HELP: Single abcess with strangles?

etolar · 05-06-2004, 11:59 AM

Anyone out there have any experience with horses getting a single abcess with strangles? Any truth to the rumor that the intra-naisel strangles vaccine can cause these?

Some of you might remember my horse had a swollen lymph node that we cultured fluid from. Came back as not strangles and she told me to wait it out.

It got smaller for a few weeks, but now it's really huge. A different vet came out today and used an ultrasound to find the specific fluid pocket. She drained a lot of thick pus from it. She said the first bit of fluid could have not come from the main pocket since there wasn't an ultrasound being used.

She agrees it's probably just a random infection from a broken tooth he had a while ago, but I guess they've had a few cases lately of single abcesses like this that were stangles - and not always located on the throat - I guess they can be anywhere.

To be safe, she's culturing the pus/fluid before lancing it so we know if he has to be quarunteened once it's open.

I'm terrified b/c we had a horse go down fast with apparent colic a month or so ago and get shipped to Cornell. Turns out he probably had an internal, ruptured abcess instead of colic. When they took fluid, it had Strep B in it and now that he's recovering, there's a lower level. It could have been this wierd form of strangles.

Has anyone seen/heard of/read anything about anything like this? The more info I can get the better. I just emotionally deal with things better if I understand it and right now, if by some chance she calls back and says it is strangles, I'll probably freak.

Thanks.
-erika

CJ · 05-06-2004, 12:19 PM

Sorry for your misery! Usually Strangles is in the lymph glands, but it can get loose and set up elsewhere in the body, as you found out w/ the Cornell horse. The unkind term for it is bast**d strangles. I hope it is a tooth abscess, which can be dangerous enough, and not b-strangles. Keep us posted? I'm sure your vet will know what to do. (Meanwhile, deep breaths...hug)

MiniHorseGrl · 05-06-2004, 02:04 PM

aww, poor horsies!! i really dont know that much about strangles, other then what you already seem to know, and that it has been going around western NY, what part of NY do you live in?

::Miss Kitty:: · 05-06-2004, 02:44 PM

We had a mare with an abscess on the throat that we thought was strangles too. We kept her quarentined until her test results came back. Has something like that been going around?

etolar · 05-06-2004, 05:45 PM

Mini, I'm in the Rochester area. I guess Gennesse Valley Equine has seen a few cases (though I don't think enough to say it's "going around").

She seriously doubts it's strangles just b/c it appeared right when he fractured the tooth. Something probably got in his bloodstream that way and lodged in the lymph node.

She's waiting to lance it until the labs come back so we're positive it's not strangles and the other horses at the barn are safe.

Anyone heard of the vaccine causing ******* strangles?

Since we haven't lanced it yet, I got to ride him tonight (first time really in 3 weeks since I had stitches) and he was good so I feel a little better. At least whatever is going on, he isn't in pain. He still has his kind eye.

etolar · 05-07-2004, 03:28 AM

*bump* Anyone else have any info?

Blistering Winds · 05-07-2004, 05:36 AM

We did 50 horses with the intranasal strangles. None have shown any signs of illness from the vaccine. This was back in the Fall of 03 that we gave them their vaccines.

As for the tooth abcesses, yes it can migrate to another part of the body, causing a systemic infection.

MiniHorseGrl · 05-07-2004, 09:07 AM

ok, if u r in rochester, thats pretty close to me, and it was going through barns around here about a month back, in fact my sis trailered a horse from a barn that had it to another barn that had it, adn wasnt told till afterwards about it..we had to dysinfect the whole trailer..blah..but yeah, it is going around here, but hopefully its just the tooth...

etolar · 05-10-2004, 05:57 AM

Well, preliminary labs say it isn't strangles. We're still waiting for the labs back from Cornell to be sure. We're also waiting for the antibiotics sensitivity tests before lancing it.

So I get to ride him a few more days. He was really good yesterday. I finally found the right combination to get him relaxed and on the bit early in a ride. Pretty simple actually...halt to trot instead of halt to walk to trot. Funny how you just have to find the right combination.

Hopefully he won't be out of commission too long. I want to take him to a show mid-June and now that we're figuring each other out, I think we could actually be ready for it if we get the time to practice.

--Erika

ps - Any other info on bas***d strangles is still appreciated. It's obviously coming up more often around here and I'd like to understand it as much as possible.

cowgirlinFL · 05-01-2006, 11:50 AM

Hi..my horse has that..if it burst open..wash with anitbacterial soap, then clean with betadine solution and spread on that black drawing salve Ickthamal (sp?)..all over it..that draws out the infection..do at least twice a day..am and pm..and my horses have always gotten nasal vaccine..per vet..it's not a preventative..but makes gettin it alot easier..which is why you probably on got 1 node swelling..use rubber gloves and change each time u dress the wound to keep from spreading..Its work'n for us..Thank the Lord....

05-06-2004, 11:59 AM	#1
etolar Banned Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: New York Posts: 194	HELP: Single abcess with strangles? Anyone out there have any experience with horses getting a single abcess with strangles? Any truth to the rumor that the intra-naisel strangles vaccine can cause these? Some of you might remember my horse had a swollen lymph node that we cultured fluid from. Came back as not strangles and she told me to wait it out. It got smaller for a few weeks, but now it's really huge. A different vet came out today and used an ultrasound to find the specific fluid pocket. She drained a lot of thick pus from it. She said the first bit of fluid could have not come from the main pocket since there wasn't an ultrasound being used. She agrees it's probably just a random infection from a broken tooth he had a while ago, but I guess they've had a few cases lately of single abcesses like this that were stangles - and not always located on the throat - I guess they can be anywhere. To be safe, she's culturing the pus/fluid before lancing it so we know if he has to be quarunteened once it's open. I'm terrified b/c we had a horse go down fast with apparent colic a month or so ago and get shipped to Cornell. Turns out he probably had an internal, ruptured abcess instead of colic. When they took fluid, it had Strep B in it and now that he's recovering, there's a lower level. It could have been this wierd form of strangles. Has anyone seen/heard of/read anything about anything like this? The more info I can get the better. I just emotionally deal with things better if I understand it and right now, if by some chance she calls back and says it is strangles, I'll probably freak. Thanks. -erika

05-06-2004, 12:19 PM	#2
CJ Senior Member+ Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: NJ Posts: 5,647 Images: 48	Sorry for your misery! Usually Strangles is in the lymph glands, but it can get loose and set up elsewhere in the body, as you found out w/ the Cornell horse. The unkind term for it is bast*d strangles. I hope it is a tooth abscess, which can be dangerous enough, and not b-strangles. Keep us posted? I'm sure your vet will know what to do. (Meanwhile, deep breaths...hug) __________________ One Mare Can Make a Difference* Pinky Ribbon

05-07-2004, 05:36 AM	#7
Blistering Winds Senior Member+ Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Augusta, Kansas Posts: 31,724 Images: 814 Blog Entries: 16	We did 50 horses with the intranasal strangles. None have shown any signs of illness from the vaccine. This was back in the Fall of 03 that we gave them their vaccines. As for the tooth abcesses, yes it can migrate to another part of the body, causing a systemic infection. __________________ 20 lb club: New year Start: 175 Goal: 130 Current: 158 Total loss this year 17 lbs.

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05-06-2004, 02:04 PM	#3
MiniHorseGrl Banned Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 1,013	aww, poor horsies!! i really dont know that much about strangles, other then what you already seem to know, and that it has been going around western NY, what part of NY do you live in?

05-06-2004, 02:44 PM	#4
::Miss Kitty:: Senior Member+ Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: (}~~{)Canada(}~~{) Posts: 2,307 Images: 5	We had a mare with an abscess on the throat that we thought was strangles too. We kept her quarentined until her test results came back. Has something like that been going around?

05-06-2004, 05:45 PM	#5
etolar Banned Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: New York Posts: 194	Mini, I'm in the Rochester area. I guess Gennesse Valley Equine has seen a few cases (though I don't think enough to say it's "going around"). She seriously doubts it's strangles just b/c it appeared right when he fractured the tooth. Something probably got in his bloodstream that way and lodged in the lymph node. She's waiting to lance it until the labs come back so we're positive it's not strangles and the other horses at the barn are safe. Anyone heard of the vaccine causing ******* strangles? Since we haven't lanced it yet, I got to ride him tonight (first time really in 3 weeks since I had stitches) and he was good so I feel a little better. At least whatever is going on, he isn't in pain. He still has his kind eye.

05-07-2004, 03:28 AM	#6
etolar Banned Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: New York Posts: 194	bump Anyone else have any info?

05-07-2004, 09:07 AM	#8
MiniHorseGrl Banned Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 1,013	ok, if u r in rochester, thats pretty close to me, and it was going through barns around here about a month back, in fact my sis trailered a horse from a barn that had it to another barn that had it, adn wasnt told till afterwards about it..we had to dysinfect the whole trailer..blah..but yeah, it is going around here, but hopefully its just the tooth...

05-10-2004, 05:57 AM	#9
etolar Banned Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: New York Posts: 194	Well, preliminary labs say it isn't strangles. We're still waiting for the labs back from Cornell to be sure. We're also waiting for the antibiotics sensitivity tests before lancing it. So I get to ride him a few more days. He was really good yesterday. I finally found the right combination to get him relaxed and on the bit early in a ride. Pretty simple actually...halt to trot instead of halt to walk to trot. Funny how you just have to find the right combination. Hopefully he won't be out of commission too long. I want to take him to a show mid-June and now that we're figuring each other out, I think we could actually be ready for it if we get the time to practice. --Erika ps - Any other info on bas***d strangles is still appreciated. It's obviously coming up more often around here and I'd like to understand it as much as possible.

05-01-2006, 11:50 AM	#10
cowgirlinFL Junior Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 5	Hi..my horse has that..if it burst open..wash with anitbacterial soap, then clean with betadine solution and spread on that black drawing salve Ickthamal (sp?)..all over it..that draws out the infection..do at least twice a day..am and pm..and my horses have always gotten nasal vaccine..per vet..it's not a preventative..but makes gettin it alot easier..which is why you probably on got 1 node swelling..use rubber gloves and change each time u dress the wound to keep from spreading..Its work'n for us..Thank the Lord....