Strangles tests moving yards

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Hello all

I am moving yards and sensibly have had to have a strangles test.

The results came back showing the presence of antibodies at 0.7 (I don't know the units - but 0.5 or lower is considered 'clear')

I'm not in full on panic mode or anything, as I understand that just means she has possibly been exposed to the bacteria at some point in her life. She's 4, and I've had her 9 months.

I am having a gutteral pouch wash done on Monday, so am on tenterhooks a bit. Apparently only 10% of horses who show the antibodies are actually carriers.

I was wondering if anyone else has been through this and what the results were. Just looking for moral support I guess!

 

[Abi90]

My previous horse came back as inconclusive on his with a similar result when I was selling him. The buyer arranged for him to have a guttural pouch wash and he was completely clear so he moved house the next week.

He was a bit off and off his food for a few days after because it can give them a sore throat but otherwise no issues.

 

[Breagha]

My mare has this last year. I thought she was a bit lethergic and had normal bloods taken and she had some form of "infection". I was planning moving back to a yard and had to get a strangles test done and it came back as 0.5 which is on the fence. My other horse was clear. She had the gutteral puch done and it came back clear. The vet thinks she was in contact with a carrier and through up the immune to it. She was strangles tested when I first got her and was completely clear. It is a mind field the strangles thing.

 

[Ambers Echo]

Yes I've been through every variation of this! A positive blood test as you say is nothing to worry about. Yet. Is just means they have been exposed to strangles at some point. And yes it's only 10% that become carriers after exposure. The bacteria live in the guttural pouches in the form of chondroids- hardened pus. That's what they are looking for when they do a guttural pouch test.

If they do have chondroids then they need the guttural pouches to be flushed repeatedly to remove them. And to be given an antibiotic solution/gel which is squirted into the guttural pouches. Then re-tested a few weeks later.

It is stressful doing the testing but you are 90% likely to be fine. And even if there's a problem it can be sorted.

 

[SEL]

I had one come back with a high positive (1.6) and her field mate at zero. I also had the pouch wash done and it was clear. Because her results were so high I ran a 2nd blood test on the other one after 10 days and it was still clear. There was known strangles around us, so I'm guessing quarantine procedures were less than optimal.

I was surprised to have one negative and one positive but apparently if they've caught it once it does give them a level of immunity against future outbreaks.