STRANGLES - Redwings

Part Three
PREPARE FOR STRANGLES
Foot dip
The first step in preparing for a Strangles outbreak is to
never think it won’t happen to you! Every yard should
have protocols in places for how to deal with a Strangles
case, as well as other contagious diseases.
This section will tell you how to set up a successful
quarantine facility. Have quarantine equipment readily
available before a Strangles case occurs. Having
quarantine measures in place is also useful in case
of other infectious problems, such as lice, ringworm
and respiratory infections, not to mention the increasing
risk of exotic diseases.
Yard managers should share this information with staff
and livery yard members. Why not hold a one hour
session with everybody on the yard so they are well
aware of the protocols in place?
It is also beneficial to have a quarantine yard set up for
new arrivals to the yard, which you can read more about
in Part Four.
Will this cost a lot of money?
Setting up a quarantine facility will cost much less than
dealing with a large outbreak. The costs of dealing with
a large outbreak are extremely high, especially when an
outbreak happens at an equine related business, such as
an event yard or riding school.
A large outbreak will result in the whole yard being ‘shut
down’ for months. We know of some yards that have had
to close permanently because of loss of business whilst
on ‘shut down’. It will be beneficial to all yards to spend
time and a small amount of money now, as the costs of
an outbreak may be insurmountable.
What do I need to set up a
successful quarantine area?
On the next page, you will find a list of equipment
that you will need for a quarantine area. However, it
will only be successful if yard staff and livery yard
members adhere to quarantine rules. You will also find
a quarantine area protocol overleaf. Read the protocol
thoroughly.
We suggest that you circulate the protocol to all staff
and livery yard members. Keep one copy in the
quarantine area and the other on the main yard.
You could set up a make-shift quarantine area and train
all staff and livery yard members on how to use it. You
can also find a presentation on our website to use for
training purposes.
Quarantine set-up checklist
You will need:
- An allocated area away from other horses.
- Cordon tape or a barrier to mark the quarantine area if a case occurs.
This needs to be at least 8ft from the front of the area to allow for
equipment storage. It also needs clearly marked entrance and exit points.
- Signage to mark the quarantine area. You will find example signage
in this pack.
- A separate set of equipment (stable tools, headcollars etc).
Label all equipment “For quarantine use only”.
- Separate storage for feed, forage and bedding. Soft feeds will help
as infected horses will have a sore throat.
- Appropriate disinfectant, such as Safe4. We use Safe4 at Redwings
because it is non-toxic to animals and humans, and is easy to dispose of.
It is also non-corrosive so it is safe to use when cleaning down equipment.
- Plenty of overalls in different sizes. They must be big enough to cover
neck-collars, shirt-cuffs and trouser-cuffs, otherwise you will easily transfer
the disease onto your own clothes. Overalls must be disinfected and
washed at a high temperature after each use. You can also get
single-use overalls.
- Four bins. Two for foot dip and two to soak used overalls. Place one of
each at the entrance and exit. Both dips must be made up of diluted
disinfectant. See the manufacturer’s instructions for details.
- Two bins with lids. One clearly marked for clean overalls,
and one clearly marked for dirty overalls waiting to be disinfected.
- Spray bottle with diluted disinfectant.
- Disposable gloves.
- Hand wash and/or hand sanitiser specifically for this purpose
(such as Safe4’s hand wash and sanitiser).
- A large number of thick bin bags or old feed bags for muck and
soiled bedding.
A clearly marked
quarantine area
- An area to store muck and soiled bedding. It needs to be disposed
of separately to your normal muck heap.
EVERY piece of equipment in that
area will need to remain there until
quarantine is lifted. If it needs to
be removed at any time it must be
Redwings guide to Strangles. Page 6
Redwings guide to Strangles. Page 7
thoroughly disinfected first.