Strangles? Cough? Help!

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mini_me

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Hi
We had strangles at our yard in may. My horse never got the abcess under her chin but she got a snotty nose and a nasty cough. That was back in may. Now she hasnt had snot since the second week of june but hasnt shifted the cough. It has improved no end she was coughing 8-10 times in a row several times a day back in may. Now she is only doing perhaphs one or two a day (that i am hearing) and it seems to be only in the morning (she is stabled at night).

I HAVE to move yards (due to relocation soon) have been waiting because of the cough, but now really have to move her before middle of september as i am moving 100 miles away and cannot leave her.

Do you think it was strangles? and do you think she still has it? The vets said they dont treat it with AB's because they kill the good bacteria too.

I dont know what to do cause the last thing i want to do is take it to a new yard and potientailly spread it but i dont know what else to do.

Is there any supllements/herbs i can give her to help? I got recommneded global herbs airways plus or Elecampane?

You think this would be any good?

Any comments etc please because im so upset i just dont know what to do :-(

Please help.....
 
Has your vet not said to get her swabbed to see if she still has strangles? Please don't move yards till you know for sure if she has it or not, we had it on our yard 18months ago & it took about 6months to be clear of it!
 
Controversial, but what we did when we got strangles on the yard worked brilliantly, and everything was cleared up much more quickly than other yards around us!

It was brought in with the gypsy horses for Stow Fair :(

We tried for two months to isolate those who had it, but that just kept failing so eventually we turned everything out together, they all got it, all were treated, and all recovered quickly with no problems...

Not for everyone, but just thought I'd pipe up! :) Good luck, hope it's just a cough, as someone said, get her swabbed so you know for sure.
 
It may be she just needs a but of help shifting the rubbish off her lungs the strangles has left behind, she may juswt need a course of ventipulmin.Speak to your vet he may come and listen to her breathing!:)
 
Thanks you for the replies, i was unaware i could have him swabbed or blood tested.
Is it common for it to "hang around" this long?

I have given him echinecea to boost his immune system but this doesnt seem to have helped :-(

Any other ideas i will call the vet on monday.

Thanks
 
Hi, yes i used to work at a dealing yard where we got horses from ireland and unfortunatly strangles was regualry brought over with them. Some horses would recover quickly and show hardly any symtoms. Some horses would take weeks or months to recover, get slightly better adn then seem to get ill again. I wouldnt be to worried as i put in the previous post i expect a course of ventipulmin will probaly help clear up that cough. But yes definatly get your vet to give her one last check up.
 
My horse had strangles last year, to be given the all clear all the horses that had had it or it was suspected they had had it had to have swab tests. they have to have three negative ones taken a week apart each time before they can be declared clear.

i am not 100% sure on this so someone please correct me if i am wrong but i dont think a blood test can determine whether the strangles has gone or not, all it will show is whether there are antibodies in the blood. in this particular horse there will be because he has been subjected to strangles, they will remain in the blood and hopefully he will be immune to strangles. like i said not sure if this is completely correct but this is what i understand from my vet.
 
you know my mare had the same thing, she has a foal that had the cough too and the other foals got it but not the other horses. well vet said let it run its course and if snots are green then inject with ultrapen, he never mentioned strangles just said a bad cold with weather. she had it for bout 6 weeks on and off. injected twice which normal only takes once with a cold, but cleared snots, but not cough she only had a cough every so often like yours. then i noticed she was starting to lose abit of weight so got her prep 14 to gain weight and help as foal would be drinking it of her, we give her a course of noradine granules for 5 days and touch wood seems to have cleared it up, injection worked on foals but not mare which usually does, thats what it made me think strangles but vet never thought anything of it. she seems ok now touch wood.
 
As I'm sure you know, you cannot move a horse with this. '*******' strangles can kill, and strangles is a miserable disease in all its forms - you don't want to spread it. It could be the end of an old or sickly horse at whatever yard you go too:(

As others have said, get blood tests / swabs done.

Have a look here for disease prevention information too, there are simple measures that everyone can take to try and stop the spread of strangles, and more serious diseases too.
 
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