Intermittent cough and snotty nose....

Spyda

Spyda

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Just wondering whether I need to have the vet out or not.

My 3 yr old has been living out 24/7 but I noticed a week ago that she'd give a cough or two when cantering across the field to greet my at the gate. She's had a little dot or two of milky apaque mucous in her nostrils but has been well in herself, eating well and cheerful. I figured she had a bit of a cold so just kept an eye on her; checking her temp and for swollen glands but she's been fine.

Yesterday I brought her in for the night and this morning she had a longer coughing spell (about 8 deep coughs in succession) which resulted in a splatter of thick yellow mucous dollops across her door. In the remaining couple of hours I was with her she didn't cough again and was cheerful and eating-up well.

I've left her today in but am unsure whether it'd be worth getting the vet out to her. If it's viral there's nothing much he's going to be able to do, so should I just keep her in and keep an eye on her instead?
 
She's probably better out and about as long as she seems happy in herself.

As long as she doesn't have a temperature and her breathing rate is normal then there isn't a great deal you can do.

Only other thing to check for would be worms - roundworm in particular can cause coughs and snots in young horses - although whether they would be a problem so late in the year I'm not sure about!

Hope she gets better soon!
 
My yearling traditional had this so I called the vet and after assessment he was prescribed antibiotics for a respiratory infection. However a week later it returned so he had a second course of a/b's. When it returned the third time I decided it too coincidental attributed it to some hay that I had been feeding (throughout) so as an experiment and I swapped to haylage. The cough and mucus disappeared. Just to be completely sure I then fed him some hay again and bingo the cough returned, so the rest got chucked! My TB was eating the same stuff and was completely unaffected.
 
Domane: Whilst she been living out she's not had access to forage - aside from the grass, so it can't be down to allergy. She's out in a 30 acre field with two others and there's plenty of grass. Our YO doesn't let us put out hay or haylage (it makes the fields "untidy" apparently :( ) so I generally leave mine out until the worst of the frozen weather hits and then bring in at night for the rest of the winter. Mind you, I had to bring in yesterday as there was snow covering the grass.

Bertthefrog: I would rather leave her out, but it's difficult at a livery yard as understandably a coughing, snotty horse worries the other liveries sharing the same field/barn. No one's said anything, but I know I'd be concerned if one of the other horses near mine was coughing and snotting everywhere. I think mine caught it from coming in a couple of weeks ago for the farrier. The horse stabled opposite mine in the barn was also in. I didn't think anything about it at the time but someone mentioned today he'd been in for coughing, a snotty nose and runny eyes. :eek:
 
Bertthefrog: I would rather leave her out, but it's difficult at a livery yard as understandably a coughing, snotty horse worries the other liveries sharing the same field/barn. No one's said anything, but I know I'd be concerned if one of the other horses near mine was coughing and snotting everywhere. I think mine caught it from coming in a couple of weeks ago for the farrier. The horse stabled opposite mine in the barn was also in. I didn't think anything about it at the time but someone mentioned today he'd been in for coughing, a snotty nose and runny eyes. :eek:[/QUOTE]

Fair enough! Keeping the other liveries on side is always a good plan!
 
If you have eliminated as many causes as possible, then try adding manuka honey, garlic & cider vinegar to her feeds.
 
Hmm, my foal traditional has had a cough for over a month with the snots, vet wont give second jab yet , my two oldies also coughing

I switched to haylage as above as i wondered if it was that, I used some old straw as bedding saturday as I couldnt get to the normal farm the snots are back

So maybe it is dust, Ive been told to keep her in but it seems to not be getting worse but seems to be triggered by something . Funnily a friend who bought a foal from the same place is having the same problem, so Im still thinking its something going about.
 
She's a bit better this morning. No snot in nostrils today and she only coughed a couple of times. I've bought her some Coff Syrup today, and have some Cider Vinegar and garlic powder I can add to her feed if it'll help.

Hopefully it's just a mild lurgey and the cough will start to get better soon.
 
If horse is coughing,horse has had discharge/snotty nose more than a week ?Id get anibiotics to clear up -my boy had a discharge earlier this year vet said allergy , maybe ?I disagreed as had him a year but he went on pirotin any way he got worse, a week later got antibiotics tool a few week to clear so id get antibiotics if horse is coughing ,
 
Hiya folks.

Have you tried Secrolin breathing suppliment. Its herbal and very very effective for coughs and snot (lovely!! lol). It fixed my horse up a treat.

If you would like more info feel free to email me on elaine at silverstarequine dot com
 
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