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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…