Coughing pony

[lillybet13]

Hi

I'm after some advice. So have had our little pony almost 4 years, never had any issues until randomly a couple of months ago he developed a mild cough, no discharge, still eating wasnt initially over worried until it didn't settle but got worse. Rang vet who advised ventapulmin change bed soak hay etc. Did all this and it seemed to go other than occasionally.
But its still there, occasionally, some days he seems really bad, others you won't hear him for a week. Tried allsorts, got him on equine America supplement not sure its done anything as it still seems to flare up again. You think he is fine and then today he was quite bad in my opinion. This isn't jus when he is ridden, in fact he seems to not cough when he is actually ridden Just wondering if anyone has any ideas, would the vet scope him to see if there is any inflammation or what would their next step be?

 

[Equi]

Is he fed from a haynet? How much turnout? Is it a dry cough or a sort of wet gaggy one. Sometimes they need an antibiotic or a second dose of ventipulmin to help but it would be better to find out the cause with a vet visit.

 

[lillybet13]

Hi

Thanks for replying, I feed him soaked hay, now from the floor, on a clean shavings bed and his bucket feed is also on the floor. He is stabled but turned out every day although this is limited but his stable is well ventilated and large, its so strange. Im going to get the vet again but its so intermittent wasn't sure if they would find anything without putting a camera or something. He has no temperature and eats well and looks very well other than his random cough. Its so strange! He has never so much as sneezed in the almost 4 years of owning him ?. Sorry to add id say I think its more a dry cough

 

[HappyHollyDays]

As far as supplements go I had my coughing Connie on Airways Plus from EA and although it smelt nice it didn’t really work. I switched over to Science Supplements RespirAid over the summer and he stopped coughing completely. I was expecting him to start again as he is now in at night but he hasn’t so he will stay on it.

 

[Lots of Gift Bags]

Mine gets a cough every winter, I wet his hay (he won't eat it soaked) and have him out as much as possible, but I've just had to accept that this is his winter default.

 

[lillybet13]

Thanks both for replying, a few people have said he may have just a stable cough for the winter but i just can't understand why suddenly this winter, he has always been on the same yard, he is only 9 so not an old pony either.
Also thanks re the supplements very interesting I've been on the website,is it the repair aid express or repair aid DHA? Many thanks ?

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

We had one with an on-and-off cough for years, she saw the vet several times and was given Ventipulmin. Vet advised living out but that wasn't possible. Then we changed her diet from a molassed coarse mix (it's yrs ago) to no starch, no sugar and it cleared up immediately.

 

[lillybet13]

Thanks this is also interesting, he is fed top spec lite, has been for a few years but I have started to add fibrebeet and probably around a similar time he started coughing. I have considered this but as he gets only a small amount (he is a very good dooer) I didn't think it would effect him in that way. Only add it as my other pony is on it so was easier than the top chop I used to buy for him. Im going to take him off that immediately. Many thanks

 

[asmp]

Is he on mats? I’m positive the ammonia sitting under the mats made mine cough. He only has one at the front of his stable and a thick Laysoft bed and no coughing.

 

[lillybet13]

Hi, yes he is thanks, rubber mats and shavings over the top, another thing to consider many thanks!

 

[meleeka]

Are you obsessive about lifting the bed and clearing out under the edges? Once they have a sensitive airway, they’ll always be more prone to it I think.

 

[lillybet13]

Hi, thanks , I am really, its a relatively new bed as up until this started he was on straw, its pretty clean although I don't lift the mats. Its just so strange he has developed this cough after having no history of it, I know his full history virtually from the stud as I bought him off a friend. I understand they can develop allergies later in life though. Thanks again

 

[Yeomans]

Hi, this sounds very familiar to what has happened to my Connie. Changed yards last October and he went onto straw. After about 6 weeks he started to cough and it got worse so called the vet who put him on ventipulman, didnt clear up so then we scoped him and sent samples off and he had an infection in his lungs so went onto antibiotics for 2 weeks. Then it slightly went away then came back again. Vet again, changed his bedding to Aubiose and soaked hay and put him on Fast and Fibre, another course of antibiotics. Fine for about 3 weeks then started again, cue Vet and another scope and turned out he had a secondary infection to the first one. Vet consulted Newmarket and he was put on a 3 week course of antibiotic called Marbonor (used in cows with mastitis), any way that did the job, but he was still coughing but no infection. Went to another very well thought of Vet that specialised in respiratory airways and scoped again and he has now been diagnosed with Equine Asthma. So changed yards to one that only has chippings or similiar NO straw around whatsoever and advised to nebulise him with a mix of saline and steriods and that has done the trick. After 6 months nebulising on old yard he is now nebuliser free on the new yard. I keep him out as much as possible and when he is in the stable the door is always open. This is a pony that has never had anything wrong with him and the coughing only appeared when he was on straw or around it. I also feed higher so that the feed can go down better and have his haynet at face height and not higher, I think it is managing what is good for your pony, but it has taken me over 9 months to get to now but am able to ride again and go to clinics. Maybe have another chat to your vet. Best of luck and do let me know how you get on.

 

[lillybet13]

Hi, thats brilliant thanks, thats confirmed I need to get him scoped. Even though its intermittent ill say it keeps coming back and want it sorted. Glad you got your pony sorted, fingers crossed I can get to the bottom of this ?

 

[SEL]

It is worth scoping. My big mare had an irritating cough that ventapulim didn't help. She got mud fever and needed antibiotics and they cleared the cough up too.

Small mare was scoped when various allergy drugs didn't work and was found to have a windpipe issue. It's a fairly easy (cheap!) procedure taking samples thankfully.

 

[lillybet13]

Ok fab thanks xx

 

[Sail_away]

I would scope for peace of mind that you’re doing the right thing. Also nebulisers are expensive and you’d want to know you needed one before getting it. If it it turns out to be equine asthma most of the year it is just management. I’d clean under mats, hoover the cobwebs and dust from the stable, feed soaked hay or haylage from the floor and wet feeds. A good fitness level will help too. Dust extracted shavings are good - mine is on bedmax which is not fun to muck out but (supposedly) easier than cardboard/paper. I looked at aubiose-type beddings but most are designed to be deep littered which I didn’t want to do because of the ammonia.

 

[lillybet13]

Thanks, I'm going to ring the vet tomorrow and get him booked in, at least I'll know then,I'm just playing a guessing game at the moment. Thanks again

 

[Sail_away]

Thanks, I'm going to ring the vet tomorrow and get him booked in, at least I'll know then,I'm just playing a guessing game at the moment. Thanks again

Sounds good. Just a warning - the scope sounds absolutely terrible, they cough and gag and try to get the tube up. Our usual vets did it first but couldn’t complete it so he went to our local vet hospital where they did it with no drama very quickly. That would be my preference now - or a vet who does a lot of the scopes regularly. If we’d know what it was like we would’ve taken him to the hospital the first time.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

I had mine, with a not alarming but persistent cough scoped and it was quite uneventful. This vet specialized in respiratory issues and scopes regularly. I think he coughed once or twice and there was a wee bit of blood from his nose, but when the sedation wore off he was no worse for the wear. It helped but my mind at rest as he only had very limited swelling in his larynx and no mucus or build up.

She was convinced it wasn't allergies though. I had him allergy tested by another vet a few months later and found that he was allergic to a number of things. Soaked hay, living out, and using flax straw/flax straw pelleted bedding has mostly resolved the issue with him. Still gets the very rare cough, but if I use his Flexineb or some Balsamic Air (orally) it clears up right away.

I also don't use fine wood shavings at all as those seem to create more dust than straw. His stable also has no mats and opens to a paddock.

Did you stop the fibrebeet?

 

[lillybet13]

I did, but only yesterday so not sure if its had any effect yet. I rang the vet this morning to ask about scoping and they are calling me back as the vet who originally saw him was on call. Im also going to ask about allergy testing as I'm not convinced he has an allergy although I'm no vet. Typically he was fine yesterday, didn't hear him once, my daughter rode him you wouldn't have even guessed he had even a slight issue. Thanks again for replying ?

 

[lamlyn2012]

Have him scoped, the vet will then send off a sample for analysis so you'll know the source of the problem. Do you have any water seeping through onto the floor from outside which could cause the bedding to get mouldy round the edges. Also do you have banks, if so I would get rid of them and make sure the bedding is regularly moved round. Any water from drinking buckets or external damp can get under rubber matting and can cause mould to grow underneath. If the floor is concrete it's best left to "breath". Rubber matting also traps in ammonia from urine.
Mine are bedded on cardboard which is good for allergy sufferers. I think someone above said it's difficult to muck out but I find it very easy and very absorbent.

 

[lillybet13]

So have booked him in for scoping, bit nervous but had a good chat with vet this evening and hopefully we will get to the bottom of this. He was coughing again tonight although not badly, just the odd one. Vet thinks its mild asthma, and with everything I've changed with his environment thats why its so intermittent. We will see.
Thanks everyone for your help and advice, its very much appreciated

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Is he on mats? I’m positive the ammonia sitting under the mats made mine cough. He only has one at the front of his stable and a thick Laysoft bed and no coughing.

I totally agree with this hate rubber mats, my horses are on a huge thick bed of mega spread with one mat in front of the door