Strangles? What is It? Can it kill my horse? How do I protect them?

Just the very thought of your horse struggling to breathe because of Strangles is frightening. But that’s not the only sign of this highly contagious illness. Here’s the scoop. 

What is strangles?

Strangles is an infectious disease that’s easily transmitted amongst horses, ponies and donkeys. In fact, it’s an upper respiratory infection caused by a bacteria called Streptococcus equi—also known as Strep. Equi or simply S. equi.

The name Strangles has been given because your horse will have difficulty swallowing and …even ..breathing!  This is all due to the accompanying copious nasal discharge and enlarged lymph nodes that are literally blocking your horse’s throat!  Hence the name!  You may even hear it as your horse struggles to breath!  Call The Vet!

How is Strangles Transmitted?

This disease is extremely contagious and can quickly spread from horse to horse through direct contact, nasal secretions, coughing and snorting.  Especially, nose-to-nose contact is a major transmission mode along with contact from the pus that drains from the Strangles abscesses. This just one of the reasons why one should never let one’s horse touch the noses or nasal areas with another horse.

Humans can pass this disease from horse to horse by exposing them, inadvertently, via contaminated clothing, grooming supplies, equipment, or hands. Moreover, it can  contaminate water and feed sources.  In addition, horses can contract it after coming into contact with something as simple as a contaminated surface.

What are the first warning signs of Strangles in Horses?

The early signs of strangles in horses is a fever—a temperature over 100.5 Fahrenheit for adult horses, and 101.5 for foals. Temperatures have been recorded spiking to 107.6 degrees.  It’s a serious matter. Within 24-48 hours, they may be lethargic and quite depressed.  Along with this you’ll notice that they refuse feed, have a cough with increasing nasal discharge and swollen lymph nodes. The cause of your horse refusing food and water is due to the intense swelling in the throat-latch making it difficult and painful for him to swallow.

What are the Symptoms of Strangles in Horses? What does it look like?

Generally speaking, it’s the nasal discharge and swollen lymph nodes that are the most obvious indicators.  During the course of the illness the normally clear nasal discharge will become thicker and cloudy.  As the disease progresses, your horse may have hard or fluid-filled abscesses forming in and around the throat.  And sometimes, abscesses develop around the base of the ear in the location called the guttural pouch.

These abscesses form because the lymph nodes have become so large.  It’s reaction to the inflammation and infection.  Eventually, the abscesses rupture and the pus will drain into the nasal passages, causing the discharge to get even thicker. Breathing becomes more difficult.

Your horse may hold its head out and down from its body to try to relieve pain in the throat and lymph nodes area in his effort to be able to breathe. He may wheeze and have trouble swallowing.  Sometimes abscesses can rupture right through the skin.

It has been seen that some lymph nodes develop to such an obstructive size that your Veterinarian may have to perform a tracheotomy. (This is basically a hole in your horse’s neck so that he can breathe).  But don’t panic, with prompt veterinary care, most horses never progress to this point.

In short, not all horses with Strangles will even progress to the stage of abscess involvement. Some will only show signs of lethargy, fever and refuse feed.

Purpura Hemorrhagic as a result of Strangles

On the other hand, there are horses may develop Purpura hemorrhagic which is a vasculitis caused by the same bacteria.  In general horses with Purpura hemorrhagic exhibit mild to severe swelling of their legs, chest area and abdomen. Occasionally you may observe a minor hemorrhage in the gum area and mucus membranes. You may notice that your horse is extremely sore and even be unwilling to move.

Immediate veterinary consultation is required for treating Purpura hemorrhagic.  It may involve aggressive anti-inflammatory measures, and possibly corticosteroids.  Additionally,  antibiotics may be required if respiratory signs are apparent. Advanced cases often entail longer term therapy.

How is Strangles Diagnosed?

Your veterinarian can take a culture of nasal secretions or pus to test for the disease or do a PCR test.

What is the Treatment for Strangles?

A horse suspected to have Strangles should be isolated immediately away from other horses to reduce transmission of the disease. Often, Banamine is administered to relieve the pain, swelling and to bring down the temperature.  Moreover, what a horse needs most is supportive care, including protection from extreme weather.  Included in this TLC should be soft food and monitoring of his body temperature.  Additionally, if present and if your veterinarian advises, apply hot compresses to the abscesses to encourage them to rupture and drain.

Not all horses with strangles will benefit from antibiotics, unless they have a severe case. Talk to your veterinarian about appropriate treatment methods.

What’s the Short and Long-term Outlook?

Although the disease is quite frightening to observe, most horses do recover in 2-4 weeks. If a horse develops a complication such as Purpura hemorrhagic, with its accompanying swelling, internal abscesses or other issues, a consult with your veterinarian should be ASAP.

Often, a horse can gain immunity against Strangles after an infection for quite some time, possibly even into years. But, not all horses develop immunity. And some horses continue to shed bacteria through nasal secretions for a long time despite appearing healthy.  Warning: These equines can still infect other horses.

According to Dr Francisco Alvarez DVM (Lone Star equine Sports Medicine Clinic), the good news is …”Most horses – aside from those that suffer from complications – will clear the infection ,and go back to full athletic performance”

Can my Horse die from Strangles?

Yes! A horses can die from Strangles because they develop such breathing difficulties—thus follows asphyxiation—and related complications.

How do I Prevent Strangles from being in my Barn or Contaminating my Horse?

Good biosecurity can reduce transmission. This can look like not sharing brushes, water buckets or other gear between horses, especially if one has been traveling, if they’re a new resident ot the barn or you don’t know their health status. 

You should always consider isolating horses that are new to your property until it can be determined that they are healthy and not going to transmit any disease.

Scrub surfaces with soap and water and disinfect wherever possible. This is particularly important for water containers where a sick horse might have spread pus from ruptured abscesses.

Is there a vaccine for Strangles?

Yes, Vaccines for Strangles do exist and can prevent illness, but they don’t protect every horse from infection. Talk to your veterinarian to see if it’s a wise choice in your horse’s situation.

Banixx Horse Blogs

We hope you found this article helpful and if your horse ever gets any wounds, cuts. scratches or white line disease, we hope you keep Banixx Horse & Pet Care in mind.  We have information on topics such as your horse’s wolf teeth?  Or, ways to handle manure removal or the amazing miracles of acupuncture for your horse ..yes, we’ve got these all covered for you!  Need your own bottle of Banixx, click here to find out where to buy it!

 

Sources:

https://aaep.org/horsehealth/strangles-contagious-equine-disease

https://www.equinediseasecc.org/strangles