Strangles-type SECONDARY infection! HELP

[brighteyes]

An old pony had the snots in mid May and never quite got better. Her yard companions got, variously, snots, nothing and one had a small abscess under its jaw. The original (known for certain) source of the infection was swabbed negative for strangles.

She has struggled almost since the original infection to shift a phlegmmy cough and now has the classic/typical parotid gland swellings, can hardly eat and struggles to breathe. The vet NOW says it's strangles and her glands have abscessated. How???

Her glands have been enlarged for many weeks but vet checks didn't raise any alarms and antibiotics/bronchodilators have been administered several times in an attempt to sort the breathing out.

I thought starngles was a primary infection that quickly burned itself out, but leaves animals vulnerable to secondary infections, not the other way round.

Does anyone out there know what's going on here?

 

[Boxers]

Sorry I can't help with your quewstion - but I hear Bransby Home of Rest have strangles at the moment - don't know if that's near you.

Also on the news it says that there are cases on strangles in Lincolnshire

 

[vicijp]

We had a horse with similar symptoms in the winter. Was definetly not Strangles. Turned out to be Grass Sickness/secondary abcess on the liver.
Personally I would be treating your horse as a priority case, our horse was shot about 6 weeks after symptoms strated.
Get your vet to run all the tests he can and get it straight onto a course of Excenel in a hope to knock out the infection.

 

[brighteyes]

Ooo er The pony isn't ours, but was on the yard where ours got her original infection. I don't think it has any grass sickness symptoms but I do know she is on mega antibiotics. She has hardly been out at grass due to laminitis risk. Will post the outcome or PM you if the vet diagnoses grass sickness. Cheers!