Download Winter 2013 - Hale Veterinary Group

Equine News
Issue 1
Winter newsletter 2013
Strangles: what you
need to know…
HALE EQUINE
PART OF THE HALE
VETERINARY GROUP
A dedicated equine practice serving
Wiltshire, Bath and Avon, North
Somerset and South Gloucestershire
Meet The Team….
Senior Partner:
Peter Hatherell BVSc
MRCVS
Susie Richards
BSc(hons)
BVSc(hons)
MRCVS
Careful! Supposedly healthy horses can be carriers of strangles, and spread the bacteria in their nasal secretions
Strangles is caused by a
species of bacterium called
Streptococcus equi. It infects
the respiratory system of the
horse, and creates large pusfilled abscesses in the glands
in and around the throat.
When these get very large
and/or rupture internally,
producing a lot of pus in the
throat and airway, they can
make it difficult for the
animal to breathe, hence the
name ‘strangles’.
Though unpleasant, Strangles is rarely
fatal. Sometimes if the infection spreads
beyond the throat abscesses can develop
Hale Veterinary Hospital
19 Langley road
Chippenham
Wiltshire
SN14 1BS
elsewhere in the body like the brain or
abdomen. This is called ‘bastard
strangles’. If these abscesses rupture there
can be very serious consequences.
Strangles does not always manifest itself
in the dramatic clinical signs described,
and it can take up to 14 days after initial
infection for signs to develop. During this
time the horse is still infectious! It can
often start with just a few snotty noses,
and look just like other infections. This is
‘atypical strangles’.
This is why all respiratory infections and
abscesses should be taken seriously and
affected horses quarantined until a
diagnosis is made.
See the next page for information on
vaccinating against strangles and what
happens in an outbreak…
Nikki Waterman
BVSc MRCVS
Anna Quiggin BSc
BVSc MRCVS
Anna is back from maternity leave. She
will be working part-time on Mondays,
Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Charlie is
now off on maternity leave
Office Staff: Elissa Owen and Karen
Maisey are always on the end of the
phone to take bookings and deal with
insurance enquiries
Telephone 01249 653 561
Get in touch!
There is an equine clinic at Lackham. Please
visit the website for more information:
http://www.haleveterinaryhospital.co.uk
If you have horse-care questions, or stories to relate, please
get in touch by phone, facebook (Hale Veterinary Group –
Equine Unit) or twitter (@HaleEquineVets).
Equine News
Issue 1
HALE EQUINE
Winter Newsletter 2013
PART OF THE HALEVETERINARY GROUP
Strangles continued….
How does it spread?
Some horses are carriers. There is no way of
telling if a horse is a carrier just by looking; your
vet would have to take samples from the guttural
pouches for testing. The amount of bacteria
carriers shed increases at times of stress (e.g.
travelling or moving to a new yard). This is
often how outbreaks start. A high proportion of
miniature horses/Shetlands end up being carriers
after an outbreak, so be suspicious of any minis
turning up at a yard with an unknown history.
Infection spreads by direct contact with pus or nasal
discharge from an infected horse and via water
troughs and handlers. The bacteria can also live in the
environment for up to 8 weeks, in bedding, feed, on
yard equipment, fence posts etc...
Can I protect my horse?
The most effective way of preventing disease is by
practicing good hygiene and biosecurity. When out
hacking or hunting, don’t let your horse drink from
water troughs you pass along the way. Don’t allow
nose-to-nose contact with unfamiliar horses or share
equipment and so on.
On yards new horses should be managed separately
for 14 days. Horses may be shedding strangles
bacteria long before they show clinical signs. Grooms
should be made aware that any horse looking under
the weather, with a nasal discharge and temperature
at or over 38.5°C should be dealt with last and
quarantined. There are a few strangles eradication and
control schemes; the Premium Assured Strangles
Scheme (PASS) is a recent BHS approved scheme
allowing yards to be accredited as strangles free.
Vaccination
There is a vaccine available for strangles which
reduces clinical signs and the incidence of lymph
node abscesses. It involves an injection into the upper
lip and can be started from 4 months of age. The
starter course is two injections 4 weeks apart.
Following this the horse requires a booster every 3
months to be continuously protected.
Hale Promotions
Horses not at high risk (i.e. not competing regularly) can
be given a booster every 6 months and if unlucky enough
to find themselves facing a suspected strangles outbreak
they can be given a top-up injection to prevent clinical
disease. Unfortunately however If the horse has not had
the primary vaccination course and boosters within the
last 6 months then it is too late to start vaccinating if
there is an outbreak locally.
Vaccination is recommended for large yards with a high
throughput of horses or for new horses on a yard where
previous outbreaks have occurred with no follow-up
investigation for carriers. A single horse vaccinated on
its own will still have some protection, however if
surrounded by other horses with full blown disease, some
clinical signs might still develop due to the high level of
exposure so as many horses on a yard as possible should
be vaccinated for maximum efficacy.
My horse has strangles… What now?!
Once strangles is confirmed treatment is aimed at
keeping the animal comfortable whilst the disease runs
its course, and minimising spread to other animals.
Antibiotics are avoided.
Infection has usually resolved 6-8 weeks after clinical
signs have disappeared. Once this time frame has passed
all in-contact horses need to be tested for carrier status
for the yard to be given the all clear. This is confirmed
by three negative swabs taken over a 2 week period from
every horse (though this is not 100% reliable) or ideally
with a guttural pouch flush.
What is this?
We have several offers that run
continuously to make routine veterinary
care more affordable for the horse owner
Zone days: Take advantage of cheaper
call-outs by booking your vaccinations
and routine visits on a specific week day.
Call the office or visit the website to find
out which ‘zone’ you are in.
Equiplus: We have a direct debit
scheme that allows you to pay for your
teeth and vaccinations in affordable
monthly instalments. Equiplus also
includes other benefits including 5% off
all professional fees. See the website to
learn about the full package.
Microchipping: Take advantage of
getting your horse microchipped for free
when done at the time of vaccination.
HVG Supplements: We have a range
of very high quality supplements that
represent excellent value for money.
With HVG supplements you can rest
assured that your supplement does
exactly what it says on the tin, with high
concentrations of the highest quality
ingredients, and no fancy packaging.
Call the office on 01249 653561 or
visit the website
www.haleveterinaryhospital.co.uk
to learn more about how we can
help you and your horse…
Send in your top-tips for management of this
frustrating condition on email, facebook or
twitter.
The top three will be printed in the next
newsletter where we will discuss how to
manage the pesky little critters that can cause
severe tail rubbing…