Giving cough medecine to horses?!

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Greylegs

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My boy has recently developed a dry cough and a bit of a runny nose. Vet been out (3 times!), he's had swabs and blood tests - all negative - , a course of anti-Bs and the vet is happy he's not an infection risk. He's also suggested I "don't waste my money" on breathing supplements etc as he's not wheezing and there are no sounds in his airways. I've just got to wait and let it clear up in it's own time, which could take a couple of weeks or more.

However, my "friend" at the yard has suggested I give him Benylin or something similar. Has anyone done this? If so, did it help? Is it a good/bad idea? I have to admit that doing something pro-active to help tackle the cough appeals to me, but I've no idea what else to try. (Vet suggests gentle walk exercise regardless of the cough, will help him, so doing that. Otherwise horse is turned out daily and in at night as an anti-SI precaution, nothing to do with the cough).

Any thoughts would be welcome. Thanks.
 
Gave my boy Benylin last year to combat coughing due to allergies and it works wonders, cleared his cough up within a week, I kept him on it for roughly two weeks.
I used the Benylin Mucus Cough one and it certainly didn't give him any ill-effects and cleared up the cough a lot better than any of respiratory supplements I tried.
 
I was once told that giving a horse Benylin and vodka was an old showing tip to calm a wild horse (please note I've NOT tried this, Benylin gives me a terribly upset tummy!).
 
My boy had codeine cough bottle from the vet, I was told not to drink it myself, obviously ignored this, [it did taste like Benilyn]
I think I will try some Benilyn for myself as I can't get rid of my asthma, I think I am allergic to the drugs
 
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Yep we used to give the horses Benylin for coughs, worked well.
Drizzle, the original Benylin has a sedative in it so would certainly calm an unruly horse.

Best cough mixture, I used it for my trip home from UK as the sedative was great for keeping my unsociable cough under control while on the plane and also meant I slept much of the 22. Hour flight.

OP I think we gave a tablespoon three times a day in the feed.
 
Use to use cough syrup for my old loan horse, large tablespoon in with his hard feed and also syringed small amount into his mouth/throat before ridden work, not that we need to as he loved the stuff and would happily lick away at it! Helped just calm his cough.
 
Thanks for all the reassuring replies! My friend wasn't going nuts after all it seems!!

I'll get some Benylin and give it a go.
 
One of the few things I remember from vet college before they chucked me out was that drugs can affect animals differently. Give morphine to a man and he will go to sleep. Give it to a cat or a horse and they will quite literally go up the wall!

Be careful what you experiment with.
 
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