Recurrent cough and nosebleeds - ideas?

heebiejeebies

heebiejeebies

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Hi,

I'm looking for some ideas as to what is going on with my horse, I'm not sure if I am looking so hard for a problem that I'm missing something simple! To try and stop myself going off in tangents and keeping it simple I've listed the points below!

* Bronchitis last summer, cleared up after two weeks of ventipulmin

* Coughing on and off since, not enough to warrant a vet visit, but as and when vet is out anyway he always has a quick listen to his chest and says it sounds normal - which is what three different vets have said.

* He has had two weeks off work as he was lame and on box rest for a week then he went back to living out 24/7. I gave him an extra week off as I didn't have time to work him.

*First sit on him today, a bit of walk and trot in the school for ten minutes, the coughing was really bad again, at it's worst was when I got off as he was REALLY coughing.

*It's a very dry cough, and very prolonged. No runny eyes or nose, temperature is normal, eating and drinking as normal. Lives out 24/7, soaking hay makes no difference.

*Has had two slight nosebleeds (nothing overly dramatic, fresh red blood) in the past six months so will be going to get scoped to see if he has polyps or something lurking up there.


Any ideas? Is it something simple like the cold damp weather? Is he too cold? He is casting like mad just now so I figured he was too warm and so he is back out in a lightweight. Vets are back and forward to look at him, but I don't want to just keep being given ventipulmin - I want to know what is causing it! He is 15.
 
Definitely get him scoped.

From H&H:

"Occasionally tumours somewhere in the respiratory tract or inflammation of the sinuses (sinusitis) will produce a trickle of blood from the nose.

More serious problems include a progressive ethmoid haematoma, which is a lump that can grow inside the horse’s nose. It is similar to a giant blood blister and is aptly described as a “bleeding polyp”. It is a rare condition seen in around one horse in 2,500.

Guttural pouch mycosis is the typical cause of repeated nosebleeds, unrelated to exercise or trauma, and is a serious condition that requires surgery to control the bleeding."

Now while guttural pouch mycosis is quite rare.. it can be fatal if not picked up early enough. Horse will have a handful of minor nosebleeds, followed by a major major nosebleed. If you have him scoped you will be able to rule this out most likely, but you can rest easier once you have.

Sounds more possible that he could have a sinusitis type thing going on?

Repeated use of ventipulmin shows that it isn't clearing up whatever the problem is, so you need a change of treatment at the very least.
 
B&J I had thought a long those lines as he is usually out 24/7 but has recently been stabled quite a lot due to various reasons, so I thought maybe the dust was affecting him and I was just noticing it more because of how often he was in.

RachelFerd thank you so much for your post, very informative and will definitely be getting him scoped!
 
My rescue horse has just been diagnosed with it, he was out 24/7 with last owner and due to various ailments is on box rest since coming to me.

He started with coughing (cough medicine did nothing), soaking hay didn't work either then the vet came out and said it was COPD, by that point he also had a snotty nose too though but no nose bleeds.

We switched him from straw to shavings and hay to haylage then swept all the dust and cobwebs off the walls and ceilings and aired the stable for as long as we could before putting him back it and its worked a treat, hasn't coughed since we did that Saturday :o) x
 
The Ventipulmin works short term but as soon as he is finished the course it doesn't take long for the coughing to start again.

He was on wood pellets which I was just using up to finish them and he is now on shavings. Soaking hay doesn't seem to do much, and he can't have haylage as it just runs straight through him.

I do keep him out as much as possible and make sure to keep his box as dust free as I can.
 
I have an Arab mare (24 years old and fit) who has always had a slight cough even in the field. I have tried various things to help her but no real help.

I started her on Turmeric and the pepper and oil , since then she has not coughed. Maybe worth trying that.

She lives out 24/7 and has damp feeds and fed hay off the ground.
 
Thanks paulineh!

Have been wanting to give the turmeric a go, how much do you give and do you add it straight to the feed? Was going to make some treats with turmeric, oats, pepper and coconut oil but I'm not sure of quantities!

He gets damp feeds and hay off the ground too!
 
Mine have recently gone onto Tumeric as have I, I give a token feed of sugarbeet and chaff, mine get 2 tsps of Tumeric, 8 twists of black pepper and a glug of oil mixed in the feed, After a week of taking it myself, apart from the oil bit, I now have some flexability in my fingers again, so I intend continuing with it, scrambled egg and Tumeric is actually quite nice, looks awful though, good luck with your lad, they are a worry
 
Have started giving the turmeric, have to really water the feed down though, he's not daft and firmly believes I am trying to poison him! What do you add the pepper for flirtygerty? And how much do you put on your eggs, just out of interest? :p
 
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