RE: RC: Strangles

["Kathy Mayeda" <kathy_mayeda@atce.com>]

Here's a long clip from the Horseman's Adviser website.  His last statement
summarizes my feelings as well.

K.




Dear Dr.,

After having some difficulty getting this message to post, I was contacted
via e-mail by someone at The Horseman's Advisor who was most helpful. You
have a wonderful staff.
I have a strangles concern. I have what I and my local veterinarian consider
to be an infection in my barn. I have read your very informative article,
and have learned more from it than from my direct personal consultations. I
do have, however, several questions which greatly puzzle me ( and my
non-equine vet -bless his heart!!).
I have my barn of 19 animals divided into three groups as per your
suggestion. Here are my concerns:

1. Is this a one-timer disease ? If any given animal comes down with even
the start of symptoms, and I hit them with a full course of pennicillin,
does this mean they're over and done for or can they still run the risk of
contracting it again ?

2. I have the type of facility that may be impossible to totally disinfect,
how bad is that going to be for me ?

3. My younger stock has shared a community watering system in a large
pasture. Can this ever be done again - after disinfection, of course ?

4. And, finally (I think) I have no intention of bringing any new animals
into the facility in the near future. When I do, how long should I wait, and
will a vaccine be apppropriate ?

I certainly want to do the right thing, and though this isn't the "worst"
thing that could happen, it is certainly very stressful.

Thank you again for your service,

Robin

By The Advisor Vet, RN Oglesby DVM on Friday, July 30, 1999 - 06:41 am: Edit


Hello Robin,
Lisa showed me your letter and we always get distressed when someone is
having problems using the system. I'm delighted to see you here. Taking your
questions in order:

1) There is no doubt that experimentally Strangles horses loose their
immunity over time, perhaps as short as 2 years. Experience suggests in the
real world a longer lasting immunity, some think life time. I have seen
horses in the middle of outbreak surrounded by sick horses that remained
free of the disease but had no history of prior infection or vaccination.
Then again I had not know the horses that well.

2) I am afraid it is likely to mean that at least for some time new horses
to your facility are going to be exposed. The organisim is very resistant
and persists in the environment. I suggest that after it is all over you
look into some of the commercial farm disinfectants that you can spray.
Bleach is considered useless on wood and soil (see below) but can be used on
buckets and painted surfaces.

3) Yes

4) That is a toughy. The problem I see with vaccination is that it creates
persistance of the organism in the environment. The currently available
vaccines do not prevent infection and spread of the organism. They attenuate
the symptoms in a percentage of the vaccinates. Some vaccinates get a full
blown case while some show very little signs of illness. The result is you
have some horses spreading the Strangles organisms around your farm,
unknowingly, perpetuating an endemic situation.

We do not vaccinte regularly and neither do we see Strangles, except as a
rare visitation from horses coming into the practice. We rely on good
quarantine practices, early identification, and aggressive treatment to
prevent spread.

The other side to the this discussion is when new horses come it sure would
be nice to know they may not get as sick.. I think the key to the argument
is that penicillin, when started early in the course of the disease and used
in appropriate dosages, is extremely effective at curing this disease and
preventing further spread.

What we did on one farm was after getting the animals under control,
vaccinated new arrivals (two vaccines 30 days a part, prior to getting
there) for a year, treated all sniffles accompanied by fever with
penicillin. The premises were sprayed once monthly with a disinfectant for a
year. That farm has remained free of strangles for 10 years now without
vaccination, and they still quarentine new arrivals.

For disinfection I strongly recommend a fifth generation quartenary ammonium
salt like RE-JUV-NAL. It excells at killing bacteria on organic surfaces and
soild while being relatively nontoxic to the animals.

Strangles certainly is a bummer but a managable one. Good Luck.
DrO