Strangles Rumours
Few things get the horse rumour mill going like strangles. This infectious disease carries such a stigma that the simple act of having a sick horse (or even the suggestion that someone has a sick horse) can lead to rumours that spread like wildfire, along with complaints, accusations and other generally antisocial behaviour. Currently, depending on what rumours you listen to, there are either major strangles outbreaks going on in multiple large facilities across Ontario, or everyone is fine and there are no sick horses of any type in the province. (Like most things, the truth probably lies somewhere in between.)
Strangles, caused by the bacterium Streptococcus equi, is an important equine infectious disease. It's present in horses internationally and there are always cases and small outbreaks underway in Canada (as in other countries). It's also potentially controllable using good infection control practices, but the stigma, rumours, denials and other associated problems hamper such efforts.
Because of the stigma associated with strangles, some peoples' approach is to deny the possibility that their horse may have the disease, or to avoid getting proper testing done. I've heard people deny that they have strangles on their premises, but in the same sentence say that they aren't letting any people on the farm for a couple of weeks with no explanation as to why. I've also seen situations where strangles is clearly present but people refuse to have culture samples taken - because if no cultures are taken and found to be positive, they can still say that they haven't had any horses diagnosed with strangles (even with stall after stall of horses with fever, nasal discharge and draining abscesses). Fortunately, most horse owners and farm managers don't take this approach, but the fact that some do gives strength to the rumours that often circulate.
Denying that an infectious disease problem exists is never a good idea, because it usually hampers implementation of the required control measures. It's also unethical if these denials and improper practices lead to more infections. If strangles is on a farm, people need to own up to the fact and act accordingly. Yes, the proper control measures are a hassle and can interfere with showing, racing or other uses. But closing your eyes and hoping it goes away does not work. At the same time, people need to take a balanced approach when they hear about strangles. Having a horse with strangles does not necessarily mean that there is bad management on the farm. Yes, many infections could be prevented with good infection control precautions, but we can't prevent all infections at this point. The more people point fingers about strangles cases, the greater the pressure for people to hide the problem.
- If you have strangles on your farm, admit it. There's no use hiding it because the truth will come out eventually, and the rumours may be worse than the truth, anyway. Let people know what's going on and what you are doing to control it. It's often the absence of information that causes most of the fear and complaints.
- If your horse is on a particular farm when a case of strangles is diagnosed, be part of the solution, not a hindrance. Help out by supporting the barn owner and other horse owners. Do what is being asked of you. Don't immediately take your horse off the property (and possibly spread the outbreak to another facility). And cut them some slack - it may not be their fault, and it could just as easily have been your horse that was infected.
- If you've had strangles in your horse or on your farm, take the time to figure out what happened and why. This shouldn't be done to assign blame. It should be done to figure out how to prevent it the next time.
Strangles isn't Ebola. It's a problem, but one that can and should be handled with a reasonable and logical approach. More information about strangles can be found on the equIDblog Resources page.
Image: Draining abscesses of the submandibular lymph nodes of a horse with a classic case of strangles (credit: Dr. Nancy Loving, thehorse.com)
