What is bastard strangles?

By Gayle Hallowell

How to...

09 September 2009 15:58

Bastard strangles is a rare development of the typical form which, in some outbreaks, can affect up to 10 per cent of horses. This is where the infection spreads through the body via the lymphatics – channels that normally protect against infection.

Abscesses can form in lymph nodes throughout the body, including in the chest and abdomen. They can cause symptoms of colic and, if they burst, the horse will become very sick and may not survive. To fight the infection, the body produces antibodies to kill the bacteria. However, these antibodies can also damage the horse’s own tissues, causing all sorts of symptoms; the most common is oedema (swelling of the tissue), usually in the legs, head and trunk, and also little burst blood vessels seen as red spots on the gums. On very rare occasions, this can lead to colic, as it damages the blood vessels to the gut, or causes problems in the kidneys or muscle.