Page 655 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

Rising levels of antibodies against S. equi are found in blood samples of infected horses

taken 2 weeks apart. A more rapid diagnosis is made with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
VetBooks.ir assay, which detects S. equi genes from the sample of pus.

Differential diagnosis

Abscesses of the lymph nodes can occur due to bacteria other than Streptococcus equi.
Foreign bodies or dental problems can also cause submandibular swellings.

Treatment

ISOLATION

The affected horse should be isolated if possible and not allowed to come into contact with
healthy horses. The stable should be well ventilated but draught free with a warm, dry bed.

Dust levels should be kept to a minimum.

FEEDING

• Soft, moist, palatable food should be offered while swallowing is difficult.

• Hand-cut grass may tempt a horse to eat.

• Feeding from the ground encourages the discharges to drain.
• Horses unable or unwilling to eat at all can be fed by nasogastric tube.

• Good quality hay should be soaked for 20 minutes to soften it and reduce airborne dust.

WATER

Affected horses may play with their water. They want to drink but are discouraged by the
discomfort of swallowing. As the head is lowered, pus may drain into and around the bucket.

The water should be changed frequently and buckets kept clean to encourage drinking.

GRAZING

If the horse is well enough, it can be turned out to graze provided the paddock is away from

other horses. However, this will contaminate the paddock for several weeks as the bacteria
can live for a long time in lumps of discharged pus.

ABSCESSES
• Warm poultices or hot fomentations may be used to speed up maturation and rupture of

the abscesses.