Ongoing intermittent snot

[autumn7]

First noticed 7th Jan. Not a lot, but dribbly, white-grey usually from right nostril evident a couple of times a week and no pattern to its appearance. Sometimes just found on feed trugs. Horse lives out, all hay steamed.
Vet endoscoped, found slightly swollen phalynx and took mucus samples from sinuses and gutteral pouches and put on bute for ten days, rested.
Another week on, cultures grown, no sign of infection. Told to finish course of bute, rest for a further week before endoscoping a second time. Found more snot today when finally thought it'd cleared up.
Question - if horse has an inflamed phalynx yet no infection, what on earth else could cause this symptom? Surely a 'sore throat' is caused by an infection? Struggling to understand.
Horse is OK in other ways, eating copious amounts of hay, a few soaked haycobs for bute and Equimins Advance balancer pellets and salt.
Horse has now gone from very fit to a couple of walks out for 20 mins twice a week. She's now getting grousy (as am I!)

 

[autumn7]

ETA. Bloods also taken - white and red blood cells lower end of average which I'm assured is normal for a heavier type.

 

[be positive]

It sounds as if it is an allergy, thin white discharge is a common symptom often with nothing else going on, a sore throat with an allergy sounds normal, steaming the hay may not be enough to totally clear the dust which is the most frequent cause of this in my experience.
Any I have that are like this tend to clear up if given haylage, plenty of turnout, ideally 24/7 for the summer months so they have a complete break from the allergen and feeding from the ground can make a difference to how much they inhale as well as help drain any gunk they have in their airways.
Yours is living out so that should help, if well in themselves exercise should do more good than harm as long as you don't push on too fast, it can help open them up and get them breathing more deeply rather than them just standing about eating all the time which many will do if they have ad lib in front of them.

 

[autumn7]

Thanks for your input BP. Food for thought there. What I didn't consider was the trug of straw I leave out overnight to supplement hay. Although advertised as a 'dust free' product the straw at the bottom of the trug inevitably contains straw dust particles. These could well be breathed in as the horse forages in the contained space. The feeding straw has now been removed from the menu and I shall see if it was the culprit. Hay has always been steamed and fed at ground level and my supply hasn't changed since July so unlikely to be that.
Exercised her today and she's exceedingly well. Had a job at times keeping to a sedate pace. Encouraging drainage via exercise makes sense. Will update after the next endoscopy in around ten days time. Hopefully all will be normal and I can crack on again to regain fitness.

 

[be positive]

The straw is probably the culprit, sometimes the most obvious cause is easily overlooked and vets rarely look beyond what is in front of them, they would not have seen the straw which as you say will have a certain amount of dust and in a trug it will be contained while being eaten.

 

[Gloi]

An allergy would affect both nostrils rather than just one. Hope the endoscopy goes well.

 

[autumn7]

An allergy would affect both nostrils rather than just one. Hope the endoscopy goes well.

Agree, and this one-sidedness is also a mystery. Vet cannot account for it at this stage. The pharynx inflammation and a little whitish mucus is the only evidence of something amiss when scoped. Gutteral pouches and sinuses scoped clear. Last bute today, to wait a week, then endoscopy so will also give time for inflammation to settle if (now withdrawn) straw WAS the cause. Would be odd though. I've fed straw this way since last June although I realise horses can develop sensitivities, delicate creatures that they are!

 

[be positive]

I have found it often just comes down one nostril unless really bad, no idea why but it is fairly common to have a trickle from just one, I have a mare here that only ever has a slight discharge from her left nostril, she scoped clear and no real cause was found she is better when out more and in harder work.

 

[autumn7]

Now that IS interesting BP. I didn't ride today as busy but will take her out again tomorrow as feel exercise will do more good than harm in the drainage department. Our 'gentle' walks out are conducted at a barely contained and extremely wearing jog which leads me to suspect there can't be too much amiss. Will remain cautiously optimistic until next scope.

 

[Equi]

My first thought was mild allergy/congestion. My big horse had this since i have known him it didnt really concern me because its colourless and mostly only in the morning when he has had his head up for a time or after work when he has worked hard and got his inners hot. I did give him a course of ventipulmin from vet and would syringe an airways supplement in before work...but it didn't make any difference and the only reason i was treating was because of the snot he had no other issues. I don't do anything now and he is no different, he still has his little snot now and then but vet has said its nothing concerning but doing the treatment kind of ruled that out. Its just how he is. I do use a dust free bedding and try and keep dust down as much as i can though just in case.

If i run, i get mega nose run but as far as i can tell i am ok.

 

[Pinkvboots]

One of my mares had white snot when she was on straw, changed to shavings and it stopped I think it's probably the straw as well.

 

[autumn7]

Thanks for your comments Equi and Pinkvboots. I do hope you are all correct with the straw theory. I don't want to tempt fate but....removed straw late Wed. and last snot strike Friday. Trying to suppress elation until scope day but does seem rather coincidental. If so, an expensive way to find out!

 

[Mudfukkle]

Have you had the teeth checked thoroughly? Sometimes teeth can cause sinus problems.

 

[autumn7]

Vet scoped and assures me the problem doesn't stem from the sinuses or gutteral pouches.
It's now Thursday and nose is still dry so hopefully a sign of normality restored.
About to book follow-up scope.

 

[autumn7]

UPDATE; Horse was rescoped this morning. Pharynx is back to the correct colour and inflammation has gone. No sign of mucus either so praying that is the end of it. Vet assures me that it was not due to an allergic response, but to think of it as a mild common cold and sore throat in a human. I am to steadily bring her back in to work over the next fortnight or so then carry on as normal. IF there is any further nasal discharge then he will X-ray for a tooth root problem. He doubts this due to the white discharge has never been smelly or constant. Re. the straw, in spite vet's dismissal of it being a cause, I shall hold back for a week or two before slowly reintroducing it to her diet but this time in a lower-sided feed bucket rather than a deep trug that she becomes immersed in.
So....thank you folks who have added their thoughts to this thread. It has been so helpful to bounce ideas off others and to hear your views. And Mudfukkle, I hope I won't be returning to this forum in coming weeks as a result of your reasoning but if so, we shall know where to start!