STRANGLES outbreak in my facility ]=?

Question

so, i found out tonight that there has been a strangles outbreak in my facility, one of the trainers "doesn't believe in the vaccine" so none of his 20 horses have it. So far, 3-5 horses are infected and have the face sores NOW.

Every other horse in the facility has the vaccine... but we're all a little worried.

we are on a month quarantine starting today, and no horses are allowed in or out of the facility.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j308/acelvr3/twisdenwoodstrangles.jpg

this is a poorly drawn example of the facility, blue is areas my horse goes, red is where the infected horses are allowed.

no people are allowed into the infected barn and then into another, and there is a seperate bathroom set up.. THe gave the "strangles barn" a ring to use and one grazing strip and i'm still not sure what the turnout situation is.

what do you think the chances of my horses getting infected are?

and any other tricks to keep the infection out of my barn?

Answer 1

I think it is jumping the gun to blame the trainer who opted out of vaccinating.  The vaccine itself can cause strangles in some horses, who can then give it to other horses, whether or not they have been vaccinated. In that case, it would be his horses that were infected by the vaccinated horse.  Further, since the vaccine doesn't always prevent the vaccinated horse from getting the disease, it is impossible to come to the conclusion that the unvaccinated horses had anything to do with causing the outbreak.

In a busy barn, horses come in and out all the time, so who knows where it came from?  The vaccine doesn't guarantee anything...it simply gives the vaccinated horse a better chance at experiencing a milder form of the disease if an outbreak occurs.  It's always a good idea to get the facts straight before going off on a witch hunt.  I'm sorry for your situation...I went through it at a barn where I boarded years ago before the vaccine...it was not something I want to see again. This is nobody's fault, and many choose not to vaccinate due to the risk of it causing the horses to manifest the disease.

TO AMZ: The research on strangles doesn't support what your vet told you regarding the lifespan of the bacteria outside of the body.

Answer 2

gee, wasn't that nice of the guy?!?  

be sure that you do not go near the infected horses.  wash your hands and carry some germ x  to help keep the infection away from healthy horses.  clean and disinfect your horses items...brushes, buckets, walls, bars, etc.  call your vet and ask if you could get a booster for your horse(s).

as far as turn out, i would ask if you could get your horse(s) into the farthest pasture as possible...on the other side of the facility, if possible.  when the illness has passed, the pasture used for the sick horses should have the fencing disinfected (i know, easier said than done), and the pasture needs to be off rotation for at least 3 months, to be sure the germs are good and gone.

i usually don't suggest running out and getting supplements, but for a case like this, i would suggest starting some vit. c for your horse, and adding a 1/4 cup of organic apple cider vinager to you horses water.  the acv will keep the water a bit safer...plus has about a billion other helpful uses...

best of luck with this.  i hope you guys are in the clear.

Answer 3

See honestly I think people overreact when they hear the words STRANGLES. And I fully disagree with whoever said to be as paranoid as possible. We currently are dealing with our first outbreak of strangles at our facility..and while it IS scary, all of our vets have made it clear that strangles certainly is NOT death sentence like many people make it out to be.  Complications are very rare, so don't get all worked up. Three different vets also told us that the only way a horse can get strangles is if there has been direct contact with the wet mucus. As soon as the mucus dries, the bacteria dies.We asked about cleaning and sanitizing the barn and ourselves, but he said it would be useless(I sanitize anyway even if they say it is "useless"). We have kept the infected horse quarentined and none of our other 7 horses have shown signs of strangles.

Answer 4

"Sov" provided a very thorough answer.  I just want to add that I had the misfortune to have a 6 month old foal hauled  with a horse with strangles.  I had hired a professional hauler, all horses coming into my state had to have a vet certificate and negative coggins, but somehow the sick horse slipped by.  The good news was that they didn't let the horses touch in the transport truck and by some miracle, my colt didn't get strangles.  So there is a good chance that with proper quarantine practices, your horse will not be infected.  Good luck.

Answer 5

Vaccinations are not 100%.  Your horse can still get strangles but the chance is less than those not vaccinated.  I wouldn't blame all the horse owners.  Many times veterinarians and farriers carry the bacteria with them after treating or shoeing an animal they may not yet have known was infected.  Anyone who associated with an infected horse, and was in close contact via sneeze, cough or water bucket and tack could have transported the problem.  If you notice your horse being "off", check the temp, call the vet, and get an antibiotic!  The problems resulting from untreated strangles can be very serious.  This makes me think about the child in school who gets strep or pink eye.  Everyone blames the parent for sending the kid to school when "school" is usually the place the kid picked up the bacteria!  Possibly from a worker who didn't want to miss a day of work.  The blame game is useless.  Watch your horse and treat with antibiotics if necessary.  And if you know of any other horses with the illness, tell someone so they can also be quarantined immediately.  Strangles is easily treated with antibiotics, don't panic.

Answer 6

Of all the answers so far, the only one that's reasonable and is fairly accurate is AMZ's. I am going to start by debunking a few of the myths I have seen on here, and go from there. First, strangles is caused by a BACTERIA, NOT A VIRUS. The bacterium which causes this disease is Streptococcus Equi, a close cousin to the same bug which causes strep throat in people. In fact, strangles is actually the horse version of strep throat, if you think about it. Strangles is contagious, yes- and it can be spread through close contact between horses which are ill and those which are healthy. It is NOT, however, spread around by insects, particularly mosquitoes or flies.

The next thing you need to know about strangles is that the bacteria can live in the soil and water for months and even YEARS after the last horse to contract the disease recovers- and it is particularly partial to wet, boggy, or swampy soils and conditions. That's why every time any new horse is introduced to an established herd, it must be quarantined for at LEAST 2 weeks- even if the new horse has been vaccinated. From the sound of it, that's NOT what happened here, and you, the asker, are paying the price, along with everyone else at this facility.

Most cases of strangles are uncomplicated. Usually, once the abscesses under the jaw open and start to drain, the horse experiences great relief and will start eating and drinking normally again. Sometimes, though, the infection will become internal and start attacking the horse's vital organs, such as the kidneys, liver, heart, and brain. This is the condition known as "b*****d" strangles- and most cases of it are generally fatal unless treated. Strangles does respond to antibiotic therapy, but there is a considerable amount of controversy about whether or not it should be used. Some vets believe that every horse who shows any kind of infection should be given antibiotics from the outset, and there are others who think that antibiotics should only be given when and if the condition " bastardizes" so to speak. Most of the vets I have ever worked with tend to fall in the latter category, but your situation may be very different. There are still other vets I have known who actually think that using antibiotics to treat strangles can actually CAUSE the infection to bastardize. I am not sure where the truth really lies- and science has yet to provide an answer. Strangles can also cause one other condition which you should be aware of, which is a type of hemorrhage under the skin called puperea hemorrhagica. That condition is also fatal most of the time.

As far as the trainer who " doesn't believe in vaccination" for this disease, I have to say that to a certain extent, I actually agree with him. Strangles vaccines have been repeatedly shown to have an extremely low efficacy rate- somewhere on the order of 50% or less in most cases. There have also been cases when horses have gotten sick right after being given the shot, or they have had the shot and still come down with the disease a few weeks or months later. No vaccine is ever foolproof- but with this disease, sometimes giving the shots is actually worse than not giving them. So I can understand where this trainer is coming from. He probably feels that this is one disease where the cure is worse than the infection- or perhaps that the shots are a waste of time and money because it's likely that the horses are going to get sick anyway. I have known plenty of other people like that, and it's not an unusual position to take.

As far as preventing your horse from getting sick, the best thing you can do is keep your horse away from the quarantine barn, and make sure that there is NO POSSIBLE WAY he can come into contact with any of the sick horses. This means no sharing of equipment, no rubbing noses across a fence line, and it means that you need to start keeping a flat rubber washtub filled with a mixture of bleach and water near door of your horse's barn. Dip your shoes in the mix when you enter and leave- this will keep you from carrying the bacteria around on your shoes. Stay out of the quarantine barn unless you have a reason to be there- the less traffic in and out of it, the better. Wash your horse's feed and water buckets daily, with hot water and soap, and rinse them well after each meal. Likewise, since you must walk on a common path to the riding area, I would avoid doing this for a while if you can. Take your horse to the pasture and work him there, at least until this ends. Finally, take care of your own health, because while people can't get strangles, we CAN get strep throat from being around an infected horse, so it pays to take care of yourself.

Good luck, and I hope the sick horses get well.

Answer 7

OMG I am so sorry, that just sucks! There is always the possibility that your horse might get it but you have a few things on your side, that you have used the vaccine and that your horse is older. Its usually the young one that are so susceptible but I have seen it run rampet through barns leaving no prisoners. You have some awesome advice on being clean and separate. The best I can do for you is to say how sorry I am and Good luck.

Answer 8

idk but lets go horseback riding call 1 310 567 3582 for appointment!

btw they call me tito!

Answer 9

Well, the horses that have it so far need to be in VERY strict isolation.  They should be stalled with tarps hanging around the stalls.  It should be a shower-in-shower-out, and ideally someone should be assigned to care for those horses who will not be near the other horses.  They can carry it on their boots, clothes, etc.

Regarding the vaccine.  It is a very controversial subject - so it's not totally unheard of.  The vaccine has caused cases of strangles to begin.  It also carries many side affects and actually is only about 50% effective.

The best way to prevent strangles - whether or not a person uses the vaccine or not is to just be responsible.  If you go to shows - don't let your horse sniff other horses, no sharing water buckets, bleach your stall, etc.

As long as your horse doesn't come in contact with the virus it should be okay.  It is transmitted by touching of the secretions that contain the virus - like nasal discharge.  A general rule is to stay atleast 10 feet away to avoid nasal spray, etc.

The good news is that most horses recover quickly and side effects are fairly rare.  The bad news is that the side effects that do occur can be terrible - like b*****d strangles, purpura (these can occur even a month or more after you get the all clear of strangles), and an infection that doens't break open and has to be drained.

I feel very bad for you.  It is disappointing and expensive to be in that situation.  There is a lot of strangles that go around and it has become a fairly normal thing for boarding facilities (especially show barns) to have to deal with.

Do some research, say a few prayers, and just keep a close eye on your horse and especially keep a close eye on the neighboring horses.  

Best wishes.

EDIT:  One more thing - from the map your horse probably doesn't have much exposure with the horses that currently have it.  Also - the odds of getting it depend greatly on the age of your horse.  If it's young (3 or under) it greatly increases the risk.  If the horse is 10+ it probably already has a good immunity to it and would drastically reduce the chances of getting it.

Answer 10

Hmmm, if there are already 3-5 horses with sores, theres a good chance yours has already been exposed. Sounds like your barn is doing a good job of trying to contain the outbreak as much as possible, but really, once you've got open sores, its probably already travelled around the facility.

Minimize your horses contact with ALL other horses - you don't know who is carrying it & might not be showing symptoms yet. Watch your horses closely for any symptoms, so you can start treating it asap.

Odds of getting it depends on several different things - are your horses vaccinated? It the strain thats going around the one they were vaccinated for, or one they've been exposed to in the past?  Also I find that older horse have a pretty good resistance to most things, younger horses are more likely to get sick.

Good luck!

Answer 11

My trainer has me and my friends all paranoid about strangles going around and she said several things to keep in mind, so it may help to keep the uninfected horses stay that way.

-->BE AS PARANOID AS POSSIBLE

-->clean your barn really well in the places where it could reach

-->if the infected horses go outside, make sure it is a pen that you won't use for a LONG time afterwards

-->because it is extremely contagious, make sure that the wind couldn't possibly carry anything from horse hair to horse snot into the other barns

-->buy new brushes and things specifically for the purpose of the infected horses

Answer 12

Your horse may still catch strangles but the infection should not be as bad as those horses that are unvaccinated....blame the barn manager or owner for allowing the nincompoop not to vaccinate his horses....he should be the one paying everyone's vet bill.  I have zero tolerance for idiots.   They bring a lot of grief to everyone else for their stupidity.   And apparently he has caused a lot of grief with lost entry fees.....ouch!!!!!

To really handle quarantine or isolation those infected horses should be very far away from the rest of the group....not nearly enough distance between your horse and the infected ones.  

EDIT:  A fly as a vector has the capacity to fly more than 1/4 mile...all it takes is one landing on a horses' nose/mouth to spread strangles.

http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/ht...

For those who would disagree, pull your head out of the sand.  

EDIT: ........From the Veterinary school at Louisiana State University......

" In addition, flies or other insects may become contaminated and gain the ability to spread bacteria from horse to horse.  Therefore, horses that are exposed to other horses and their equipment (via travel, shows, sale barns, etc.) are at a greater risk of contracting strangles than isolated animals that remain in their own barn/pasture."

http://209.85.141.104/search?q=cache:wy8...

I do feel very badly for all of you who are effected by this brought on by the dummy.  It is a shame!!!   Send him your vet bills!!!!!  He shouldn't be allowed to skate on this!!

Edit:  I see that there are those who feel strangles is not big concern...tell that to a friend of mine, AQHA, breeder who lost some 12 to 15 yearlings to purpura hemorrhagica as a complication of strangles....

For those of you lacking DVM behind your name please withhold your vet  "advice" and "guesstimates" as it may negatively influence someone who may not have the experience of dealing with this disease.  They are on this horse board.  

http://www.jimmunol.org/cgi/content/abst...

http://www.vetlearn.com/ME2/Audiences/di...

Been there and done it.

Answer 13

Your horse may still be able to get strangles. Strangles if highly contageouse.

Check this web sight out. There IS a vaccine for strangles.

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index....