hi everyone, I need some advice as my horse has had a runny nose for a while so I'm getting the vet out next week but I'm worried it might be the beginnings of copd but he has no other symptoms. The prob is the yard has no grass really so he is on ad lib hay from a round bale and can't really separate him as no space (another reason to move him to fields near house). Another horse had the same thing and had passages flushed out which worked for a few weeks but then runny nose came back. Yard owner says its just the body's way off clearing out dust but I worry its something more sinister! Does anyone have experience of this as I really want to know as much as poss before vet comes so I don't get fobbed off.
thanks
thanks Annette, its been a worrying time really trying to figure out what the problem was!
The thing is, because the cough started in Feb, i was under the impression it probably wasnt a pollen/grass allergy?!
He was wormed when I moved him in March and also the donk too. He doesn't seem stressed at all and him and the donk get on really well, he's the most relaxed i've ever known him as he was a riding school pony before and his field mates kept changing etc... they play every evening and gallop round the field haha
The cough has continued no matter what the weather is like but it was a really humid Spring (unusual where we are). I think he drinks enough, between them they drink about 30L a day and more if its particularly hot.
Thanks for your advice again :)
Wow.....I'm sorry to hear you are still struggling with that cough :-(
Have you wormed him recently?
What about stress? Wondering about the "herd" aspect if he is kept with a donkey?
Does his cough co-incide with damp/hot weather? does he drink enough?
It must be very frustrating (and worrying) not to be able to find the cause despite your best efforts.
Hope you are feeling better now?
this post was such a long time ago but thought i'd update you as you gave me such helpful advice. Due to processes with buying the land, clearing years of debris, neglect and fencing everything, I wasnt able to move my boy until March this year. Unfortunately in Feb he developed a sinus infection (diagnosed by a vet which I have since heard is quite useless but was a friend of the yard owner) and was given antibiotics, he had a cough, lots of yellow and green discharge, temperature of 38.5 and was lethargic. The 3 days of antibiotics (strong broad spectrum) seemed to clear out the discharge, fever but the cough remained a little. There were various circumstances at the time, such as field mates changing twice in 2 weeks (not my choice unfortunately) and a very muddy/damp environment (he lives out). I then moved him to fields near my house in March and he had hay initially but then moved onto solely grass for the past few months but the cough still lingered, particularly during exercise. I had a different vet out again recently and he prescribed 5 days of antibiotcs for a suspected parotid gland infection (think he was just eliminating possibilities) and the cough seemed to clear up which was fantastic! However, last night I had to feed him hay for the first time in weeks and he has been coughing ALL day :( I have the horrible feeling this has now progressed to a hay/dust/spores allergy. Next port of call is to try soaked hay in a few weeks and I suppose if that doesnt work, then try to find haylage (very unlikely in the Aude) or move him to my friends fields a few miles away with plenty of grass but now I have a donkey I wouldnt want to mix the donkey with 2 big horses!
I didnt expect having my first horse to be easy but this takes the biscuit, i've only had him for just over a year and in that time I broke my collar bone and couldnt ride for 4 months and now my 9 year old horse is allergic to hay!
Thanks again for all the advice :)
http://www.equinawellness.com/equine-respiratory.htm
I am sure it's not serious BUT I would moniter the situation. IE take note of other horses as well as your own and if it comes back or does not clear up then you need to find the cause.
If it's not viral/bacterial and is as your vet says clearing dust, you are right to be worried long term. It does stress the airways unnecessarily and whilst all horses have runny noses from time to time a chronic or long term issue is almost always environmental.
Vets have a very hard time telling owners that they are not doing the right thing by their horse. There is always a conflict of interest "I'm moving my horse because my vet says your hay is causing........etc". It's the same reason vets will tell you to keep shoes on your horse when they know the horse will remain stabled in conditions where barefoot will fail. Vets make a living by treating symptoms and rarely prescribe change of management or lifestyle! Unless you are very lucky and find a vet that treats holistically............
I think as owners we owe it to our horses to learn and question and rather prevent than treat.
I'm glad you at least have peace of mind it's not something serious. Hopefully you will heal soon and have him home where you can control his environment :-)
hi again, well I've had the vet down and she listened to his airways and did a re-breathing thing with a bag over his nose. She is happy that his airways and lungs are ok. She said the clear mucus is produced to clear dust/irritants out of his airways. I asked if it could progress to emphysema etc but she said no.
I suppose this is good news but I'm still worried long term exposure might cause problems but I'm sure the vet knows better than me!
It's not about soaking the hay (unless the horse has insulin issues), it's about buying dust free/mould free hay. This goes for any type of grass that has been cut and dried. First prize would go for green grazing. However it is quite possible to keep a horse on a dry lot but then the type of fodder needs to be good quality. Depending on your area and what is available the greener/darker the hay generally speaking the fresher it is. Hay that is pale and dry and anything that leaves dust in the air when you move it (or smells bad) should be avoided. Mouldy spots can be well hidden and it's not unusual to find bales that have been stored through winter to have the odd section come spring time. Round bales being bigger (and the inside getting hotter) are the perfect breeding ground. Horses that are hungry (ie nothing else available) will eat it!!!!
When I was in France last year I was quite horrified by the bales of hay that I saw stacked in barns along the road and wondered if it was just that particular area or generally that the hay was not good quality.....I am sure most is produced for cattle?
We have the same issues here and I managed to find a farmer who dedicates a few acres every year to growing quality oat hay just for horses. He stores in covered open barns, bales tightly and uses organic grow/spray. He charges slightly more for his hay BUT it means I don't have to guess what I am getting and my horse thrives on it with very little additional feed, so in the long run it is cost effective.
For a private horse owner it's doable, for a livery yard they tend to expect the owner to feed and pay for lots of hard feed and the hay is seen as a something for the horses to keep themselves busy on.
I know it can be very hard when your horse is at livery as there really is nothing you can do, except find out which other liveries have a problem and put pressure on the owner to source better quality. Don't be surprised though if they want more money!!!
thanks Annette,
I had my concerns about the round bales and in the past other horses at the yard have retired early due to breathing problems so I think it prob all comes down to the hay and lack of grazing prob doesn't help. The discharge is clear, it was white but just on 1 occasion but in total he's had this for a couple of months - I keep being told its normal but I've put my foot down now re. Vet.
I'm not there/riding as much as normal as have had op on collar bone so its hard to monitor but going to lunge him with a friend tomorrow to check for any coughing too.
I can move him at end of Oct if needed, he would have more grass then and I could soak hay (from a different supplier!)
Hi Claire, What kind of runny nose? (ie clear, thin/thick, yellow, green, brown, smell?) and for how long?
Has the hay supply changed? Is the weather particularly wet or drier than usual. Not sure about the quality of round bales there, but here they tend to be for cattle and the last cuts. Because they are packed tight any damp when bailing is contained inside and mould is often present. I am not saying this is the case but often livery yards will cut costs by buying these bales.
I would worry if another horse has also had a runny nose as it may be something contagious as simple as a viral cold or as drastic as strangles and anything in between.
It is going to be difficult to isolate the cause if you cannot seperate the horse or change the fodder in any way to see what is causing it.
I would call a vet if the discharge is not clear or if you see any other symptoms, fever, etc.....but my first guess would be the hay?
Horses do get runny noses from time to time and yes it is a way of clearing dust, and is okay occasionally, (high winds and dust in the air/ microbes and toxins in soil/plants at change of season etc) otherwise there is something wrong with the environment your horse is living in. The fact that another horse has been flushed and the problem has come back means that the symptoms have been treated but not the cause......may be time to move your horse sooner......