Excess Drooling

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rlhnlk

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I'm a bit worried about my 20yr old welsh cob. I got up the farm on Thursday to find her shaking head to hoof and with a slightly foamy mouth. I am fairly sure now that the shaking was because she was cold as it stopped after I piled some rugs on her to warm her up and hasn't appeared since as she has gone back to wearing he stable rug. The foaming mouth however has developed to full scale drooling over her door. She's still eating hard feed and hay/haylage without problems and rather enthusiastically and she is bright in herself but she shouldn't have the amount of drool on the floor inside and outside her door that there is. It's only overnight when she runs out of food that she does it and she seems to be grinding or clicking her back teeth, it stops as soon as she eats, I'm not giving her more hay as she only eats what I'm giving her then just trashes the rest. Is this likely to be her teeth as they are due to be done and the dentist is booked, just she hasn't done this before when she's been due so I'm worried it might be something else?
Any suggestions appreciated.
 
Mine does this every summer. She suffers from an allergy to pollen that gives her a sore throat. She will then drool and froth until she has eaten something before she goes out. When she first did it, the vet stomach tubed her as he thought she had grass sickness, but she was eating and swallowing normally. I would get the vet out to have a look though, as she may have something lodged in her throat like a hawthorn, that may be making it very sore. I think they try not to swallow so much and then have an excess of saliva in their mouths. Mine is more froth than drool, so I tend to treat it with a bit of benelin when she is bad in the spring. I think it tends to be rapeseed and tree pollen that sets her off, so it's subsiding now. Mine has been confirmed by the vet though, so I would get yours check out to be on the safe side, but try not to worry too much. I put money on it that she has a sore throat!!
 
Hmm I think she will have to chance it till the dentist comes as my vet will want to put her through the full works - bloods, tubing, scans and god knows what and as she is 20 her vet fees won't cover this and tbh I won't put her through that kind of stress while she is bright and eating as she is 20 and retired and is still happy. She shouldnt have a hawthorn or anything sharp in her throat although obviously can't tell for certain from the outside. Would she be grinding her jaw with a sore throat as this isn't a trait of hers?
Thanks for your reply
 
It could well be her teeth then, maybe she has made the inside of her cheeks sore. If she is eating normally then I wouldn't be too worried. Is she coughing at all?
 
What you are describing could be an early sign of grass sickness - keep an eye out to make sure droppings are as usual and there are normal bowel sounds (no droppings - call the vet straight away).

Could also be stomach discomfort and probiotics might help (I'm thinking the chewing could be a kind of windsucking?)

As has been said though, there could be other reasons for this and the dentist might be able to help with suggestions
 
Maybe as she is getting older she is getting food pocketed around her teeth... and while she is eating its not so noticeable, but when she stops the discomfort is making her drool???

It does sound like she is avoiding swallowing if not necessary.

Good luck with your diagnosis
smile.gif
 
She isn't coughing, she already gets pro and pre biotics as she is on blue chip lamilight. She isn't a vice kind of pony- if really stressed she begins to weave if anything but this is something that happens less than once a month and usually when she is waiting for my tb to fininsh her brekkie so they can both go in the field whereas this is overnight.
Droppings are normal I would have already called the vet if none.
I think she is just doing it for the amusement of making me worry!
 
Hi
Just in case anyone reads this anymore, pony stopped drooling overnight and is now totally normal again. Dentist is still booked. I don't trust my vet so he would have been a last resort but seems totally unnesessary.
Thanks to every one who replied.
 
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