Halifax police horse hit by contagious respiratory infection at stable

A highly contagious respiratory infection has taken two Halifax police horses out of action.

Both horses are in quarantine and one has contracted strangles, a potentially serious condition which can lead to an obstruction of the airway.

Duty Sergeant, also known as Sarge, and Valour are just two of the horses that live at a downtown Halifax stable where the respiratory infection was discovered.

Late last week people started to notice that Sarge wasn't himself and was too sick to go on duty. Sarge was checked out by a veterinarian who determined that the horse had strangles.

So far Valour has shown no signs of the infection.

Now all of the horses at the stable run by the Halifax Junior Bengal Lancers riding school are in quarantine. There are a total of 27 horses kept at the stable and three of them have shown symptoms of strangles, according to the club.  

Strangles is caused by Streptococcus equi bacterium. It can cause enlarged lymph nodes in a horse's throat, a discharge from the nose, and can make horses run a temperature, said Const. Dave Gallivan, an officer assigned to the mounted unit.

He likens the infection to a bad chest infection in humans and expects Sarge to make a full recovery. 

Strangles is highly contagious

The disease is highly contagious in horses, but the general public is not at risk, according to the Halifax Junior Bengal Lancers. 

Sarge is quarantined in his stall and is having his temperature checked up to four times a day. 

"For now the best thing for a horse with strangles, from my understanding, is for them to have as much rest as they can," said Gallivan. "The best spot for Sarge is to be maintained in his stall and taken care of in there. It's no different from us having bed rest."

Sarge will be monitored for two weeks and after that he will be checked to make sure his symptoms have passed. Valour will also remain in quarantine until he's no longer at risk of spreading the infection.

'Special bond between us and our horses'

It's been a hard few days for Gallivan and the other officers in the mounted unit as they watched Sarge's symptoms progress. 

"There is a special bond there between us and our horse," he said. "I mean we're with them every day. They're just like our own pet, really. You just kind of look for them to cheer you up and you cheer them up and it's hard when you see one of them down, especially Sarge being sick there."

Angie Holt, the Halifax Junior Bengal Lancers head coach and barn manager, said the symptoms the horses have are mild for now.

All of the riding school's regular programs have been suspended and all horses are being cared for by staff. 

The stables are closed to the public until further notice. All horses have been restricted from leaving the premises since the onset of the symptoms.

The Halifax Junior Bengal Lancers is warning other equestrians to keep their horses from touching noses. Horses should also be kept from sharing water buckets or feeding tubs.

Holt has no idea how long the quarantine and closure will last, but estimates it will be in place until the end of the month. 

'Hopefully he'll be back up hoofing the streets'

There have also been several cases of strangles in other parts of the Maritimes this year. In May it was discovered in a barn in P.E.I., where four horses from the same stable were affected. New Brunswick also had at least one confirmed case. 

But there is some good news.

Sarge's condition appears to be improving. Gallivan said in the last few days he can see a little of Sarge's personality starting to come back and he hopes that means the worst is over. 

"Hopefully, he'll be back up hoofing the streets there in the next couple of weeks," said Gallivan.