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Elite Veteran
Posts: 672
  
| I hauled to an indoor barn yesterday and there were 2 horses there that were “quarantined” with strangles. I didn’t notice the sign until I went back today to pick up a jacket I had left. The sign was on the opposite side I was yesterday. 
My son had pet on a pony that, per the quarantine sign said had had it. After petting the pony, I know he touched 2 of my horses. Then, I dropped each horse off at 2 different locations..thereby possibly exposing ALL of my horses to it. I am just sick.
How contagious are strangles when the horse isn’t showing any signs? The pony had clear eyes and clear nose, but the horse next to him had snotty nose and eyes. Once I saw that horse I pulled my son away and we left that area.
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
 
| It is very contagious, the horse with the snotty nose can be spreading it. The bacteria can live in the dirt for a period of time so yes you can track it all over.
Horses generally only get it once, if your horses are older they may not get infected.
If the horses have had the vaccine. Their either won't get it or are going to get it really really bad.
Most horses won't die from the disease
Incubation period can be 21 days |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 672
| One of the horses that my son pet had strangles as a 5yo. None of my horses have been vaccinated against it.
All of my horses are healthy, but yesterday was 60* and today is 30* with rain/snow. I'm hoping that doesn't mess around with their immune system any.. :(
Can't they spread it up to 18 months after they have had it?
Edited by veintiocho 2016-02-29 3:30 PM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1131
| It's very contagious. I would go and quarantine those two now - little help it will do by this point if they have been out in the pasture, drinking from water buckets, etc, but better safe than sorry - and don't take any more horses on or off the property. Call your vet and ask their suggestions. Most horses with good immune systems don't die from it. It's foals, older horses, or horses that are already immune-compromised that would be the concern. Good luck! |
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 Veteran
Posts: 239
| Agree with Cheryl, it can be spread even without clinical signs (either before the disease breaks, they can still shed, and after they have recovered, there is limited shedding). The vaccine is not the best for efficacy either.
I have the worst luck with horse health (probably b/c I'm a vet) - a couple years ago I was asked to look at a cut on a horse at a jackpot that I had 2 horses at. Went over and started probing this really purulent cut...wondering why so much pus when the owner said "oh and he just got over strangles" I was like ....!!!!! This was a winter jackpot where everybody's horse is crammed into the holding area like sardines....I washed my hands and boots 100 times...disinfected with virkon even. The 2 I had there were fine but a week later my good mare, who had not even LEFT my property, and HAD been vaccinated for strangles, exploded with purpura hemmorhagica (systemic infection caused by the strangles bacteria).
Hope all your ponies stay healthy. Try to wash and disinfect anything you might have had come into contact with the sick horses. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| 2H~QH - 2016-02-29 3:32 PM
Agree with Cheryl, it can be spread even without clinical signs (either before the disease breaks, they can still shed, and after they have recovered, there is limited shedding). The vaccine is not the best for efficacy either.
I have the worst luck with horse health (probably b/c I'm a vet) - a couple years ago I was asked to look at a cut on a horse at a jackpot that I had 2 horses at. Went over and started probing this really purulent cut...wondering why so much pus when the owner said "oh and he just got over strangles" I was like ....!!!!! This was a winter jackpot where everybody's horse is crammed into the holding area like sardines....I washed my hands and boots 100 times...disinfected with virkon even. The 2 I had there were fine but a week later my good mare, who had not even LEFT my property, and HAD been vaccinated for strangles, exploded with purpura hemmorhagica (systemic infection caused by the strangles bacteria).
Hope all your ponies stay healthy. Try to wash and disinfect anything you might have had come into contact with the sick horses.
Sorry to lol at you.
I have 3 horses and a donkey at a vet clinic who have been quarantined for 30 days now as they had a strangles outbreak.
My 3 yr old keeps testing positive, finally found out it settled in his gouteral pouches, so now they are treating this.
Fingers crossed I can pick them up soon.
And my vet always warned me about vaccination causing hemorrhagic purpura if they developed strangles. Knock on wood the one who was vaccinated hasn't developed it yet, nor has she tested positive.
To the person asking about a horse being able to spread it 18 months post, that is not normal. But as my 3 yr old is proving they can hold onto it without vet assistance.
Also horses can be carriers and never show symptoms. |
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Veteran
Posts: 154
| Been there and have the tshirts!! Brought home strangles and never saw an infected horse. 2 weeks after I had stalled at an overnight show. I had the hemorrhagic purpura and we never did find where the infection was at. Tests positive for 3 weeks and we self quarantined for 8 weeks after the last negative test
Nasty stuff- broodmare absorbed her coal and my wrangling came down with it as well. I sprayed the stall, used my own buckets, horse never grazed on the grass and we still brought it home.
Hoe you get lucky and it passs you by |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 460
| Yikes! A barn I had my horses at last summer had an outbreak... and since all of the horses got turned out together everyday, it spread like a wildfire! I got my horses out as soon as I found out, and had them together in a pasture nowhere near any other horses for the rest of the summer. One of my horses tested positive, but he never had an outbreak, and ended up testing clear a month later. My other gelding actually tested negative, and broke out with strangles a week later! He was fine after a couple weeks of the sores. He never went off his feed, but had a nasty temp for a few days. Banamine helped a lot. Just be overly cautious, and clean absolutely everything! Twice. Haha, as everyone had said, it's extremely contagious. It can last 21 days on a surface ( fence, stall) and not quite as long if exposed to sunshine everyday. Good luck to you! I hope everything works out well :) |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | I think they should have had sigs up at the gate as you drove in so that you can at least know that theres a quarantine happening there. Hope that your fellas stay healthy.  |
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