Strangles Case

[Aarrghimpossiblepony]

Looking for some advice as to what to do next.

Just seen a pony dying of strangles in a field very close to where I keep mine. The field she was in has about 6/7 other ponies in it.

We were walking mine on the forest and passed the field and saw she was down and couldn't get up. Took mine back to the field and went back to see if we could do anything. Found somebody who knew the owner, he managed to get her up and the owners came.

They said they were going to shoot her and were getting a trailer to take her back to their farm. And that's where we left them.

Anyway, had the sense not to go anywhere near mine after getting close to the pony and have come home and put all my clothes through the washing machine.

So advice I'm looking for is what do I do next.

Is there anybody I should report this to?
Should the local vets be informed?
There's a riding stable just as near to this field as we are, I've made sure they will be informed.
Has anybody had any experience with the vaccine, I saw on one vets site it was not recommended as there can be complications.
And what about the other ponies in the field, will they be contagious and should I ensure somebody official monitors them.

Thank you

 

[Birker2020]

First question how do you know it was strangles? Secondly, you can't shoot a horse unless you a licensed to shoot horses, i.e a vet or a knacker man. If the vet thought the horse had strangles when he put it to sleep he would have to put an enforcement notice up at the yard so horses are unable to travel to or from the yard for a period of two clear swabs (usually a month). Thirdly although there is a 1% mortality rate assoiciated with strangles, it is not a case that thousands of horses are going to die of the 'plague' and is not normally fatal unless the horse gets a complication arising from the virus.

If your horse has strangles, he will become depressed and lose
his appetite and he will find it difficult to swallow due to the inflamed lymph nodes. Some of his lymph nodes can discharge pus in the throat or under the jaw and he could get a sudden high temperature (often as high as 104°F). He could also cough.

In a lot of cases horses don't develop symptoms until after 2-6 days from infection, although in some animals this may increase to 14days. How do you know that the horse you saw 'dying' had strangles, and it didn't have colic or something else?

Putting your clothes through the wash isn't going to do anything, unless of course you had direct contact wtih the animal, which you say you didn't. Its an airborne virus as well as a contactable virus i.e can be passed through touch.

To take precautions against strangles don't allow new horses onto the yard unless they can be kept in isolation, and monitor all new horses closely for 2 weeks. Consider taking throat swabs on 3 separate occasions if strangles is very close to your premises.

Place all infected horses and any horses that have been in contact with them in strict isolation and maintain strict hygiene. Cleaning and disinfection are especially important.

Are you assuming it is strangles because, as with EHV, everyone is on mass panic alert at the moment?

The previous yard I was on had strangles twice. The vets said that if I noticed my horse developing a temperature I could call them out and they woudl let me have antibiotics to manage it, and that's what happened and twice daily I would take his temperature, and each time it rose (on both occassions) the vet gave me antibiotics. Nothing died, nothing was remotely very ill. Maybe we were lucky.

 

[mynutmeg]

First question how do you know it was strangles? Secondly, you can't shoot a horse unless you a licensed to shoot horses, i.e a vet or a knacker man. If the vet thought the horse had strangles when he put it to sleep he would have to put an enforcement notice up at the yard so horses are unable to travel to or from the yard for a period of two clear swabs (usually a month).

Not saying there shouldn't be but strangles is not a notifiable disease - it is recommended that the yard be closed but there is no requirement at all to do that.

 

[Birker2020]

Not saying there shouldn't be but strangles is not a notifiable disease - it is recommended that the yard be closed but there is no requirement at all to do that.

No you are right there is no requirement, but common sense dictates.

When my previous horse was 'diagnosed' with EHV there was no 'ban' that could be enforced by the vet, but commmon sense prevailed and nothing was brought on or off the yard for weeks. But none of the show centres were closed by us, none of them were informed, I think the YO wanted it kept very quiet that there was a possible EHV outbreak on her property.

Sadly the horse in question was incorrectly diagnosed, and actually had a neuro condition instead which resulted in considerable suffering before a diagnosis could be made and he was PTS.

But my question remains......unless the OP is physic or hasn't told us the whole story how on earth did she know the pony she saw 'dying' had strangles????????

 

[HaffiesRock]

How did you know it was strangles OP?

This is nothing against you, but I hate nothing more than "strangles alerts" There was one near me earlier this year. Someone had put on facebook that a yard had strangles. I asked how they knew and they said x had said, so I asked x who said y had said and so on... Causing mass panic over what so and so said but no proof! Turned out to not be the case at all and the poor YO who is a judge at our local show has to keep explaining herself.

 

[Aarrghimpossiblepony]

Wow, talk about hostility to a request for information.

The owners told me it was strangles, didn't seem too bothered and because of who they were, I got the impression they were p*ssed off that they had been contacted rather than finding her dead in the morning. Or that anybody had seen her.

In fact the first person I spoke to when I was trying to find out who owned the pony turned out to be a relative and his first question was "Is it dead".

No vets involved.

Why is it assumed I had no contact?
The pony was so distressed, you think I would have just left her?
Waited with her to make sure somebody did come.

Maybe I should have explained that the owners have a reputation but because of who they are and their extensive family in the area (they go back hundreds of years) they tend to be left alone.

I don't have any "power", do you know what that means when you are somewhere where people can make trouble for you?

Forget it, I'll contact who I think may be able to check up on whether the other ponies in the field are going to be left loose to infect others if they have contracted it.

 

[foxy1]

If the vet thought the horse had strangles when he put it to sleep he would have to put an enforcement notice up at the yard so horses are unable to travel to or from the yard for a period of two clear swabs (usually a month).

Absolute nonsense.

 

[HardySoul1]

Sorry OP but I also find your description of a pony dying of strangles bizarre. I don't doubt that's what the owners told you, but I do doubt that's the whole story. If the pony has strangles it and it's field mates will already have been infectious for a week minimum.
If these people are as unpleasant and disreputable as you describe, my advice is keep away and myob.The other ponies could be carriers without developing symptoms themselves, so checking them won't prevent spread of the disease if other horses are in contact. But of course if you have welfare concerns then contact one of the horse welfare charities who have field officers.

 

[Aarrghimpossiblepony]

Sorry OP but I also find your description of a pony dying of strangles bizarre. I don't doubt that's what the owners told you, but I do doubt that's the whole story. If the pony has strangles it and it's field mates will already have been infectious for a week minimum.
If these people are as unpleasant and disreputable as you describe, my advice is keep away and myob.The other ponies could be carriers without developing symptoms themselves, so checking them won't prevent spread of the disease if other horses are in contact. But of course if you have welfare concerns then contact one of the horse welfare charities who have field officers.

Which is what I asked about in the OP. Nothing about having anymore contact with the owners, just was there anything I ought to do as an individual by contacting the relevant people or if there was anyone who it should be reported to.

Anyway, I have been in touch with the local vets to let them know and funnily enough they were rather grateful as it's something they can watch out for.
This field is on the NF, ponies pass the field everyday and then pass all the other fields of ponies/horses.

Also contacted the Agisters, again they were grateful to be made aware of a possible outbreak.

I'm trying to work out what people find so bizarre. The pony was down, trying to get up. She got up with help. She could hardly walk, was staggering and shivering, pus mixed with blood was pouring out of her nostrils, you could see the swellings on her face and the dried pus underneath from the glands, the noise she was making was horrendous, and she was white eyed terrified/distressed. And that's probably why when we first went past the field and called she started calling back and trying to get up.


Yeah, that was bizarre, not sure that what I posted was though.