Grazed out pony, could he really have Lung Disease COPD?!!

CobSunshine

CobSunshine

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He lives out 24/7, but for the past 2 weeks, i've brought him in twice a week overnight. He has shavings for bedding (bolts down straw for food LOL), and high fibre horsehage to eat (both should be dust/fungal/spore free I understand?)


He's had a green snotty nose for two days, which turned to a white snotty nose. Everything else was fine, bright and alert and his usual self. Went on a short hack yesterday and uphill he started coughing and struggling for breath. Got off and walked him back. He was coughing and blowing out mucus every 15 mins or so.

Back at the stable he was sweating at the top of his back legs, girth area and chest. Coughing every 10 mins a few times to clear mucus out (still sweating just as much 2.5 horus later) Took his temp and it was 38.6 *c.

0.1*c over the 38.5*c safe zone.

Emergency vet said as he was alert, eating, pooing, and not between 39-40*c, she'd come in the morning. Left him in stable overnight. By the morning temp was down to 37.6*c and sweat dried up.


Vet came out today and said his breathing sounds very rapid internally, his temp has dropped down to a safe 37.6*c, his nose is still runny with white snot and he's coughing and clearing it. He's taken a swab from his nose and said it looks like COPD - chronic obstructive pulmonary disease :eek: or possibly Pneumonia

I've got antibiotics i've got to give twice a day, and some powder to feed to which opens up his airways and clears the mucus.
 
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Bump any experience anyone of cough and runny nose?

Really worried about him. Up at 6 today to go to the farm before work to give antibiotics
 
You've got the vet involved so just follow their advice. Yes, it is possible for a horse to have chronic COPD and be living out, my neighbour has a horse in this situation and his breathing can be quite laboured even in the field. If that is what he has the vet will probably give him an inhaler.
 
And can it just come on in the space of a week?

As he had a temp too and there has been an ill foal on his paddock recently im hoping its cold or flu
 
My boy had coughs & snots due to a virus last April - yard owner didn't get vet out for a pony who had it weeks then it spread. Mines never recovered, his immune system got so low he got a pollen allergy & has only been ok to ride since November until now, as soon as pollen comes again he'll get breathless & unable to work. Waste of a 7yr old horse. He got scoped etc but all they could say was pollen allergy but no more specific & offered an inhaler which is totally impracticle for me - he'd kill me, so not an option. I'd ask for scoping, they told me he had COPD from it but that ruled it out & he's better to ride after being kept in.
 
Yes - but prognosis nowhere near as bad as you think.

COPD is now (I think) known as ROCD. My gelding has it. Basically its like Asthma and if you take the horse away from the allergen, the condition will clear. Yours sounds like its 'summer pasture COPD/ROCD' and it will be a pollen allergy. Not all vets are up to speed on this and mine ended up in hospital in Edinburgh as an indirect result of an incorrect diagnosis of bacterial infection. There is a blood you can run.

Good luck
 
the simple answer is yes. my cob lived out 24/7 pretty much his entire life and from dec '09 he had a slight cough which then turned into increased respiratory rate of 36 breathes a minute. cut a long story short of blood tests, antibiotics, endoscopy, lung wash and steroids and inhalers it showed his lungs had a high amount of 'inflammatory cells'...basically he had an allergy. an allergy to what is still a mystery to this day but we moved yards, he continues to live out 24/7 and has soaked hay in the winter. he has a supplement to help break up the mucus to cough it out and the vet has said to keep him worked as this helps to loosen his chest and despite him now having a permenantly increased respiratory rate, the vet tells me 'he will tell you when he needs a break'..he suffers a lot in the very hot and humid weather and he was brought in to his stable to remain cooler last summer but he will be left out this summer as he's now riddled with arthritis:rolleyes:
 
Sophstar said:
the simple answer is yes. my cob lived out 24/7 pretty much his entire life and from dec '09 he had a slight cough which then turned into increased respiratory rate of 36 breathes a minute. cut a long story short of blood tests, antibiotics, endoscopy, lung wash and steroids and inhalers it showed his lungs had a high amount of 'inflammatory cells'...basically he had an allergy. an allergy to what is still a mystery to this day but we moved yards, he continues to live out 24/7 and has soaked hay in the winter. he has a supplement to help break up the mucus to cough it out and the vet has said to keep him worked as this helps to loosen his chest and despite him now having a permenantly increased respiratory rate, the vet tells me 'he will tell you when he needs a break'..he suffers a lot in the very hot and humid weather and he was brought in to his stable to remain cooler last summer but he will be left out this summer as he's now riddled with arthritis:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Just a cautionary note on these tests. Lavage (lung wash) and steroids will themselves increase neutrophil migration through the lung epithelium (the inflammatory cells). It's a particularly undesirable side-effect of drugs and is difficult to predict before the clinic (hence my PhD). So, if steroids were given before the lung wash and subsequent test, or two lung washes were performed, you'd see an elevated count of neutrophils regardless of disease!

ETA: I used to know a beautiful arab stallion who lived out and had COPD. Not so much as a stable in the field and it was on the moors, so rather breezy!
 
I would say follow the advice from your vet. Every horse is different and reacts differently to medication depending on the varying degrees of COPD.

As my neighbour said my horse has COPD. Some years back a girl on the plot nextdoor to me brought 2 horses onto her yard that had a virus, all 5 of mine caught it although they were a distance apart. The vet says the COPD is now a result of that virus. It is now mostly triggered by dry hay, even if he pinches a bit on the ground i know he will be in for a bad bout of it, it only takes a very small amount to set him off. I have to soak hay in field even over winter and he has horsehage when he comes into the stable each morning. Two excellant vets who have treated him have advised me to live him out whenever possible, he can be worse if stabled over night, although he is in when we have thick snow. He is on vetipulmin plus various other things. Also they advised me to be the one to decide if he is exercised depending on how severe the bout is, they prefered then for it to be monitored allowing him to stop if he feels he has to. He is not ridden due to back problems but when he is having a mild attack i have him at liberty in the school and get him trotting to see if it helps to clear his lungs, but i have found him to be worse at times doing this again this depends on how bad his attack is. He hasnt been given an inhalor by either vets.
 
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***update

4th day on antibiotics noratadine granules I think they're called.

Yesterday he coughed twice at the stable when eating soaked horsehage.

Last night he came running off the field and didnt cough once, didnt cough after his happy hoof with the antibiotics mixed in.

I took him for a walk as well in hand, and did a very short trot, he didnt cough.

Prior to the vets coming out he was coughing constantly whenever the slightly load was placed on his lungs.

Heres hoping, off to give him his breakfast antibiotics now..
 
update***

swab test back, strep chest infection, but not the strep which causes Strangles vet said.

Antibiotics finished now and vet came out again, he said if he hadn't have known pony had been ill he'd know no better, chest sounded 100%, breathing rate and temps normal.

He's coughed once 3 days ago, and nothing since :) :) :)

So happy:)
 
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