Prognosis
For horses that develop strangles without complications, the disease usually runs its course to a full recovery. Horses that develop complications or "bastard strangles" become abscessed and infected throughout the body and in vital organs that include the lungs, kidneys, and brain. In these cases, horses may die from central nervous system infection, organ failure, sepsis, or an overwhelming infection of the blood stream, heart disease, and pneumonia.