April showers and Strangles Awareness

This issue of UK-Vet Equine covers a range of relevant topics as summer starts to show itself – not including the recent storms! For me, ‘April showers’ has, so far, included driving hail, gale-force winds and gorgeous sunshine in a 20-minute span. I hadn't clipped my part-Thoroughbred over the winter – he's now started shedding his winter coat so deciding whether or not to rug him through the last couple of weeks has required far more thought than it normally would!

May 6–12, 2024, is Strangles Awareness Week. This is a global initiative which aims to provide owners and vets with the tools to prevent outbreaks, and to manage them when they do occur. Redwings and The British Horse Society have come together to highlight BEST practice regarding strangles (p130). Strangles is a common equine infectious disease worldwide (Morris et al, 2021), and its highly contagious nature demands respect – this Strangles Awareness Week also highlights how the strangles vaccine is hugely beneficial in protecting horses and containing outbreaks.