Any ideas?

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budley95

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Horse eating and drinking normally, no chanage in behaviour, going to the toilet normally and seems perfectly healthy with temperature over the last 3 days being 37.9, 37.7 and 38.3. No coughing, no swellings anywhere and not been in contact with any new horses (nor have I) for the last 3 months. But... Orange pus from right nostril first day, brown pus from right nostril 2nd day and today bright yellow pus, with the most foul smell (left me and another livery cleaning it out wretching). No other horses have it, he hasn't been competing for 4 months, new horse came in September (newest person on the yard) nobody has been competing since September either and nobody keeps horses on another yard. Shining a torch up his right nostril today after cleaning it out, it lookks like a tiny bump on the top of his nasal passage, which when he sneezed sent pus flying out of it over me. There isn't a bump like this up his left nasal passage. One of the liveries is tellling me she's looked up yellow pus and it's strangles - I've seen strangles and it most definitely isn't that. I've seen choke and equine flu before as well and it isn't showing the symptoms of either of them. Any ideas what it could be? My vet is on annual leave at the moment and is coming up to do his teeth on Thursday so I don't want to disturb him for nothing when everything else seems fine...
 
budley95 said:
Horse eating and drinking normally, no chanage in behaviour, going to the toilet normally and seems perfectly healthy with temperature over the last 3 days being 37.9, 37.7 and 38.3. No coughing, no swellings anywhere and not been in contact with any new horses (nor have I) for the last 3 months. But... Orange pus from right nostril first day, brown pus from right nostril 2nd day and today bright yellow pus, with the most foul smell (left me and another livery cleaning it out wretching). No other horses have it, he hasn't been competing for 4 months, new horse came in September (newest person on the yard) nobody has been competing since September either and nobody keeps horses on another yard. Shining a torch up his right nostril today after cleaning it out, it lookks like a tiny bump on the top of his nasal passage, which when he sneezed sent pus flying out of it over me. There isn't a bump like this up his left nasal passage. One of the liveries is tellling me she's looked up yellow pus and it's strangles - I've seen strangles and it most definitely isn't that. I've seen choke and equine flu before as well and it isn't showing the symptoms of either of them. Any ideas what it could be? My vet is on annual leave at the moment and is coming up to do his teeth on Thursday so I don't want to disturb him for nothing when everything else seems fine...
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Could be any number of things, but with sinuses you need to get it looked at, he will need antibiotics. It could just be some form of abscess, or it could be strangles... On this neither you or your friend are well placed to diagnose. Get the vet, he may want a sample to test for exactly what bacteria is in there and he will put on antibiotics. Keep extra warm... I'd add an extra fleece under normal rugs, soak hay to minimalist dust and keep stabled perhaps walking in hand and no riding for a few days. Whatever it is the body is obviously fighting it. Depending on how he seems... Is he looking better or deteriorating you may want the vet tomorrow or it may wait till Monday, but I would get the vet out even if it starts to look better. Issues with sinuses need treatment or they can become a recurring problem.
 
Also it may be prudent to postpone teeth until this is sorted. There will be a locus vet covering your vets caseload and surely he is not the only vet at the practice. I wouldn't wait until Thursday I would get vet at latest by Monday.
 
It started when he came in 24:7 rather than being out all day as my field has got quite wet. He always has soaked hay and soaked feed and is kept on shavings to try and minimise dust as he has COPD. Unfortunately it is a 1 vet practice. I'm in the middle of nowhere and he's the only vet I like. I used 2 big practices before, 1 of which insisted on tubing my horse for colic without sedation, making her bleed so badly she ended up at the vets having a transfusion for lost blood, and the other practice let me down so many times for simple things like when I booked in the horse for vaccinations, they didn't put it down and then found I had booked it, but then insisted I started all vaccinations again for being 4 days late as they messed up... So if anyone can recommend a decent vet in Kent area between paddock wood and maidstone that isn't either of those 2 practices and not my vet on his own away on holiday and coming back Wednesday it would be really appreciated!
 
sounds like an infected sinus or tooth abcess. stinky pus things need to be seen by a vet and treated with antibiotics. if you wait til next week your horse might end up with blood poisoning and be dead by then. surely your vet if he is a 1 man band has got a locum to cover his work? you need to get a vet to diagnose and treat this NOW not next week
 
In your situation, I'd call a vet, even one of the ones you haven't liked much because if the discharge smells its likely to be infected and if left can only spread further. Please for your horses sake don't wait and if you don't like what the vet does stop them!

I agree with the other posters I can't believe your vet has left no cover in place - if he hasn't IMO I'd also change as emergencies happen at the worst of time!
 
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I totally understand the hesitancy to use anyone other than your own vet, but I agree with iconique... Even if its one of the other practices, get vet out and on antibiotics... I'd still keep ned in to be honest, if there is a temperature and his body is battling infection he will need it. Your vet will have sorted out a locum, I can't believe that he would not have if he was going away for a few days, but this is not a time to wait. Puss calcifies into a hard lump in horses, so even if you could get your horse through this the chances are there would still be some left which will cause a problem later on. Bite the bullet and get someone out, Monday at the latest, even if its just to get your horse on antibiotics until your own vet can investigate thoroughly x
 
Uni lateral discharge suggests problem in the head. Sinusitis or tooth abscess seem most likely, both need treatment. Good luck! In mean time feed from the floor to encourage drainage. Fresh air by light exercise also good to help mucus production to flush sinus/air passages, but if infection don't over do it.
 
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