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Veterinarians in the Okanagan are urging horse lovers across Canada to take precautions as new cases of an infectious disease, called strangles, spread.
There are two farms with confirmed infections of strangles in the Okanagan, and several more suspected cases, said Dr. Gail Jewell, a veterinarian with Heartland Vet Services in Kelowna, B.C. She administered one of the positive tests on a farm near Kelowna.
“It’s very, very, very contagious,” Jewell said.
“The other wrinkle is that it loves cold weather.”
The Equine Disease Communication Centre (EDCC) also reported that a horse on the Sunshine Coast was infected with strangles on Dec. 3, and noted there may have been four other exposures. The EDCC also reports that there are numerous active infections across Ontario and one in Alberta.
Jewell said the outbreak around Kelowna may be linked to horses that travelled from Alberta, but it is difficult to know the cause as horses can be invisible carriers of the bacteria.
“Sometimes they won’t develop symptoms, but they can become what we call ‘chronic shedders.’”
Freedom’s Gate Equine Rescue has elected to undergo a voluntary quarantine period to protect its vulnerable horses. The farm says it does not have any cases of strangles. (Carly Marchand/Facebook)
Even weeks after seeming to recover from a strangles infection, some horses can still shed the disease and infect other equines, she added.
Horses infected with strangles can develop high fevers and stop eating. The bacteria infects the horse’s lymph nodes and can form abscesses that rupture and spread infectious pus.
In addition to causing illness and painful abscesses, Jewell said the disease can be fatal in at-risk equines.
Farms advised to quarantine
A clinic that Jewell works with, Connect Veterinary Services, sent an email to its clients in the Okanagan on Jan. 3, notifying them of the outbreak and recommending quarantine and biosecurity protocols to prevent spread.
Jewell said the farms with infections have been told they ought to implement a six-week quarantine. She said other barns around Kelowna are voluntarily implementing a three-week quarantine.
Those who care for horses are being advised to monitor their animals for symptoms such as snotty nose, fever, and swollen throat latch lymph nodes.
“Thankfully, it hasn’t been a blazing fire situation,” said Dr. Janice Posnikoff, the owner of Okanagan Equine Veterinary Services.
Posnikoff has not yet treated any horses with a confirmed case of strangles but is waiting for the test results of some horses with suspected cases, who have fevers.
There are vaccines that protect horses against strangles, she said, but they don’t offer complete protection, and vaccinated horses can still get sick and spread the bacteria.
“It’s a pretty devastating bacterial disease,” said Posnikoff.
“These abscesses rupture and literally kind of spew bacteria and pus all over the place. And then the whole cycle starts again.”
Testing for strangles is done with a nasal pharyngeal swab, and must be done in a specific way to ensure proper sample collection. Improper administration can result in false negatives of strangles, or false positives of other infections, Jewell said.
Freedom’s Gate Equine Rescue in Salmon Arm, B.C., has paused all intakes and is limiting public access to the farm to protect its horses, although it doesn’t believe any of its horses are infected.
“We have older horses, we have horses that need special care,” said its president, Carly Marchand. “We have to take precautions.”
Some horse events and shows have been cancelled or postponed to prevent the spread of the disease.
The B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Food said in a statement that it has not received any official reports of confirmed cases of strangles in the Okanagan.
Reporting of strangles is not mandatory under provincial regulations, so not all cases in the province will be made public.
However, the ministry said it is aware of concerns being discussed by the equestrian community in the Okanagan.
