Coughing?

[bellaboo]

In the past few days all 3 of my horses have deveopled a cough. It started with my mare coughing in the stable last Friday, it sounds like a dry cough and she dosen't seem distressed with it. On Saturday my 2 year old filly started, again just in the stable. I decided i would contact the vet on Monday for him to come out but Sunday and Monday didn't hear them cough at all. Shetland pony started yesterday.

We have narrowed it down to either the new mare that my girls went in with last Tuesday has brought some kind of virus with her as both the other mare and the other liveries mare has also been heard coughing or the new grazing they have all been put on. The grazing they are now on has recently been fertilised with seaweed and lime, could this have caused them to cough?
The only other thing i can think of is 2 weeks ago today my mare's best friend was PTS, she dealt with this by licking the area where he has quite a large amount of blood lost from his nose and was also sniffing the patch alot, the horse PTS was well in the fact he had no illness just very lame

Could she of pick anything up from this and passed it on to the others? is it the grazing, or possibly a virus from the recent mare?
Any idea's? am ringing the vet to book appointment/have a chat with tomorrow.

 

[scotsmare]

Shouldn't be the grazing - possibly some kind of virus??

 

[chunklovescooks]

What bedding are they on? if any? are they being fed damp or soaked hay?

Stephen.

 

[bellaboo]

scotsmare - they all have a cough so why shouldn't she be grazing? she is only out for about 4 hrs a day as grass is too lush and she's a fatty! not being nasty or stroppy just curious as i thought she would be better out then in?

The mare is being fed the smae dry hay she has been fed all winter along with the filly and she is bedded on flax which again she has been on all winter.

 

[merlinsquest]

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Shouldn't be the grazing - possibly some kind of virus??

[/ QUOTE ]


Dont think scotsmare was saying she should not be grazing,.... rather that it shouldnt be the grazing causing it....

Merlin has also had a bit of a cough for the last week...... only heard him actually cough about 3 times.... but this is a horse I have rarely heard cough (except when last yard had really crappy hay and no turnout)

He also has a bit of a grotty nose, not snotty as such but just a bit crusty.

 

[Grumpy Herbert]

Do any of them have a temperature? Are they bringing up any gunk when they cough?

My two both cough, especially at this time of year. My vet has never been able to get to the bottom of it, which is frustrating. We suspect it's an allergy of some description, most probably pollen. It doesn't interfere too much with their work (they don't do a lot anyway!) and it doesn't distress them.

There seems to be a lot of this type of thing about at the moment.

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

Second that Grumpy_Herbert and merlinsQuest. This time last year my boy got a dry hacking cough that lasted off and on for weeks. It only gradually started to go when the weather changed from hot and dry to cool and wet. Vets talked about a lung flush to identify a bacterial infection that would then respond to antibiotics, but Sunny never seemed too worried by it. I bought shares in Lincoln Cough Syrup and he coped ok. This year however, same dry cough but now a snotty nose too. Nothing much but gone dry and crusty. Again, he doesn't seem overly worried but he's 22-ish now and I worry that his immune system is getting less efficient. I think it's an allergy.

 

[bellaboo]

Sorry scotsmare it was getting late, struggling with my brain to function normally!!!!!!

There is no discharge or coughing anything up and they all seem fine in themselves it's makes me think it's a virus as they all have it? my mare is maybe a little bit lethargic but just put that down to lush grass and the heat.

 

[BankEndRescue]

there are often these non specific virus's about, my yard went down with one a few weeks ago, not much you can do really other than let it ride it's course. If it is a pollen based irritant then give some human antihistamines a go, that's what my vet always suggested to me for one of mine and it worked. Good luck

 

[soph21]

My horse has been coughing for the last few days, but the other 2 aren't, I thought maybe its the dust on the ground, but his nose is crusty with the odd bit of snot.