Strangles

I brought in a horse 2 weeks ago and missed the early signs. He had a lot of mucus and on the second day sneezed a "gallon" of snot on my jeans - LOL! I thought it was just a cold. On Tuesday I noticed a large knot under his jaw - still didn't think of Strangles until yesterday when the abscess broke open and the poor guy now has a bloody, pus draining mess under his jaw.

Fortunately Hollywood has had his vaccination against Strangles and the older pony is just that - older. The one at risk is the 3 year old pony gelding. There's no point in separating them at this point.

Just a warning to those bringing in new horses - watch them carefully and segregate them if possible for 2 weeks.

Thanx!!!!

We always quarantine new horses for a minimum of one week. During quarantine they are not allowed in the common areas when another horse is in there (indoor arena, etc). However if the horse has ANY discharge - the vet is called. I will not risk the herd for the sake of one horse.

best of luck with him hope he feels better soon

Ack that stinks. Luckily I never got it after bringing a horse in. Hope it clears up soon, without spreading.

Yes, proper quarantine is extra important if you get a new horse from some place like an auction.

Great reminder!


Hope your horse is feeling better quickly.

well... the good thing is....most horses who have had strangles will develope an immunity to it......

Thanks everyone.

The horse I brought in, I've had here before. He belongs to a dealer friend of mine and I take in one horse at a time to condition and ride or to just layoff for a bit. He must have caught it from a horse that she brought in and came into contact with the one I have. She is normally very careful but stuff happens.

Even the most careful people can get caught by Strangles.

you should quarentine a horse for 60-90days. correct me if im wrong but i think horses exposed to strangles may not show signs for up to a month. a week or two isnt going to diddly, sometimes it takes more than that for horses to show signs of being sick.