I was completely unprepared for a diagnosis of strangles in my adored little chinchilla girl, Lexie. She was only five years old and completely feisty, but lovable. My veterinarian aspirated the large, cystic tumor that seemingly appeared over night and sent the infected material off to a specialty exotic pet laboratory. Only a few days later did the result come back; streptococcus bacterium. The mass under her adorable chin had grown substantially over the past days and Dr. Anthony recommended surgical intervention. How did my little girl get a disease known primarily in the equine industry?
What is the Strangles?
The strangles, or commonly known as horse distemper, is a disease caused by Streptococcus equi bacteria. Generally horses are able to handle this infection and if treated heal well, barring unforeseen circumstances. The bacteria is hardy, able to withstand common antibiotics, and even after treatment the infected host can still be a potential carrier of the disease for quite some time afterwards. Streptococcus is not uncommon as far as an infective agent goes, emerging commonly in conditions like strep throat. However the streptococcus bacteria found in the case of strangles proves to be quite unique.
Symptoms in equine animals include discharge from the nostrils and eyes, swollen lymph nodes of the head and neck, and fever (Cherokee Animal Clinic). In my chinchilla, a member of the rodent family (one known not to show any sign of illness until it is far advanced), the only symptom that was easily noticed was the swelling of her lymph nodes. It was as if it happened overnight. During the usual feeding routine I held Lexie and played with her a bit. Everything seemed fine. The next night I repeated my routine and noticed the enlarged lymph node under her neck.
What do you do?
Dr. Anthony preformed surgery to extract the encapsulated pocket of infection. The surgery went well and Lexie came home with antibiotics and discharge instructions. Every day I gave her medication and checked the site for signs of healing. I noticed that the sutures scabbed up; a sign of healing, I assumed. A few days later the mass returned and I took her in for her follow up appointment. The veterinarian noted the mass had returned and that what I assumed was proper healing was in fact not. Her sutures had opened (potentially from her grooming herself) and the infection returned. In an attempt to save her from another surgery, which is always risky (especially with small animals), we opted to flush the wound daily and continue aggressive antibiotic treatment. The mass did not subside, so surgical intervention was once again the option of choice.
Lexie unfortunately did not make it through the surgery due to complications.
How did she get it?
The biggest question on the doctor’s mind was, “Where did she encounter this particular bacterium?” It took nearly a year to discover the source. Almost a year prior to her infection I had adopted a young male chinchilla. After a three month quarantine and a medical exam he was allowed to interact with Lexie. Several months after Lexie’s death my male injured his back while running around his cage (another case with an unsolved answer as to how it happened). After going through therapy to rectify his injury, the strangles emerged in him. Dr. Anthony is sure that the male was a carrier of the disease; unaffected by it until his immune system became compromised. He potentially acquired it by his previous owner interacting with infected horses. When he was introduced to Lexie, he unknowingly infected her with the virus.
Prevention
Nothing could have been done to prevent the events mentioned above. Even with blood testing specifically looking for Streptococcus equi in the carrier, the results are commonly unreliable. Specific care needs to be taken when selecting and introducing pets and you must always be aware that not everything can be avoided. Despite a medical exam and quarantine, the male never showed signs of illness. While rare, disease can be communicable between species. Expect the unexpected is the best advice out there for a situation like this.
Stephen Scheib - Stephen thrives on educating others about the world around them. He has worked with vets for years and has taught many subjects.
