Please any advice on sick mare.

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rema

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Hello.My friend has a mare that is very poorly.The vets has been out and has ruled Strangles out for now (no temp).The mare has a thick yellow nasal discharge and is foaming at the mouth.This morning my friend says that it is like grass and green/brown sludge (like poo) coming out of her nose..like her Oesophagus tract isent working properly.And her breathing is very bad maybe due to food going into lungs.Any ideas please.the mare is generally very unhappy.Thanks.
 
The vet is stumped as to what it is.He was there for a good few hours and has taken bloods,swabs and samples.I don't think i said he had a look and walked away!.The mare did not show a temp so he has ruled it out for now but not indefinitely.
 
rema said:
The vet is stumped as to what it is.He was there for a good few hours and has taken bloods,swabs and samples.I don't think i said he had a look and walked away!.The mare did not show a temp so he has ruled it out for now but not indefinitely.
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Any chance of poisening????
 
When you say the vet walked away, do you mean he didn't take bloods, arrange more tests etc? This sounds quite urgent I'd be insisting on another visit asap with a different vet if the previous one 'just walked away'. :(
Did the vet mention other possible conditions such as grass sickness? Is the horse eating and drinking?
 
rema said:
You know AM that has crossed my mind.I'm just waiting for a text back from her.The field is pretty much in the centre of the village with houses/shops/pubs on three sides.whether something has been dumped over the fence?.
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Any water sources near by? Drainage etc??

Any other horses showing signs of the same??

Has the field been sprayed for anything??

Is there poultry on the land??
 
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amandap said:
When you say the vet walked away, do you mean he didn't take bloods, arrange more tests etc? This sounds quite urgent I'd be insisting on another visit asap with a different vet if the previous one 'just walked away'. :(
Did the vet mention other possible conditions such as grass sickness? Is the horse eating and drinking?
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I'm sorry it wasn't me who said the vet walked away.He was there a good few hours.He took bloods,swabs and samples.She is eating but it seems to be coming back out of her nostrils (grassy green goop)..
 
amymay said:
Any water sources near by? Drainage etc??

Any other horses showing signs of the same??

Has the field been sprayed for anything??

Is there poultry on the land??
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Other horses showing no signs,they have a range of horses from broods/youngstock to oldies.

No natural water source,some ditching on outskirts of fields,

No sprays just harrowed,topped and rolled,

Chickens in yard/field (free range).
 
Sorry to digress - but AmyMay can you tell me why having poultry on the land would be an issue? Worried now as our chickens regularly roam round the paddock with my horse. Thanks!

Rema - hope you get some answers for the mare soon, sounds awful.
 
rema said:
I'm sorry it wasn't me who said the vet walked away.He was there a good few hours.He took bloods,swabs and samples.She is eating but it seems to be coming back out of her nostrils (grassy green goop)..
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Sincere apologies, I got the wrong end of the stick by misreading. :o

Could it be some sort of soft palate fissure or hole allowing chewed food into the nasal cavity? That might tie in with odd breathing...
 
Foxy girl said:
Sorry to digress - but AmyMay can you tell me why having poultry on the land would be an issue? Worried now as our chickens regularly roam round the paddock with my horse. Thanks!

Rema - hope you get some answers for the mare soon, sounds awful.
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Thank you.I will keep posting with any new as i get the texts.
 
Foxy girl said:
Sorry to digress - but AmyMay can you tell me why having poultry on the land would be an issue? Worried now as our chickens regularly roam round the paddock with my horse. Thanks!
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Salmonella or botulism would be a real concern, as would the links with grass sickness.
 
amandap said:
Sincere apologies, I got the wrong end of the stick by misreading. :o

Could it be some sort of soft palate fissure or hole allowing chewed food into the nasal cavity? That might tie in with odd breathing...
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Please don't apologise it's probably my fault for not explaining it very well.A bit of a panic post.My friend is worried sick and i think i'm picking up on her vibes.
 
Sorry in the delay in replying..my computer has decided it would like to do a scan and has gone to snails pace.

I will go and have a look at the Grass sickness site.

Thanks everyone for your help so far.I will keep you updated.
 
Nari said:
I was wondering about grass sickness, though I really hope I'm wrong. If it is then it sounds like the chronic form, which sometimes can be treated, but even so the outlook isn't good if that's what it is.
http://www.grasssickness.org.uk/
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Me too, hope to god it's not....
Can you get your friend to suggest Grass Sickness to the vet, and for said vet to take advise with the Royal Veterinary College.

Really hope it's something more treatable.....
 
Have read the other replies but it does sound in first instance very much like choke (which does take some horses a long time to clear from the nasal passages even if the obstruction has moved but I would expect the vet to have clocked that one immediately)
AM's also right in thinking poison of some form and I wouldn't rule out grass sickness either, that can come on very suddenly and be devastating to watch/deal with.
Do hope you get to the bottom of it and she recovers, do let us know please.
 
Thank you guys..It has gone very quiet on the phone.I hope that is not a bad thing.I promise to keep you all updated.I too hope and pray it's not grass sickness after looking at the website.It doesn't seem like the survival rate is very good.
 
Yes, please let us know how she is.

The ongoing appetite and the green gloop isn't consistent with my grass sickness experience, sweats, tremors, not eating fits the pattern more (or did when my mare and 2 others on yard went through it but that was only our experience).

Fingers crossed for you and your friend

GI x
 
Hi, i have to agree with an earlier comment, it sounds awfully like choke.. did vet tube horse??? my daughters ancient pony suffers choke if she breaks out onto long grass as she quids then chokes on it the silly bega. She gets the thick nasal discharge (browny colour) and foams at the mouth and looks generaly well pissed off! even if it turns out not 2 be choke it sounds serious enough to get another vet out as 1 you had doesnt sound to great if he didnt check for choke with all the symptoms, regular teeth treatment will help with choke and feeding soaked feed etc if it does turn out that is what horse suffers from. please keep us updated and good luck!
 
I would have thought that the vet would have picked up on choke? You would certainly hope so!!

My old boy is 'broken winded' and (sorry for the not very technical terms here....) when he swallows, his throat doesn't close properly so food can sometimes get into the lungs. This has only once ever caused him a problem.

At the old livery yard, a horse turned up with a cough and it went round the yard, inc my old boy. All the others got over it but with him he seemed to deteriorate a lot, and I think the coughing action made the airway thing more of a problem and he got bits of food sucked into his lungs, and got an infection - he was coughing up very bad smelling air and had manky food like discharge from his nose. He also had foam round his mouth. He had anti biotics, two lots, and also had two bottles of a supplement as he became very anaemic.

I would be having the vet back I think.
 
rema said:
.She is eating but it seems to be coming back out of her nostrils (grassy green goop)..
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Is her throat swollen?

We found our Sec A colt with a swollen throat and chewed grass (like you'd find under a lawnmower when cleaning it) coming down his nose and were concerned that he'd developed strangles.
Our vet came immediately and ruled out Strangles as Japser didn't have a temperature, he was still trying to graze but the grass was still coming down his nose. After examination it was decided that Jasper had been kicked in the throat by another pony and we had an anxious few days waiting for the swelling to go down to see if his trachea had been displaced..thankfully it hadn't and he recovered fully.

Any chance this pony has been kicked?
 
Hiya guys.Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.i have been away for a couple of days.The mare has improved greatly and is pretty much back to normal.Yes it would seem it was choke,whilst the vet was back the next morning to see the mare she choked again on a piece of Dock stork.The vet has advised to only feed her on chopped hay for the moment as her throat/gullet must be really sore.I have passed on all of your thoughts and messages and the owner is very humbled by everybody's help and thanks you all.
 
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