Quarantine, Isolation and Disinfection
Respiratory virus and Strangles cases are on the rise. This can be due to the adoption of rescue horses, bringing in a new horse, weather extremes cold nights/hot days, congregation of horses during competitions or trail rides, commercial horse van transport, and your horse coming home from the trainer. In any of these situations, the best policy is to isolate the horse from your other horses for 2-4 weeks so the disease that the horse may be shedding does not go through your other horses. Isolation means no nose-to-nose contact with another horse over the fence, thru the cracks of boards between stalls, next to or across the aisle from the new arrival. Separation in a separate barn or paddock is best. These are the most common respiratory diseases.
Incubation period is the time from exposure to the time of clinical signs (fever). Just as with Covid, when there is fever, virus is being shed and the horse is contagious. After the fever breaks, the horse is still contagious for days. The signs of common respiratory diseases are same. The horse may have fever more than 101.5, snotty nose, cough, not eating, depressed, and with strangles swollen and ruptured lymph nodes. We have a nasal swab test that we take when the horse has fever and send off to the lab which identifies which respiratory disease it is.
Disease Incubation and Shedding TImes
EHV (herpes/Rhino) has an incubation period of 4-6 days and a 7-10 day up to 3 weeks duration of shedding.
Strangles incubation period is 3-14 days and a duration of shedding 2-4 weeks or longer
Flu incubation period is 1-3 days and a 7-10 day duration of shedding.
Disinfectants are used to kill the virus or strangles bacteria. Liquid Lysol is the best for disinfection of stalls because it is not inactivated by organic material (dirt, manure). Povidone Iodine (Betadine) is the best for buckets or plastic feeders because it is nontoxic and is not inactivated by organic material. Bleach is nontoxic but is inactivated by organic material so it can only be used in cleaned water buckets and feed tubs. Wearing gloves or hand washing after contact with the sick horse is important so you don’t transmit the disease. Soap, antiseptic soap, betadine, alcohol wipes are effective.
Strangles Study
A study of Strangles bacteria survival on surfaces was done. On outdoor surfaces (wood fence, painted fence, rubber and metal feed trough) the strangles bacteria lived 1-3 days depending on the amount of sunlight. It lived 24 hours in direct sunlight all day, and longer if cloudy. On indoor surfaces (stall, rubber sole of a shoe, cotton overalls, plastic bucket) the strangles bacteria lived 7 days. Stronger survival was seen in winter. The strangles bacteria live 30 days in a bucket with water, or water trough. Liquid Lysol is the most effective against strangles bacteria.
Concentrated Salt Solution
The 20% salt solution kills and prevents bacteria from growing in wounds, but I don’t know if it would work for strangles bacteria. I have been using the concentrated salt solution spray and salt gauze on various wounds for 2 months and have seen great results. The wounds healed faster with no proud flesh. Wounds with a cut tendon were treated with the salt solution and had amazing, faster healing and had no proud flesh! One caution, it does sting. Vetericyn is an alternative that kills bacteria in 2 minutes and does not sting. To make the salt solution mix ½ cup of salt to 4 cups (1 quart) of water.
Texas Election
This Texas election is for laws that are passed but require public approval to amend the Texas constitution. Please take the time to vote yes for proposition 1.
What is Proposition 1?
This Proposition establishes the right to engage in farm, ranch and timber production, horticulture or wildlife management practices. It stops cities from regulating accepted agriculture practices (including veterinary medicine) as these cities expand into rural areas. This is a real threat, especially in these times of rapid growth. Proposition 1 gives Texans the constitutional right to engage in such agriculture practices on real property that you own or lease.
Early voting days are Oct 23rd – Nov 3rd.
Election Day is November 7th.
Castration signs: Nov 19-24
Dr. Hayes will be at the AAEP Equine vet meeting Nov 29- Dec 3. Call the office for assistance.
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