Horse owners and trainers in Newmarket are on high alert after a case of the potentially fatal horse disease strangles was confirmed in a team of horses that had recently returned ro Newmarket after appearing at the Dubai World Cup Carnival.
An obviously sick horse
A case of the potentially fatal horse disease strangles was confirmed in a team of horses that had recently returned to Great Britain after appearing at the Dubai World Cup Carnival.
The horse in question has been moved to an isolation yard, while two other horses who shared the same flight from the UAE are being monitored at a second yard at the foot of the famous Warren Hill training grounds. They were reported to be showing no signs of being affected.
Three horses were on a flight from Dubai and the one that tested positive for strangles was taken straight to a pre-training yard after testing positive for strangles, andhas since been moved to an isolation yard out of the area.
The first tests on the other two horses have both proved negative and precautions are being taken with them to prevent possible exposure of other horses.
Separating or quarantining a horse at the earliest signs of the disease is important because the disease is highly contagious and may be passed from one horse to another via nasal secretions and pus from ruptured abscesses in the lymph nodes. Horses remain contagious for approximately a month after having the disease.
The name "strangles" was coined due to the strangled breathing sounds made by horses with enlarged lymph glands that are characteristic of the disease.
A horse that is exposed to Streptococcus equi will begin to show symptoms within two to six days and the characteristic abscessed lymph nodes will develop within one to two weeks after exposure. The lymph nodes rupture and drain and the drainage is highly contagious.
Location for this article has been corrected.