Strangles Update

Strangles is caused by the bacteria Strep. equi-equi and gets its name from the severe swelling of the lymph nodes in the throat area that can inhibit the horses breathing if there is no medical intervention. This disease is not transmittable to humans or other farm animals outside of the equine species (horses, donkeys, and mules). Symptoms typically start with a fever and can evolve into snotty nose, coughing, and abscessing around the throat latch/chin areas.

There are currently suspected cases from the Shuswap to Peachland. We are not the testing vet for all the suspected cases so we do NOT have information on exact numbers or locations.

What to do if your horse develops a fever or any symptoms: 

• Isolate the horse and quarantine the property

• CONTACT YOUR VETERINARIAN 

  • due to the contagious nature of this disease you may not be able to deal with your regular veterinarian, as we do not want all of our veterinarians exposed

  • further information and testing will be provided as soon as possible

What does treatment consist of?

• Treatment for strangles is usually symptomatic care: 

  • anti-inflammatories to help with pain, swelling, and fever

  • wound/abscess care 

  • antibiotic use at the discretion of the attending veterinarian 

Frequently Asked Quarantine Questions:

• How long does quarantine need to last? 

  • horses diagnosed with strangles need to be quarantined for 6 weeks after resolution of the LAST symptoms (ex: abscess sites closed and healed)

  • nasopharyngeal swabs/testing should be performed at 4 and 6 weeks after resolution of the last symptom to ensure the horse is no longer infectious 

  • the only way to ensure the horse is neither infectious nor a carrier requires a respiratory scope and guttural pouch lavage no earlier than 6 weeks after resolution of the last symptoms

• If only 1 horse on the property develops symptoms and/or tests positive, does every horse on the property need to be quarantined?

  • YES- this is the only way to ensure your horse doesn't spread the disease, as your horse may still be infectious even if it does not show any symptoms 

Vaccination:

• Vaccination during an outbreak is not recommended due to the possibility of severe complications, due to this the veterinarians of Connect Vet Services will not be administering the strangles vaccine until further notice

• If there is not a current outbreak the vaccination protocol for horses NOT exposed to strangles within the previous 18 months includes:

  • an initial series of 3 doses given 3 weeks apart

  • vaccine booster every 6 months

Biosecurity:

• Have a complete change of clothes and change prior to leaving each facility

  • place dirty clothes into a bag and wash once you return home

  • don't forget about your footwear!

• Shower daily and in between facilities 

• Hand sanitizer between horses/paddocks/stalls

• Do not share any kind of equipment or tack between horses

  • This includes the end of the hose when filling water buckets!

• Foot baths when used properly - make sure your boots are clean before using foot baths 

• Disinfection of any kind does not work on dirty surfaces, as you can not disinfect dirt/organic matter- make sure the item has been cleaned prior to disinfection

• Bleach or Virkon are both appropriate disinfectants 

  • Virkon can be purchased at Diamond H

• The Strangles bacteria can survive in the environment outside of horses

  • on hard/dry surfaces for 4 days 

  • on wet/soft surfaces for 35+ days 

We are recommending at this time that traveling with horses or between barns and facilities is halted until ALL horses across the Okanagan have been symptom free for a MINIMUM of 30 days.