The Strangles (Streptococcus equi.) situation involving horses in Barn 1 at Dorchester Downs near London, Ont. continues to improve.
One horse, isolated on March 4, has recently tested positive for Streptococcus equi. directly from a lymph node culture, but was not shedding from the nose while in Barn 1. No horses in Barn 1 have tested positive for nasal shedding of Streptococcus equi. since Feb. 28. Any horse with suspicious clinical signs has been isolated. The trainer with the recently-infected horse will not be permitted to enter horses until a 14-day monitoring period has been completed.
The risk to Ontario’s racing horse population has not changed and remains low.
Horses that meet the “return to racing” requirements, as established by a group of veterinary and industry experts, will be permitted on racetrack grounds.
These are trying times for the owners, trainers, staff and veterinarians involved with these horses in Barn 1. Everyone is working hard to safeguard the health of their horses and to clear the barn environment of this bacteria. Please be respectful of everyone as they return to racing.
Western Fair, Woodbine Mohawk Park and Flamboro Downs will accept entries from the other trainers in Barn 1 under the “return to racing” requirements which include meeting the following conditions:
- Trainers continue to take and record twice daily temperature readings on their horses, which will be available for review by veterinarians.
- After being entered to qualify or race, horses will be tested using the sensitive Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test to rule out the presence of Streptococcus equi.
- The day of the schooler, qualifier or race, horses will be examined by the attending veterinarian to ensure no clinical signs of sickness are present.
- Only horses with no record of an increased temperature, a negative PCR test and no clinical signs of sickness will be permitted to school, qualify or race and the horses from Barn 1 will not race in claimers until all required horses have tested negative for Streptococcus equi.
The new protocol is an update of a March 6 decision where, out of an abundance of caution, the testing and exam protocol was suspended and all horses from Barn 1 that had been entered to race, qualify or school were scratched.
All decisions related to horses stabled in Barn 1 have been made in consultation with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA), racetrack and training centre veterinarians, experts at the University of Guelph, the Central Ontario Standardbred Association (COSA) and management at The Raceway at Western Fair District, Woodbine Mohawk Park and Flamboro Downs.
Plans are informed by ongoing risk assessments and the need to balance business continuity concerns for affected owners and trainers with horse health protection.
The AGCO first issued a notice to the industry about Streptococcus equi. in Barn 1 at Dorchester Downs on Dec. 12, with additional updates provided.
Strangles is a highly contagious bacterial infection in horses and other equines caused by the bacterium, Streptococcus equi. It is characterized by fever, thick nasal discharge, and/or swollen, abscessing lymph nodes in the throat area that can swell and obstruct the airway. At the first signs of disease horses should be immediately isolated and biosecurity protocols put in place.
All horsepeople are reminded to practice good biosecurity including only bringing healthy horses to race, changing footwear and clothing worn at the barns when attending places where various horses comingle (such as at the racetrack) and minimizing contact with other horses with unknown health status.
More information is available from OMAFA by clicking here.
(With files from Ontario Racing; Horse pictured does not have strangles)