by Fran Jurga | 4 December 2008 | The Jurga Report on Equisearch.com

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An enterprising group of veterinarians has launched vetstoria.com, an online community for horse owners seeking access to video-based education on horse diseases and health concerns.

As a sample, I am posting for you an important description of the disease we call “Strangles”. This time of year many horses are changing barns (or owners) and coming in from long summer turnout. Barns, blankets and buckets combine with new stalls, new trailers, new handlers to increase the risk of highly contagious diseases like strangles.

I have witnessed strangles firsthand, and more than once, and I can testify that this is a disease that you do not want your horse to experience. My horse was at a boarding barn on the farm of a horse dealer, and lots of horses came and went. We always assumed that the strangles outbreaks were related to some horse that had shipped in, but we never really knew. It could have been spread in so many ways, but it is also possible that a resident horse was a carrier and only occasionally shed the bacteria.

It seemed like the innocent boarder horses went through a ritual of falling victim to the disease. The owners were devastated. It was heartbreaking to watch the horses endure the disease, particularly when it advanced into bastard strangles.

Take the time to watch this video and learn the signs of strangles. Talk to your veterinarian about how to prevent the disease, and if vaccination is something you should consider.

Thanks to Vetstoria.com’s vets for making this video available.