Strangles & in foal mares

[amandathepanda]

Does anyone have any experience of how strangles affect in foal mares? My mare is off at stud at the mo, foal due start of July next year. Two of the youngsters there are showing signs of strangles (the snottiest, yukkiest noses I've ever seen & absesses on their necks). The stud is saying that they just have a 'nasty cold' but I wasn't born yesterday! I'm due to pick my mare up but the yard is in isolation for obvious reasons. The youngsters are being kept isolated from the other horses with a 10 acre field & big hedge between them & my mare, so far my mare is showing no clinical signs but I'm concerned as I don't know how strangles affects pregnant mares. Can it cause problems with unborn foals?

 

[snurse]

I don't know about unborn foals, but I do think strangles is taken too lightly by some. Afraid I would get pretty annoyed with the stud - have they had an absolute diagnosis from vet? If it really is strangles then your mare is at risk. If you bring her home, then others at home are at risk, and I feel she should be isolated (also horsebox disinfected etc.) Not lecturing - just remembering a horse brought into yard with 'bad cold' which was actually strangles, last year. It was contained but only by full isolation - only one person dealing with that horse, and not with any others. Took weeks before vet tests were clear. Meanwhile the yard where he came from suffered a full outbreak - almost all horses (served them right - not the horses - but that's another story). Anyway, your situation is difficult. If you are in a position to demand that the stud finds out for sure then I would do that first. Suggest you speak to vet to see if your mare can be tested too. Don't know if they can before they show symptoms, but I'd definitely discuss with vet. I wish you luck. As I said, don't know about unborn foals, but a disease that drags a mare down physically must be bad news. Don't let the stud palm you off.