Strangles, how contagious?

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chaps89

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I have my own horse but I also have a share horse about 30 miles away that I see once or twice a week too. Didn't manage to see her last week due to the foul weather, and had planned on going up tomorrow morning.
However, her owner has called tonight to say a few of the horses at the field (its grass livery) have been a bit under the weather and snotty so one of the owners had the vet out today. (this next bit I'm now hearing 2nd hand so I don't know how much is true unfortunately) Vet has apparently swabbed for strangles but not quarantined or treated. The vets are reasonably well known for doing extra tests & the owner for being a bit hysterical so we've no idea if it's being blown out of proportion or a genuine strangles scare.
My friend has looked after a strangles horse successfully before (kept on the same yard in an isolation box) & successfully looked after her own horses still out in the field without transmitting it & as such is quite unconcerned.
Share horse & her companion aren't showing any signs of being unwell at all. (However, I know this can be misleading as recently spoke to a customer at work who was on a yard with strangles so hers was tested as routine procedure & even tho not showing any symptons was actually carrying the disease)

Would I better to not go tomorrow & just chalk it up to experience, or if I take spare clothes & ensure I fully wash hands, boots etc before I leave the yard am I likely to be ok to still go up?

My main worry is not only giving it to my boy but the fact he is on a yard of 30 horses & I would hate to be held at fault, or even just to feel at fault/guilty if it got onto the yard (despite a local yard & the local area supposedly having it anyway & people still riding their!)

Sorry for the essay, just not sure what to do for the best!
 
Dont think you have any choice if you don't want to be held responsible. Even if you're not the one to transfer it, and even if you take every single precaution to avoid it, if you have been in contact with strangles, you would be prime suspect according to everyone else.
As far as I am aware, not all horses catch it, a bit like us coming into contact with viruses, we don't catch it if our immune system is strong, which could explain why your friend managed to not transfer the virus to her horse in the field. Maybe the horse in the field was in a stronger state of health at the time.
IMHO, I would keep away for now.
 
It is a bacterial infection which is spread spread by contact, the horse may snort and spread the bacteria by nasal drops, or it drinks water, contaminating the trough, haylage bales, haynets or any shared facility will spread the disease.
There may only be a very slight nasal discharge, however the discharge is very infectious, it is spread by touch and the horse may be discharging for a week or so before anyone notices, in fact some get it but show no symptoms.
Keep away.
Don't rely on rumours, make sure you speak to the "vet in charge of the outbreak" before you go near her again.
The strangles swab is useless as it gives false negatives. The only way is for the horse to be blood tested. This is more expensive than one [useless] swab. Once the infection has been identified, all the horses need to be blood tested and positives isolated, then Gutteral Pouch wash with endoscope and antibiotic injected inside the GP.
There should be an "appointed vet", and the treatment is carried out on an "outbreak" basis, this requires co-operation of all horse owners.
Some horses may be immune because they have encountered the disease before. Young horses are particularly susceptible, and may die of the disease, most horses recover without any problems.
 
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Sound advice from everyone, I'm sure, but, back in the late '60s, we bought a very smart little mare, from Reading sale, and straight off the boat from Ireland.

She contracted strangles, which eventually burst out through her throat, by way of an abscess. The vet's advice was turn her away for 12 months, so we took her to a TB stallion locally, with a natural covering and she healed and eventually produced a foal.

During her illness she was on a yard with another dozen or so horses, though not in direct contact. Nothing, not even the covering stallion showed any sign of ill health, and to this day, it's all a mystery.

I suppose that ignorance really is bliss, as I hadn't even heard of the dreaded disease before that. Nobody seemed that bothered, at the time, not even the vet!!

Alec.
 
I'd also stay well away - strangles is highly contagious and a nasty disease. If you can stay away until the swabs come back and like others advised, speak to the vet yourself then you will be doing your part to avoid any unnecessary contamination. It is possible to keep the disease contained, i once worked on a yard where one horse was diagnosed with it. The horse was in a line of stables on a square yard and he had horses kept 2 stables away. He had his own designated carer, who wore designated clothes and boots when dealing with him and his tools were kept next to his stable. They used a foot-dip and hand wash before and after going near him. It did not spread - but was a real pain to deal with and caused much stress and worry. I also encountered strangles at a riding school, when i was a child - it was caused by a livery buying a pony from the sales, which was carrying it. Nearly 30 ponies caught it, some were very poorly - i remember seeing one with a huge abscess on its throat which had burst and looked awful - it put them out of business for a long time.
 
If it is Strangles then stay away and wait for the all clear. It has quite a long incubation period too. All the yard and tack where the outbreak is should afterwards be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. Might sound over the top and ,yes, healthy adult horses generally get over it but why take the risk? It is simply not worth it.
 
Having just delt with a strangles outbreak on a large yard recently i can say its highly infectious and the histeriera it creates far out weights the problems of strangles. It should only be people that have to go to the infected yard that go on that yard. That yard should be in isololation even if only suspect case. The last thing you want is your yard turning on you for having been on a yard with strangles which is what will happen. the chances of you passing anything on if you change disinfect and dont go near infeced horses is small but there is still a chance. As other have said if you feel you relly need to go then speak to the vet in charge of the case as it mey well be ok for you. our yard has two very seperate yard the non infected yard (the bigger) was at least 500 yards from the infected yard of 7 only 2 of which go it. becuse of this and our isolasion procedure the larger yard could carry on as normal albeit with no horses allowed to come or go.
I do think your biggest problem would be your other yard should they find out you have been to a yard with stangles. Stay away until clear would be best bet. and yes swabs are useless we just scoped blood tests also inaccurte as just show if horse has had contct in that past.
 
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