Vaccination Key to Offering BEST Protection Against Strangles

Vaccination is key to offering the BEST protection against strangles and is one of the measures launched to the equestrian community in the run up to Strangles Awareness Week (6-12 May 2024) to help raise awareness of the infectious disease and promote the latest practical guidance on preventing a strangles outbreak. 

The BEST protection guidance includes: 

• Boost immunity by vaccinating against strangles 
• Educate yourself and others 
• Separate new horses 
• Temperature check routinely 

In the run up to Strangles Awareness Week, new videos have been released showing the resilience of owners whose horses contracted strangles and highlighting the experiences of yard and equestrian event venue owners in preventing and managing the disease. 

During the ‘How does strangles impact an equestrian yard’ video, Jonathan Cleaver, co-owner of Ivesley Equestrian, in conversation with Abigail Turnbull, co-owner of Richmond Equestrian Centre, discusses their 2023 strangles outbreak and comments: “The strangles vaccine is another layer to add to the biosecurity defences around our yard and allows us to be more flexible around movement, sharing transport and quarantine.  We see it as a massive step forward!” 

Rachel Harrison-Osborne BVM&S MRCVS, equine field support manager at Dechra, a Strangles Awareness Week collaborating partner, adds: “Vaccination against strangles is a vital tool in disease prevention.  It is advisable that the equestrian industry follows the BEST guidance highlighted by Strangles Awareness Week in a bid to protect horses from this devastating disease that not only has horrific equine welfare implications but can also cause major economic loss to the equestrian industry.” 

For further information on Strangles Awareness Week go to https://www.redwings.org.uk/strangles/strangles-awareness-week.  For information on the strangles vaccine, Strangvac, visit https://www.dechra.co.uk/equine/vaccines/strangles.