an older horse can sometimes not get any as they are often immune.
 
OP the symptoms you describe where the second thing that happened the vet had already been by then and temperature was raised before the snot et all .
does not sound good hope it all ok let us know what happens.
 
In my case it was the slight swelling on one side under the cheek. We'd literally moved yards that morning so he was feeling quite perky at the change of scenery and wasn't noticeably dull in himself until a couple of days later by which time it was quite obvious he had strangles. Luckily we were on the isolation yard already. But typically it had to happen show just as soon as I arrived at a new yard :rolleyes: It was a long time ago but what I remember most was using babies disposable nappies to wrap underneath his head, held in place by his headcollar. It protected the abcesses until they burst and then caught all the gunk. Yuk - horrible even remembering it. I also remember the YM walking out the day after my horse was diagnosed - saying she wasn't going to be looking after a yard full of strangles affected horses. She did a moonlight flit leaving the YO in a right lurch. As it turned out, no other horse on the yard contracted it and I ended up becoming good friends with the YO as it was me who stepped in to help in the YM's absence. Funny how things work out :)
 
My mare came down with very thick yellow snotty nose, depressed, off feed, very poorly looking. Vet tested for strangles and results said was a virus a few days later one of her field mates came down with similar symptoms & was also tested, we all thought his was the same virus but his results came back positive for strangles.
 
first horse just went off her food, started stretching her neck out and appeared to have a sore throat. vet came and abscess burst in front of vet and results came back as strangles. Other horses varied from raised temps beforehand to just being dull and lethargic but normal temps followed by snotty noses.
 
My girl had strangles a few months ago- i noticed a hard swelling under her jaw first. She had no other symptoms at all throughout- no temperature, perfectly well and bright in herself, eating/drinking normally, very interested in surroundings(as usual! :rolleyes: ) no nasal discharge... The only way we knew as we kept her in to be 100% safe, waited for the abscess to burst and then sent swabs off for testing, and they came back positive. The vet said it was quite unusual but not unheard of so if you find an abscess in a typically-strangles area or have any strangles-like symptoms i'd err on the side of caution. My girl is only 5 too so you'd expect more severe symptoms but she had none at all. Hope all works out ok for you :)
 
First sign is raised temperature. If its on your yard take temperatures daily, according to our vet.

First yard it happened to me 4 out of 10 horses got the snotty nose, off colour and absesses. Only one given antibiotics which did not seem to make any difference at first. Rest of horses had no noticable symptoms although my two did cough a bit for a couple of days but nothing else developed.

Fast forward a few weeks and we thought we were clear. The horse which had been given antibiotics got complications purple something or other. Its entire body swelled and in a couple of days its skin started to split with the pressure. It had to be put to sleep.

Second yard there was a few horses in work and a lot of mares and foals out in the fields. Only one of those in work developed symptoms and again mine did not. Quite a few of the ones in the fields got symptoms but non had any treatment. One foal died but the other recovered well.

I them had mine vacinated which was lucky as the second yard got it again 12 months later. Again mine were fine and no deaths this time.

Horrible disease and it makes me so angry when people break quaranteen and move horses or compete when its on the yard.

The first yard one stupid woman had a horse which was actually sick and still took it to the local riding club. It was almost leaning on the wagon to keep itself up and the rider refused to get on it, this triggered a huge row with the stupid owner apparently.
 
Last edited:
Thank you all for your replies, very helpful.

Hay has been soaked tonight to try to help the coughing, temperature just a little over average. She isn't off food and having the next few days off. Fingers crossed for her!
 
My girlie was very quiet and subdued and had a sky high temp. She wasn't the first to get it as she had been grazing with some who went down with it. Nappies with hot water as a compress bandaged to her head really soothed her and seeing her visibly enjoying it was such a blessing as she really look poorly. Lots of love and tlc if it arrives
 
I remember seeing it in the 1970s in a yard where I kept my pony & it was a dealers yard. My pony was one of only two not to get it & the vet seemed to think he must have had it previously. It was a very scary time for a 13 year old!
It presented itself with lethargy, horses having no energy & then a snotty nose clear to start with & then thick yellow/brown/green. I seem to remember only one pony had abscesses, but I was at school at the time & maybe didn't see everything. One developed pneumonia, I don't think there were any other complications & none died.
However I remember the whole episode as if it happened yesterday.
 
Have you considered that it possibly a sinus infection. My horse recently had sinusitis this was mucos green/creamish colour from one nostril it has a completely revolting smell and if it touches your skin or clothes the smell sticks around for ages.
 
Looked ill - didn't want to eat or drink, hanging his head and seemed very depressed. A few days later he got a snotty nose...unfortunately he was the first to come down with it and it spread to five other horses, all in different barns and not turned out near each other (he wasn't turned out as soon as he was unwell and was in isolation) but we believe as we'd had a recent show and he was the nearest to the arena that he got it from a competing pony. Luckily all five fared well, though two were very unwell (luckily not mine). The annoying part is when one shows a recovery but can't be allowed out until the others are better and some animals don't respond well to certain antibiotics so whilst mine was on injected antibiotics, two of the very ill ponies were with another vet who preferred powdered antibiotics and they took a good few weeks longer to get better. Altogether I think they were in isolation for about three months (felt like an age!).
 
o no that is terrible! glad to hear they are all better now though. we had suspected strangles in our yard a few months ago thankfully it wasnt although we went into lock down right away with only one person going near the mare just to make sure there was no spread!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top