Strangles!!

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nicdan

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Hi, can anybody help me
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A horse I was due to buy has came down with strangles...he has been ill for just two and a half weeks, the owner has said it will be another month before he will be well again...I intend on getting him vetted, has anybody else had a horse with this horrible illness? How was the horse during the recovery period?
 
my pony had strangles & apart from being exceptionally bored due to being kept in his stable he was fine & put weight back on quickly. this was several years ago & has been fine since as have all the other horses on the yard that got it at the same time. i think it depends on the age & general horse health but there is probably an element of luck there too.
 
It will depend on the severity of the strangles and how it affects the particular horse. We had it here on the yard - a mare came back from stud with it and was in foal - was in isolation etc etc and mainly looked miserable. She made full recovery and her foal is now a big strapping 5 year old with no ill effects. It sounds as if the owners are doing the right thing with it so it will probably be absolutely fine.

ETA - cr@p spelling!!
 
We had it at my old yard many years ago. About 10 horses got it and all had different reactios. Mine had small lumps that didn't burst adn just looked a bit miserable, another had huge lumps that burst and had to be cleaned everyday. None of the horses had any lasting effects. As above the owner sounds like they are being responsible. I think the main things is not just his recovery, but making sure the yard has been free for at least 6 weeks as you don't want to spread it.

Really Bad Luck!
 
I know thats what I was concerned about! He has been ill for over 2 weeks now, his absesses have just started to burst it was really slow coming out! We spoke to the owner last saturday and she said it will be a good month before we can have him, if he comes out of it ok, as obviously he has to pass the vetting etc....am worried there maybe some complications, he is a welsh cob so I am hoping he is pretty tough! And apparantly his head has been down the whole time grazing away so thats a good sign I hope or he is just plain greedy! It will be over 6 weeks before he will be moved...so I have been told that is sufficient as I am scared of spreading it even though he is being kept out in his own field I am aware of how contagious it is!!
 
My 4yr old had strangles as a yearling. Lumps took about a week to come up and they were lanced by the vet. She was kept in isolation with my other two horses for 3 weeks then they were allowed back out. In that time they all had anti-b's. Never had any ill effects and the holes on her face where the abscesses were lanced never even scarred.
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thats interesting...was a bit worried because it has taken over 2 weeks for the absesses to come up and weep, seems that is dragging out, he seems to be eating fine though
 
Good luck with it all, please make sure you get 3 clear swabs before you move the horse.
I lost my 17hh hunter to stragles and my pony took months to recover from strangles but she was 25 yrs old but now no ill effects and the vet said it was the worst case they had ever seen.
Teresa
 
My lad was diagnosed with Strangles 5 days after i purchased him, he had the bastard form of the disease (the most severe) and ended up in his stable for 6 months as we nearly lost him.

He had to have a emergency traceoctomy performed as he was hours from death but came out of it ok.

The only thing i would suggest is getting the swabs taken to confirm that 1) he is clear of the disease and 2) that hes not a carrier so that no other horses are infected.

His current owner should do this for you if you want to continue to purchase.

Most horses come through this disease fine so in the long run i wouldnt say that it would cause any further problems.
 
I have already spoke to the vet and they advised me to get a full scope as it is better than swabs, apparantley 20% of horses become carriers, so unsure what would I do if thats the case? Am worried it may develop into bastard strangles as it has taken ages to come out...he came down ill end of March two days before I was due to get him vetted and picked up...soooo gutted
 
Better it was found before he moevd and then the whole yard had to be quarantined! The mare here did get abcesses but it took about a fortnight them for them to show. It doesn't sound,from what you have said, that he is that bad especially if vet/owner says he'll be ok in about a month now. He'll be fine, treated and hopefully not a carrier.
 
i know I would have felt terrible if he came down with it in my care...as how can anybody know when you buy a horse...I would have been very unpopular in the yard, sounds like my case is similar to the mare you mentioned...as it has been 2 weeks for his absseses to show.....if they are a carrier what happens then does anybody know?
 
They can wash out the gutteral (sp) pouches where the bacteria sit - they have just done it to all the horses/ponies at the rescue where my mare is from - they now do it as standard for any new horse coming into their care - so can be done and not unusual just a bit unpleasant. The worse thing for us was the mare had been here for years and went to stud for a month/6 weeks and came back with it right at the start of show season - stud denied it.
 
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