Can a pony with strangles exposure but no symptoms be contagious?

It is impossible to tell from the picture, but I would have a vet out immediately. I would quarantine that horse and make it a very strict and severe quarantine. Horses who come in from kill pens unfortunately carry with them a host of issues that can do a lot of damage if not properly handled before they come to your property. In the future, it is always best to have any animal coming from a kill pen quarantined at a separate location for 30 days before they even step foot on your property. You will need to watch all your other horses for symptoms and quarantine them as well if they start to show symptoms. Make sure to bleach clean all areas and wear protective gear. Clean boots in a bleach tub when leaving his stall and to play it super safe, I would designate one person to deal with the sick horse and someone else to deal with the others until a vet can confirm or deny the strangles diagnosis.

It is potentially possible for you to transport infections on clothing or equipment but general hygiene and washing of hands/clothing between groups of horses makes this less likely. Many infections are readily spread amongst horses and i would not recommend mixing them directly until he has been fully vaccinated

Good question. This is a complex disease that most cats are exposed to. Most cats that are just exposed but don't end up sick with the disease are going to come up positive for antibodies against the virus. However, a pet is only confirmed to have this disease if they have positive Antigens. Therefore, since your pet Sonia had a positive antibody and negative antigen, this means she was exposed to the virus, but has not developed the full blown disease. With this said, cats can at any point do what is called seroconvert to the active strain of the virus and become sick since they are carriers of the gene. If your pet becomes sick in the future, rechecking the antigen levels is highly recommended. Because your pet is a carrier for Coronovirus (FCoV), loose stool may be seen, but nothing more severe than that. Here is more information on Coronavirus (FCoV) in pets and also information on how pets can seroconvert into full blown FIP (FIPV) from exposure to this virus. ---> https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951308 ---> https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951549

No giardia is not that easily spread. Your dogs and cats have natural immunity to parasites as they are healthy. The stray was probably not as healthy and was exposed to giardia in dirty water she had been drinking. If you see mucus in the stool or are worried I would wait a few weeks and then get a fecal test done to rule out giardia. I'm not overly concerned about them getting it and see no reason to worry unless you see changes in the stool. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you get answers to your veterinary questions.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sadly some cats can be carriers. I would encourage you to ask your Vet to do the fungal culture. If it is negative I would feel more comfortable telling you he is fine to be put up for adoption. Or you just have to tell the adopting family that he had ringworm so they are aware. Good luck!

Since dogs can shed the virus for 4-5 weeks, I would wait at least a month from the first test before taking Manila around other dogs. As for the positive test result, your vet can call the lab and/or the vaccine manufacturer to ask about that particular vaccine reacting with the test to cause a false positive.

Good question! What I tend to see in practice is that these rescue dogs are very stressed from previous poor nutrition, being in a shelter, and then usually surgery. Their immune system is weak and they get any infection they are exposed to. The existing family dogs are usually well fed and healthy. Some do get these infections, but many are able to fight them off and either never get sick or only have very mild signs. Of course I would be vigilant about monitoring for any signs but I would also be optimistic that he could remain healthy! Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.