Virus - Strangles/Rhinovirus - stumped!!!!

W

woodhurst1

Member
Joined
18 May 2007
Messages
16
Visit site
Hi, this may be a bit long winded but wondering if anyone can shed some light on the mystery illnesses the horses at my yard have had the last few weeks ...

The week before Xmas one of my liverys horses went off food, had temp, very quiet, vet was called and abscess found under his jaw, he was scoped, couldnt see anything unusual, given butes, antibiotics, perked up very quickly and abscess began to ooze and has now started to heal up. horse seems fine, vet happy.

Over Xmas week my dartmoor filly seemed to have a cold, snotty and wheezy, I thought possibly different hay and changed her to haylage, after a few days she improved and has since been fine.

A week ago my two big mares went off their feeds, very quiet, high temps, I rang my vet and we thought some kind of virus, gave them bute and temps went down, they ate, seemed brighter, but when I stopped the bute they both reverted back and got a bit snotty too. One of my other liveries also went quiet, still ate, but had a slight increase of temp, she gave her one bute for a few days and she seems to be perking up and temperature is fine off bute, but she now has an abscess appeared under her jaw.

I called the vet out to see mine, she said some sort of respiratory virus but would have to take nasal swabs and blood to determine. They are back on bute and antibiotics, they have picked up almost immediately and eating well, temps normal. Snot has almost stopped. The nasal swabs came back last night clear of equine flu (which I spose they should be as they were only jabbed in Nov) - now just waiting on the bloods.

I wasnt too concerned it was strangles til the other livery mare has developed an abscess the last few days, I just thought it was probably a virus as they improve so quickly on the drugs, I have never had anything like this happen and dont even know if they are all connected.

All of the horses have been here years, other than the livery mare who has just developed the abscess has been here only for two months, would that be too long to have brought a virus, the only other horse that came recently was three months ago and did have a cold virus and was treated and now fine, (he was tested for strangles and negative on arrival)
Also none of the horses have been out and about to pick anything up, other than local hacking where we rarely see any other horses about.

So confused, I know I will find out one way or another when the blood tests come back. Its only a small yard I have at home and Ive moved the healthy ones as far away as possible til I know. Just wondered if anyone had had anything similar :(
 
Sounds like strangles to me. Amazed your vet hasn't suggested it, perhaps its what used to be called b******d Strangles. I hope you get to the bottom of this.
 
Drugs cleared up strangles symptoms in my horses very quickly, so don't discount it. They also never abcessed - the disease can take many forms. I would get them tested if I were you.
 
Hi I have had blood tests done still waiting for results, hopefully get them today/tomorrow, my two mares do have swollen glands, I've not dealt hands on with strangles so only getting info off the Internet which seems to only show the really awful pictures, are some horses more immune to it than others as none of the other geldings have any symptoms of it and they are turned out quite a distance from my mares, yet if the first one to have it was a gelding it has then passed to just the mares, very confusing! Thanks for your replies I think your probably right and it sounds much like strangles, the first gelding with the abscess has a different vet to me and he never even mentioned strangles at the time.
 
Sound like strangles to me too. On a very big yard where most of the horses were infected, some showed classic strangles symptoms others were just a bit under the weather. Some abscessed, some didn't.

Be careful where you moved the others to as you can bet your bottom dollar they have already been exposed to it.

What test did the newest horse have? Tests for strangles are notoriously unreliable anyway.

You have my deepest sympathy, it's a truely horrible illness in my experience.
 
Hi got blood tests back and both my mares negative to strangles, they both have high White blood cells therefore quite anaemic so vet said to give them red cell, they are having antibiotics too. The worrying thing is the livery mare with the abscess now oozing pus, I have asked the owner to get her vet ASAP - my vet said if she is positive for strangles to test the whole yard. I'm not sure what test the other horse had I think a swab but I will find out. I'm going to still treat the ones that have been unwell the same and keep everything apart, disinfect etc til we know more. What a pain, the only positive is my mares seem so much happier in themselves and wolfing their feeds down the last few days
 
I would have thought raised white blood cells indicate an infection?

A horse at my yard had a negative swab but 2 weeks later a positive one (he had strangles)
The swabs are a bit like fishing; sometimes you catch bacteria sometimes you don't....
 
Hi yes vet said could be a rhino virus, the other mare with the abscess has had vet out this morning, other than the abscess she seems normal, she's had swabs and bloods taken, which we probably won't get results til Monday now. In the meantime still treating them as if it could be strangles and I'm going to get mine re-tested again end of next week. Do you think this is best course of action, it's so difficult to know what to do for best. My two looking brighter again today :)
 
Poor you, what a horrible situation for you to be in. Sounds as if you are being very sensible and taking all possible precautions. I would have more tests done next week, as someone else said, it's not always easy actually 'catching' the virus with the swab and for your own peace of mind, it would be nicer to know for sure one or the other what you're actually dealing with.

Very best of luck to you, I hope they are all fit and healthy again soon.
 
From what I have read about rhino (herpes) virus, abscess isn't a symptom so I would assume Strangles and treat as such. Apart from good nursing, bute and lots of TLC there's nothing else you can do. I wouldn't be using antibiotics, can cause more trouble than they are worth.
 
Hi, had a call from my vet this pm, the lab mixed my bloods up and my mares do have strangles!!! It does make more sense, we think that 5 out of the 7 horses here have had symptoms so the other two are being swabbed Monday. What disinfectant is best to use, been using virkon so far. I am a little relieved to know what it is at last, it's a pain but horses seem to be a lot brighter so just got to manage it and get them re-swabbed when they all seem ok. Luckily none go out and about much anyway. Any advice/tips on managing this is greatly received:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top