Can any one help?

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danistar88

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Hi i wonder if you can help me i rescued a shetland pony a few months a go i found out he was riddled with lice so got the vet out who checked him over and gave me some stuff to put on him and i had to repeat 3 weeks later the lice left him with patches. a week later he had a cough and snotty nose the vet came out again and said it was a dust allergy well now he is on wet hay wet feed and dust free easi bed and hes stopped but now when i bush him he starts to cough again and has a a snotty nose could he be alleric to his dead hair?? and what could i get him i really dont wanna get the vet out again if i can help it any advice would be helpful xx
 
Oh i didnt mean it like that i wouldnt think twice about getting the vet out again if needed but i didnt know if any one else had experienced their horse or pony coughing only when brushing
 
Hi danistar. I took on a rescued Shetland pony mare - Molly - about 10 weeks ago. She had lice too but Frontline rubbed into the mane, back and tail top has sorted it out. She also has a very scurfy skin which I think is fairly common in Shetlands. Molly can roll at an Olympic level and every day her coat is full of thick dust - it's so dry here that there's no mud or she would be thick with mud! But if your pony loves to roll as well, then every time you brush him clouds of dust will be released and of course, he's in the middle of it and will breathe in the dust. He has a dust allergy, so he will start coughing again. To manage a pony or horse with a dust allergy you need to avoid a straw bed, only muck out when the pony isn't in the stable, you may find you have to feed him haylage rather than hay because sometimes hay can be dusty and that can set it off again. Brushing a dusty little Shetland is a real challenge for you! I'd only ever brush him on a windy day with his head pointing into the wind so all the dust blows away behind him. Or cut an old pair of tights to make a nose mask for him for ONLY when you groom him. There was a post on here a couple of days ago about using old tights for a dust/pollen mask. It goes without saying that if your pony's cough doesn't clear up, or gets worse or you are in any way worried, you should get the vet out. good luck hun x
 
Also garlic supplements are reknowned for being insecticidal and to assist with breathing problems and colds- I would get vet advice though. My horse has sensitive skin and gets grumpy when being brushed- if he's a rescue could it be a learned behaviour? Also give him a good wash with tea tree to get the dust/scurf out!
 
Thanks for the reply guys i think once he has a good bath once the weather is a bit warmer and if i only brush him occasionally he should be ok but if he gets any worse then i'll get vet in as soon as ive finshed brushing and hes and a walk around he stops so i dont think its too bad but i will get the vet out i was wondering weather to clip him as his coat is a mess anyways thanks again Dani
 
Put the pony on a Iron/Vit B supplement such as Pro-pell. Feed soaked hay/dust free bedding/well ventilated stable. But if the pony looks depressed and low then it would be best to get a vet out to blood test it and to check it hasnt got a nasty virus, such as Herpes etc ( in which case you'd have to be extra specially carefull if there are other horses on the yard)
 
Might be worthwhile thinking about clipping out and just rugging through the cold nights. Then you can give a thorough wash with an insecticidal shampoo such as decosan (Is that the right name?) and letting it regrow.

Will also allow you you treat any tender scurfy areas too.

May be worth thinking about using a wash made with Neem leaves too - that can be comforting. And you can feed them internally - will gently cleasne and act as an antimicrobial.
 
just wondered why he is stabled - especially if he has a dust allergy - surely the best thing for him would be to be outside even if only in a little starvation paddock. Mine used to get a really scurfy coat until he has been kept outside 24/7 - think the we shetlands are designed to be out in the elements - the worse the better as mine has never had such a good coat as just now after such a harsh (scottish) winter.
 
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