Strangles help

[MiaCat]

Hi,
current user under spare login, given the nature of this I'm sure you can see why!

so the dreaded strangles, my mare has it just confirmed by vet. The abscess has burst and we are treating with penicillin and bute as she is struggling to lower her head.

am gutted as comp plan is out the window and recovery is long

Plan is to guttural pouch wash in 10 days to make sure there is no internal pus. Has had next to no nasal discharge just bad swellings, that we treated with steroids and has stayed down. But still struggling to reach the floor with her head hence bute.

Am truly gutted and worried about her dropping off and recovery.

Anyone got tips or helpers for this?
Posted in vets also

 

[Dreamer515]

i havent got any advise im afraid but can i ask where abouts you are from? England? south/north etc? im sorry that your mare has come down with strangles and hope she has a good recovery! it could always be worse.

 

[teresagarsden]

Fingers crossed for you I lost my lovely hunter to strangles 8 years ago she battled for 6 weeks and didnt appear that ill and never had the external abcesses but it is a horrid virus and she was put to sleep on her 6th birthday. My old pony also got the virus as full blown _******* strangles and had to have a cocktail of drugs injected am and pm, poor pony was like a pin cushion, she had abcesses all over her body, her eyes and her ears even had puss coming from them, but she was a fighter and made a full recovery and managed to keep going untill she was 29yrs old :O)
I must say I really dont think that she would have pulled through without the excellent care and attention of our vets, they even had help and backup from collegues in america.
I really wish you lots of luck, also get some strong disinfectant powder / the stuff for foot and mouth is good I got a couple of sachets from a local farmer.
Hope all works out for you and the horse is happy and healthly soon.

 

[JFTDWS]

The fact there's no pus and she isn't ill has got to be a good sign. Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery.

but it is a horrid virus and she was put to sleep on her 6th birthday. My old pony also got the virus as full blown _******* strangles

Bacterium, but I'm sorry for your losses.

 

[angelish]

just good nursing and bio security to stop it spreading to others , keep spare clothing at yard etc get some verkon s and dip feet coming out of her stable yard etc and don't go anywhere near anyone elses horse

other than that all you can do is keep her as comfortable as is possible , bathing her throat with hot towels can sometimes help
lift her food up so she can reach it easily without lowering her head if its uncomfortable , check and clean her water often and even warm it a little if its possible as she needs to drink plenty

maybe a warm bran mash will go down well and tempt her to eat something
it is horrible and can make them really quite poorly but they do seem to feel better once the absesess have burst so she may well be on the road to feeling better
if you contain it well and are very careful she may recover sooner than you think , some can recover in a couple of weeks some take a little longer

good luck hope she feels better soon

 

[mynutmeg]

Sending vibes for you both (and hugs)

It's a bacteria not a virus so not air borne however good biosecurity is really important - I would suggest wearing overalls when doing anything for your girl and have a bucket of disinfectant outside her box for dipping your feet on the way in/out.

Other than that go with what the vet says, I would suggest hay replacer pellets soaked and put them in a feed bucket hooked on her door so she gets nice, sloppy, easy to eat, good calorie food and doesn't have to drop her head down to get at it - if you can keep her eating that sort of food then it will help keep her hydrated and give her energy to fight the bugs.

I hope you pull her through