Coughing at the end of winter

Saucisson

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Has anybody got any bright ideas on why and what I can do to help him?

This also happened 2 years ago at a different yard. Basically, he just starts coughing as we're coming to the end of winter. It's a nasty cough and he can't really be ridden other than in walk. He coughs in his box but it gets worse when he exercises. The vet has given him Ventipulmin and a syrup with cortisone and still no improvement after 3 weeks :(

Vet thinks the glands in his throat are over-reacting to cold air but why would he only get it at the end of winter? Surely it would be more of a shock in November? When the vet presses his throat he coughs directly. He's not ill and certainly seems well in himself.

He was ok last year with the only difference being that he was in an outside box as opposed to being in the main building (have now moved him back outside).

Thought it might be dust but why would that only affect him at the end of winter?

The only advice I'm getting now is to give him an antibiotic but I want to get to the bottom of it so it doesn't happen next year.

Thanks in advance :)
 

Highlands

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Would not ride at all. Has he/ she been scoped?

What do you bed on
What are you feeding?
Hay or hayledge?
Turnout?
 

Soup Dragon

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My pony used to do this - was fine until February/March time and then start coughing.
This further developed into full blown dust allergy and I had to soak hay at all time afterwards.
She was in overnight from beginning October to end April and fed unsoaked hay. Was a lot better when hay was soaked.
 

Saucisson

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He hasn't been scoped for anything yet. He's bedded on straw and has hay in the morning.

No turnout at the moment. But, all factors were the same last year except the outside box and he was ok :confused:
 

kate79

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My girl does exactly this too!!!! Even brings up thick white mucus and always end of winter... I find soaking the hay makes a huge difference with her xx
 

Shay

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Almost regardless of the cause reducing dust is going to help. If you had a cough you wouldn't want to stand in a dusty environment either! Soaked hay or haylage and moving to dust free bedding should at least give some relief.

I wonder if this might happen toward the end of winter becuase he has been in more? If he hsa a low level allergy or just a bit of an intolerance to dust it might be the cumulative effect of the weeks and months being inside a bit more? Or might it be that the hay has been stored longer and so is dustier? I know we're getting to the end of the hay stock at the moment.

Cold air often makes coughs worse - it happens in all mammals. The cold air temporarily paralyses the cillia in the airways so you cough more - and your nose runs in the cold. If Ned is already struggling a little with dust then cold air would make it far more pronounced.

Getting him scoped might be an idea (depending on finannces!). But if he has a recurrent infection of some sort that would show it up.
 

Janette

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Just a mention about the steroid syrup.

My girl was exactly the same, and treated exactly the same...ventipulmin and cosrtisone syrup administered orally.

She is currently recovering from an attack of steroid induced laminitis. Apparently, it is quite rare but i just felt that I ought to mention incase you see any 'footiness', feel warm hooves etc.
 

Saucisson

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:eek: Janette, I'm in the UK at the moment so I hope he doesn't get anything like that for the girl looking after him!

Thanks for all your advice. I'm hoping to completely change his environment and move back to the UK so he should get turned out more in the winter. I'm pretty sure this is the best solution.
 

annunziata

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my horse is a nightmare at the min it is down to dry hay but he has been sharing a turnout pen with a horse this winter and she refused to soak her hay...grrrr anyhooo the long and the short of it i tried vet drugs and everything equine america extra strength airways has worked as well as turnout and haylage
x
 

chestnut cob

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Mine's had a virus this last couple of weeks. His temperature was a bit up/down and he's been coughing, but only when worked in anything more than a walk. Gave him a bit of time off but no real improvement so had the vet out to check him over. Vet said (as I'd already told him...) that it isn't COPD or anything dust related, and it's simply the end of a virus. Upper airway was inflamed so he's had a couple of weeks of Danilon to bring the inflammation down, and rest. No work at all, give him time to fully recover. Vet told me he could plod very quietly around the plod but since that pony doesn't plod, it was decided he should have time off as he isn't allowed to get out of breath. If cough doesn't (didn't) go away, vet said he'd come back to do bloods and scope, but pony seems to be perfectly healthy galloping around the field like a nutcase now... :/

Maybe it happens to yours at the end of every winter because s/he's just a bit run down and picked up a virus?

It's worth getting the vet to check over if you're worried. Personally I'd just chuck him out in the field for a couple of weeks. My last horse used to get a bit of a bug at the end of every winter, I just gave him 2-3 weeks off and waited until he was better.
 

Hippona

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Two of mine developed a dry cough.....soaked hay, did the usual- vet checked them and gave the lungs the all clear and advised it was probably upper airways/throat irritation from the hay and being in more.

5 days of danilon sorted it, then it came back.
Just as I was about to go down the rubber matting route I tried aloe vera juice in the feeds.....the coughing stopped almost instantly.
I have carried on soaking the hay, they are still bedded on straw but several weeks later the cough has stayed away.

Worth a shot?
 
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