Oscar was coughing a bit in the morning. By lunchtime he had gone dramatically down hill and I called out the emergency vet. She thinks he has strangles.
Attention then turned to where he got it from and the only new horse recently is Amber. Vet examined her and she has a small old lump on her neck. I had spotted this and had asked advice about it and was initially told that it was nothing to worry about - fly bite or something. No heat, swelling, pain. No other clinical signs. So just keep an eye on it. But in light of Oscar's symptoms now vet thinks maybe she had an atypical presentation of strangles: ie just a throat abcess and nothing else. So they have been isolated and the yard is in lockdown. I've had to tell everyone I rode with on Saturday which is horrible. People are being lovely though... I have had so many texts, messages of support saying don't blame yourself it could happen to anyone. Our yard does not have a policy of insisting on a -ve strangles test when new horses arrive. I wish it did! But the vet said there is no point individuals testing: it needs to be yard-led and horses come and go off our yard all the time. Although Oscar being ill is horrible, I am glad my horse only infected another one of my own horses and no-one else's. So far at least.
My only consolation is the vet assures me both horses will be totally fine. Vet also said that if Amber had got sick at the dealer's yard she would probably have been put down! 10% of horses with strangles die but the vast majority of that figure is euthansia as people don't want the hassle and expense!! Only 1% die of the disease itself and they are usually very old, very young or have underlying health problems. So I guess people kill the affected horse and never declare the outbreak which seems SO irresponsible. Not to mention callous on the poor horses who are unlucky enough to get ill
So my lovely girl probably dodged a bullet there LITERALLY. Bless her. So glad she is with me now so she can be looked after properly.
Attention then turned to where he got it from and the only new horse recently is Amber. Vet examined her and she has a small old lump on her neck. I had spotted this and had asked advice about it and was initially told that it was nothing to worry about - fly bite or something. No heat, swelling, pain. No other clinical signs. So just keep an eye on it. But in light of Oscar's symptoms now vet thinks maybe she had an atypical presentation of strangles: ie just a throat abcess and nothing else. So they have been isolated and the yard is in lockdown. I've had to tell everyone I rode with on Saturday which is horrible. People are being lovely though... I have had so many texts, messages of support saying don't blame yourself it could happen to anyone. Our yard does not have a policy of insisting on a -ve strangles test when new horses arrive. I wish it did! But the vet said there is no point individuals testing: it needs to be yard-led and horses come and go off our yard all the time. Although Oscar being ill is horrible, I am glad my horse only infected another one of my own horses and no-one else's. So far at least.
My only consolation is the vet assures me both horses will be totally fine. Vet also said that if Amber had got sick at the dealer's yard she would probably have been put down! 10% of horses with strangles die but the vast majority of that figure is euthansia as people don't want the hassle and expense!! Only 1% die of the disease itself and they are usually very old, very young or have underlying health problems. So I guess people kill the affected horse and never declare the outbreak which seems SO irresponsible. Not to mention callous on the poor horses who are unlucky enough to get ill
So my lovely girl probably dodged a bullet there LITERALLY. Bless her. So glad she is with me now so she can be looked after properly.
