Saturday, October 23, 2010

Strangles ~ UGH

New horse in the barn has developed the dreaded Strangles.  She has the open accesses where her lymph nodes are and is pretty miserable.  It was discovered Thursday, vet was called immediately.

She was immediately put into quarantine in a completely separate building on the farm and her owner promptly cleaned EVERYTHING with bleach.  She's on antibiotics and is expected to recover.

What scares me is she was pastured with both Bonnie and Rosie for the last two weeks leading up to getting sick and even though mine have been vaccinated the have been directly exposed.

Friday I left work early and ran up to the barn.  I took the temperatures of both mares, inspected nasal passages, and thoroughly palpated all the lymph nodes and everything is normal.

I will be doing so again tomorrow as well as bleaching and disinfecting all my gear.

Please say a prayer that this dangerous bacteria is an isolated case and does not rage through our barn.

15 comments:

  1. Good news is most horse survive strangles just fine, even though it's ugly while it's in process. There is a reasonably effective intranasal vaccine for strangles that we use.

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  2. Thinking good thoughts for you and your horses.young strong and healthy ,they may not get sick even if they were exposed.Often horses are exposed and develop a strong imunity whitout our ever knowing (pre purchase) That said, I hope you dodge it altogether

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  3. That's scary. It sounds like you are taking all the right steps, though. I hope this remains an isolated incident and nothing more.

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  4. Prayers have already been snt your way! It does sound like you caught it quickly! Ugh. Strangles is scary though, isn't it?!

    Are you still in Cincinnati? I grew up in Perrysburg, Ohio-right outside of Toledo. I also graduated from BGSU. I went to school with a ton of people who were from Dayton-Cin area! Small world it is :)
    Keep us posted on the sick ward!
    xo, misha

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  5. Good thing it was caught quickly and hopefully won't affect any other horses. How early is Strangles contagious before the horse shows any symptoms?

    Prayers for Bonnie and Rosie...and you, too. Try not to worry too much. I'm betting they'll be just fine and will be protected by their vaccine. Still, I know you'll worry, because you're a good horse Mom.

    I sure hope the infected horse heals quickly without too much pain and scarring. Poor thing.

    (((hugs)))
    ~Lisa

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  6. Thank you everyone for your good thoughts and prayers.

    Lisa ~ Incubation is 3 to 21 days. There is a great fact sheet here:
    http://umaine.edu/publications/1009e/

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  7. Sounds like your barn, and the sick horse's owner are doing their best to contain it. And you are doing all you can to protect Bonnie and Rosie. I hope they both stay healthy and no other horses come down with it.

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  8. Oh no!!! How scary!!! The good thing is that the owner reacted quickly and responsibly....so it should not be an issue. But we all worry about our horses, don't we??

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  9. That is so scary! I hope your horses avoid it. I'd think they should be okay since they've been vaccinated. From my reading it sounds like an incredible amount of work to keep it from spreading and becoming a cycle at the barn. Good luck. Prayers sent.

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  10. It does tend to run rampant once it starts, but #1 they're vaccinated, and #2 most recover quickly. Hope everything goes well.

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  11. Oh my gosh......I hope all goes well. Your babies don't need that.

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  12. Oh no....hope your girls stay well!

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  13. AHHH jeepers!!! I am glad the other horse is quarantined and expected to recover but how frustrating for you!!! Praying for your babies!!

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  14. I agree with Kate. Many years ago my horses were exposed to strangles because some idiot brought a horse here from another barn for a clinic. We were quarantined for while and I made sure I did not go to anyone else's barn. Only a couple had the symptoms (out of 7 horses) and they all ended up just fine. It's kind of ugly, but they should be ok. By the way, none of my horses have ever had the strangles vaccine. When they get a high fever, their bodies are kicking in to fight it and often they take care of it on their own. With one of my horses, that happened and I had to give him bute to lower his temperature...he was fine. Interestingly enough, the blood work said it was not strangles. Afterward I learned that there were several farms that had the problem, but the vets were not allowed to say anything...did not make me very happy. You can bleach as much as possible...but it is impossible to get every single surface they come in contact with. Somehow they get through this. Keep washing your hands and changing your clothes. Everything will be ok.

    By the way, your header shot is sensational.

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  15. Oh,no that would freak me out too. Hope your girls stay healthy and the other horse recovers soon. You're taking all the right steps, Good luck.

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Happy Trails!

~Jeni