STRANGLES 137 



STRANGLES 



Strangles can almost be said to be one of the commonest 

 diseases of horses. Although this is true, and despite 

 the fact that this volume is confined almost wholly to the 

 discussion of rare diseases, strangles is given a place 

 here for the reason that it very frequently has an influ- 

 ence on the veterinarian's success in a community. The 

 loss of a colt from strangles is a "black eye" that the 

 veterinarian finds hard to cast off. 



Strangles is better known by its common name, dis- 

 temper. It is an acute febrile disease resulting from 

 infection with the streptococcus equi. Judging from the 

 frequency with which horses suffer from this disease, 

 one is led to think that this organism is universally dis- 

 tributed and that it must of necessity be very tenacious 

 of life. The disease seems to occur wherever horses are 

 found, in all parts of the world. In itself a mild patho- 

 logical process, this disease at times assumes a very grave 

 character, not infrequently proving fatal because of the 

 development of complications and the localization of pus 

 foci in various parts of the body. 



Strangles, or distemper, is a disease that most fre- 

 quently attacks young horses, from sucking age to ma- 

 turity. Occasionally older horses become affected. After 

 an incubation period of from three days to a week the 

 horse refuses to respond to command as promptly as for- 

 merly; the animal appears slightly depressed, or 

 ' ' dopey. ' ' The appetite lacks sharpness, and a little later 

 the horse will not eat. There is now a discharge of 

 muco-purulent matter from one or both nostrils; there 

 may be a cough; and there is an enlargement of the 

 submaxillary lymph glands. This enlargement is 

 usually very painful under pressure. The temperature 

 may be elevated only one or two degrees, or it may 



