Coughing help please

[Brandy]

Hello,

one of my horses developed a cough a few weeks ago, very minor to start with. Already has soaked hay, rapestraw bedding (which is really not at all dusty) and rubber mats. He is not prone to coughing but it started to get worse so I had the vet out, two weeks ago today. Another pony on the yard was also coughing at this stage.

No temp, heart and chest all sounding fine, no mucus or snot at all. Just the cough. He actually didn;t cough at all the day the vet came!! She said it was probably pollen related (again never had this before) and gave me some ventapulmin.

The cough seems to come and go, a couple of days its seems to happen a lot, and a couple of days it doesn't at all. There was one day where I found a tiny bit of snot/phlegm in his water.

The other pony had the same 'diagnosis' and was also given ventapulmin, but he also had quite a lot of snot. He also had the vet back last monday, and nothing further was suggested.

So, I am wondering. No real point in having the vet again (though will probably phone for a chat) but is there anything else I can do?

I give him Koff Syrup which he seems to like!

Anythign I can do re. the pollen thing?

Or any suggestions as to what else it may be? Its almost like he has something stuck in his throat (i don;t mean choke, I mean like a bit of grass tickling or something)

Anyway thanks!

 

[Achinghips]

I've had great success with NAF Headshake relief,it smells like Beconase nasal spray which works fab on my hayfever. I know global herbs do something related .....

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

If your horse does have a pollen allergy then the coughing is likely to be an early sign of COPD/RAO. Strange that the other pony was diagnosed with a pollen allergy at the same time. Coincidences do happen but it also may be that a virus is going round the yard. A low grade virus might not produce any symptoms except the cough, although some wheeziness may follow if it is this. Some chest viruses can linger for ages. Ventipulmin relaxes the airways so is prescribed for the tight chest that horses or people get with an allergic (asthmatic) reaction. Often quite high doses of Ventipulmin are required to achieve any results and some horses develop a resistance to it over time. I'd just watch your horse carefully - if it is pollen related RAO then you need to try to help your horse as much as possible in order to prevent damage to his lungs. If he gets worse your vet may also prescribe Sputolosin to break up the sticky mucus that develops deep in the airways. For more serious cases, the horse can be prescribed Ventipulmin and steroids direct to his lungs through an inhaler. I've just massively upped my horse's dosage of Ventipulmin and we're waiting to see if it helps him or not. If no improvement in a week, he has to go onto inhalers.

 

[Brandy]

Thanks box of frogs. I was concerned it was viral which is why I called the vet in the first place. My horse has never coughed and doesn't tend to cough easily through dust etc. Another horse on the yard has been competing abroad and came back with a cough but is fine now and that was put down to pollen (by a different vet from a different practice)

The other pony does suffer with pollen but my horse doesn't. He has been turned out with two others and they have no signs at all.

Stupid question but what do you mean by help my horse as much as possible? Is there anything else I can do to help?

As I said it is only the once that I have seen any discharge and that was in his water, presumably coughed out and was a kind of lump.

He's not coughing all the time, its like occasional coughing fits if that makes sense. I think I may get the vet back, he is quite old and it doesn;t look comfortable when he coughs.