Page 16 - AEF-AlbertaBits_Winter-2025

Horse Keeping
From symptoms
to solutions
Delivering better, faster care
for your equine companion
By Lisa Ostrowski
WHETHER IT’S A FEVER, cough or nasal discharge, for
many horse owners, the moment their animal begins to
show signs of illness is the moment they want a diagnosis.
Whether the horse’s symptoms are caused by equine
influenza, herpesviruses or Streptococcus equi subsp
equi — the bacteria responsible for equine strangles — a
prompt diagnosis can mean the difference between one
sick animal or a rapidly growing group of them.
“Strangles is a very contagious bacteria, so it can
cause outbreaks pretty quickly,” explains Dr. Maria Bravo
Araya, a veterinary virologist and assistant professor in
the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.
“Many times, vets and animal owners will need answers
quickly to make decisions like, are we moving this animal
or not? Are we quarantining this animal or not? Just so
we can prevent the disease from spreading.”
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Alberta Bits Winter 2025