Strangles is endemic in the UK. It is an infectious bacterial disease that affects the upper respiratory tract. It usually causes:
- high temperature
- inappetance
- nasal discharge
- swollen glands and lymph nodes
- abscesses, typically under the jaw.
It can be overlooked as ‘a bit of a cold’ but in time, infected horses can develop painful lymph node abscesses that often rupture. This makes it difficult for them to breath and swallow.
Another serious complication known as ‘bastard strangles’ can occur when the bacteria spreads and causes abscesses in other parts of the body (difficult to treat, this can often be fatal). Diagnosis is usually easy; blood tests can detect antibodies to strangles, and are useful for horses moving to a new yard, whereas guttural pouch lavage using an endoscope can be a quicker and more accurate test for most cases. At present, strangles vaccines have had limited success and high rates of vaccine reactions, so the best way to prevent the spread of strangles is good biosecurity measures.
