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Expert
Posts: 1599
  
| I'm trying to share my experience as much as I can in hopes it may prevent heartbreak for someone else.
We had a training horse (3yr old) show up with (mild) case of strangles about 2 months ago. He was isolated, small abcess under his jaw popped, he healed and all was good.
Somehow, my good mare (8 yr old) was still exposed and got it, she had never been exposed before in her life.
I have had a lot of experience with strangles at a big equine clinic I used to work as a tech at. We would flush a lot of gutteral pouches, but mostly the vets would advise to "let it run it's course, and the vaccine isn't that effective." Which, as I've read recently, is still pretty true.
What I didn't know is, even if they abcess under their jaw, there may be abcesses elsewhere. I thought this mare was on the up after her jaw popped last week. Unfortunately, we found her dead yesterday morning; necropsy showed an abcess burst on her lung
Long story short, as common as strangles is, it can be the worst of the worst too. I also learned that a horse that has recovered can still retain "chondroids" of the bacteria in their gutteral pouch too that will shed the bacteria for years. These can be flushed and treated with antibiotics as well. I was also told that penicillin can be administered between day 1 and 3 of initial fever and can reduce the impact of the symptoms as well.
PLEASE, take this disease seriously and don't just "let it run it's course."
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
 
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Oh man thats terrible, so sorry for your lost  . when I know that strangles have been around any places that I plan on going too I dont go.. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 595
Location: North Dakota | So sorry for your loss!!
I have yet to get to a run this year because of lots of barns with strangles this spring in our area. I am hoping to get out to one this weekend for the day but will be extra careful. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 460
| So very sorry for your loss...big hugs and prayers to you <3 Thank you so much for sharing this info, I know that must be so difficult, but this could help save others. I never even thought about that...I've had horses w/ strangles before. Thank you so much for sharing! xoxo |
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6437
Location: Montana | So sorry for your loss. |
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 My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | So sorry for your loss, sending prayers |
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  Ms. Marine
Posts: 4626
Location: Texas | I am so very sorry. |
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Expert
Posts: 1409
Location: Oklahoma | Wow! So sorry! I always just thought around the jaw area. So Sorry!!! |
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 A Barrel Of Monkeys
Posts: 12972
Location: Texas | I'm so sorry for your loss. A friend of mine has been fighting strangles in her barn for 3 months. One horse has been so sick, he's had several vet visits and still isn't 100%.
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7264
| I am SO very sorry for your loss - but thank you for the info. |
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Veteran
Posts: 217
| So very sorry for your loss :( - thank you for sharing your knowledge through the heartbreak. I did not know they could abscess internally as well. |
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 Roan Wonder
Location: SW MO | I'm so so sorry. Thank you so much for sharing |
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| I had the opposite experience. I called the vet to "treat" strangles and it simply caused it to internalize. Horse stopped eating, swelled horribly, etc. Treated with Dex for 30 days due to the swelling and banemine and came close to losing him several times. I will NEVER treat strangles again. I and the horse would have been so much better off if I had let it run it's course. |
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Expert
Posts: 1599
| Thank you all! I have her yearling filly and she is such a blessing, a lot like her momma in a buckskin body!! I think ultimately my plan in the future would be this:
Temp any exposed or possibly exposed horses 2x a day.
Any horse that shows fever immediately gets started on Penicillion 30cc for 5-7 days
Any horse that is already showing hi fever for unknown amount of time and cough etc gets banamine and vet visit to listen to listen to lung sounds etc. I say this for reasons stated above- if disease has progressed too much I do think it can cause bastard strangles if you try to treat too late.
Any time they are anorexic they get serious treatment protocol!!
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Expert
Posts: 1599
| Jansbarreed - 2017-05-25 9:39 AM I had the opposite experience. I called the vet to "treat" strangles and it simply caused it to internalize. Horse stopped eating, swelled horribly, etc. Treated with Dex for 30 days due to the swelling and banemine and came close to losing him several times. I will NEVER treat strangles again. I and the horse would have been so much better off if I had let it run it's course.
Thanks for sharing this- and I had always heard this and believed this. I think now, if I can catch them on Day1 of fever I will do penacillin from what I've read...anything later can sure cause a lot worse it sounds like, regardless of what vets say! |
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Expert
Posts: 1599
| Fun2Run - 2017-05-25 1:00 AM I'm so sorry for your loss. A friend of mine has been fighting strangles in her barn for 3 months. One horse has been so sick, he's had several vet visits and still isn't 100%.
Prayers for your friend too!! It's so nasty:( |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 670
Location: Running my kids somewhere. | I am so sorry. I lost one in college to this CRAP. I have seen a weanling with it but a version called bastrad strangles. We hauled him to the hospital because there was a dozen pockets on his belly and legs. The vet also drained a pocket about a pint jar size that sat off the side of the anal wall. |
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Expert
Posts: 1599
| flyingcolors - 2017-05-25 1:33 PM I am so sorry. I lost one in college to this CRAP. I have seen a weanling with it but a version called bastrad strangles. We hauled him to the hospital because there was a dozen pockets on his belly and legs. The vet also drained a pocket about a pint jar size that sat off the side of the anal wall.
Thank you for sharing and I'm so sorry for your loss too. I just wish there was a reliable vaccine for this BS!! |
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | Antibiotic use in the face of strangles is still strongly debated in veterinary medicine. I would talk to your veterinarian before you decide to put anything on antibiotics. And by "you" i mean in general terms, not specifically addressing anyone on this thread.
I am really sorry for your loss! Strangles is a bad deal and even the "normal" spot for abscessation can kill them... which is how it got the name strangles.
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You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | Jansbarreed - 2017-05-25 9:39 AM
I had the opposite experience. I called the vet to "treat" strangles and it simply caused it to internalize. Horse stopped eating, swelled horribly, etc. Treated with Dex for 30 days due to the swelling and banemine and came close to losing him several times. I will NEVER treat strangles again. I and the horse would have been so much better off if I had let it run it's course.
This is why antibiotic use is hotly debated. The main school of thought is to not use antibiotics when the abscesses present in the predictable area for strangles because antibiotics delay maturation of the abscesses and impede on the body's immune system to recognize and fight off the infection when it encounters it later on.
However, there are times when antibiotics are indicated, like when there's bastard strangles, other complications, or if the abscesses are so large around the throat they run the risk of respiratory compromise.
Sometimes, things go south no matter what you do. ****ed if you do, ****ed if you don't. Strangles for most horses is not too big of a deal and they get better just fine. For a small percentage of horses you have the complications like purpura, bastard strangles, myositis, and other weird off the wall stuff. And even some horses with the classic presentation of strangles can die from asphyxiation if the abscesses get too big.
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