Coughing horse

K

Kareng

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My horse has been coughing since Jan. She has had her flu jab. The vet gave me Trimediazine Plain to give her. She finished this 2 weeks ago. I thought she was a bit better only coughing first thing in the morning, but today I took her a hack out in the field she is turned out in and she kept putting her head right down to the ground and coughing and we were only walking.
She is out during the day and in at night.
Has anyone and ideas of what to do, or had a similar experience.
 
My mare had a cough and I syringed Venos cough mixture down her, small bottle which did 4 doses. That cleared hers up and she also had a respitorary lick (spelt right?) which seemed to help her too. Otherwise soak hay, is she on straw? Maybe change her bedding to shavings.
 
What bedding is she on? perhaps change to a less dusty one.
if she is on hay, you could try soaking it, or move onto haylage.

I have one who developed a cough every winter, but he hasn't this year, the difference being he is on haylage now. I've discussed this with my vet the last 4 winters, he is not overly bothered having listened to his chest and just puts it down to being stabled for longer on the short winter days. It always clears up of its own accord.
 
As PennyJ says, if a horse starts coughing in the winter when it is likely to be stabled much more, and if the horse doesn't have any other medical reason to be coughing (eg chest infection, heart problems etc) then it is most likely to be an allergy to the dust and spores in hay. This is called RAO (used to be known as COPD). The only permanent cure is to soak the hay to swell the spores so they can't be inhaled (or feed haylage) and make sure the stable remains as dust free as possible. This means only mucking out when your horse isn't around (neighbours mucking out can also set the allergy off)and avoiding being stabled near the muck heap or near other horses that are fed hay. Ideally, a dust/hay spores allergic horse needs to be out as close to 24/7 as possible. Talk to your vets about Ventipulmin to relax ned's airways and possibly Sputolosin to break down the sticky mucus that will collect in his chest.
 
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