Annoying Cough ....

MontysKeeper

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Anyone else's horses seem to have a little tickley cough?

Had the vet out as noticed abit of mucus discharge outside his stable. Took his blood - No infection shown. A little low on white blood cells but nothing concerning.
Took his Temperature - Normal
Checked his Lungs -All normal
His bright and alert, drinking and eating fine .... Vet gave me a supplement that would help break up the mucus and open airways. Didn't notice a big difference. This was two weeks ago and he still has an annoying cough. He mainly coughs when stood still but not loads and once or twice when being ridden.

Wondering if I should get vet out again ... :/ Or is there some home remedies that could maybe help?

Thanks Guys
 
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be positive

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It sounds like a minor dust allergy, a few management changes, if you haven't already done so, may help, soaked hay or ideally haylage, dust free bedding, feed from the ground and as much turnout as possible, usually a course of ventipulmin will clear it but it can take a few weeks and unless they are in as dust free an environment as possible it may persist until they get out 24/7.

There are plenty of over the counter remedies that may help but none will be as good as the course of bronchodilator that has already been prescribed, give a full course just as any drug it takes time to get full benefit.
 

MontysKeeper

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Thanks for the reponse I will have a look at those.

He has been in a lot more then usual, like most I suppose. Haylage doesn't agree with him unfortunately, so have just started soaking his hay, well giving it a good spray with the hose!

Hopefully like you say once he is out more it will go away but will look at his management for now :)
 

be positive

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Spraying with the hose is probably not good enough to do any more than reduce the dust and mould spores, a proper soak in a tub of water for half an hour will be more effective and may be enough to stop the coughing.
 

Batgirl

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I had this, minor dust allergy for me. Changed bedding from straw, make sure haylage not hay. Friend has similar and soaks her hay.

We still get a little cough from time to time if he is in for an extended time.
 

SecretAgentBilly

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Mine has had a bit of a cough as well, I've found soaking hay (I put mine in an old bath tub and chuck about five buckets of water over it and then leave it for a few hours) has really helped although not completely eradicated the problem. I tried a supplement and it didn't seem to do much good.
 

*Whinney*

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One of the boys I look after has had a couple of bouts of this over the winter and soaking his hay really helps.

If you can't soak can you steam? Find a dustbin with a tight fitting lid, net in then a couple of kettles of boiled water poured over it, lid on and leave for 20 minutes. Much easier than soaking.
 

Deltaflyer

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Seems to be a lot of coughs around. My boy was coughing recently, I discovered though that this was due to his only being 'dunked' and not soaked like it's supposed to be. I nagged the girls to soak it properly and put him on Freeway Gold and it seems to have cleared up.

Friend's five year old Welsh D who lives out has had a cough and snotty nose for a week or so now. Vet said he'd probably been burying his nose in the hay that gets put out for the field kept boys. She brought him in for a few days and gave him soaked hay, now he's out again but he's still coughing and a bit snotty. Bright as a button though and eating well. Apparently he doesn't cough when being ridden. She's going to try the Freeway Gold and get the vet out again. None of the boys he lives out with are coughing though so it's clearly nothing infectious.

There are a couple of others coughing. One who is currently in isolation as she came back from a dealers where she'd been sent to be sold and the other is the chap in the box next to mine.

Out of these four, mine's the oldest at rising 8, the others are all younger. Ours are all the youngest on the yard and none of the older ones seem to be experiencing coughs.
 
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