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Kelly
Platinum Member
England
1571 Posts |
 Posted - 30 Jun 2010 : 10:28:21 AM
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The last couple of weeks, Jack has started coughing. It's a really dry, barking cough, occurring more often with increased exercise (by which I mean trot!) It's violent enough to interfere with exercise.
His eyes aren't particularly runny, though they had watered and dried yesterday, but not much. His nose isn't very runny, but small droplets of mucus are expelled when he coughs.
He is fine in himself, and his breathing doesn't seem to be affected, though we aren't really doing enough to get his breathing up anyway, so it may become apparent if we did.
He's 8 and we've never had this before. Another horse in the adjacent field has had the same cough, but also streaming eyes. None of the other 10 horses on the farm have it.
I have a few suspicions, but don't want to put words in anyone's mouth, so any ideas?! 
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Kelly
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pinkvboots
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
3290 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jun 2010 : 10:33:53 AM
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| It could be an allergy? pollen can cause coughing is he in a stable or living out? |
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geegee
Platinum Member
England
3682 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jun 2010 : 10:37:01 AM
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A couple of thoughts.....
Has there been a change in hay quality, bedding, or increased stabling?
Probably a bit late for rape now but anything growing close by that could be irritating him?
Dusty ground?
Have you checked his resting breathing rate? Any changes?
Is the mucus clear?
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Kelly
Platinum Member
England
1571 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jun 2010 : 10:39:28 AM
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Sorry, should have said, he's living out, about 22 hours a day (comes in twice a day for his tiny feed with supplements). He has a tiny bit of shredded paper in his stable as bedding, rubber mats.
We have a tiny bit of haylage left which we're almost at the end of. But.....(drum roll)..... the adjacent field is being left to grow for hay, and it's going to seed......
Geegee - yes, lack of rain has meant drier ground, but as it's all still covered in grass, it's not particularly dusty. No change to routine.
Mucus clear, no apparent change in respiratory rate at rest.
Allergy is my first guess, specifically grass pollen, (for a horse - doh!) but as he doesn't have all the typical symptoms, I wondered if I was being too simplistic.
If it was a pollen allergy, how would you deal with it? |
Kelly
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Edited by - Kelly on 30 Jun 2010 10:41:05 AM |
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geegee
Platinum Member
England
3682 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jun 2010 : 10:50:50 AM
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Hmmm. Allergies are always difficult. The fact he is out most of the day means that you can't improve on that. If it is pollen, you can hardly remove him from it.
The vet is likely to say that if exercise induces the coughing, then don't exercise. Not ideal when you want to keep his weight down.
If it's bad enough then they usually prescribe Ventipulmin, to keep the airways open.
Years ago, my old pony developed COPD and was always on ventipulmin. When we moved he never needed it again, so whatever was irritating him wasn't present at his new home. We never knew what caused it though..... |
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joanna_piana
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
3935 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jun 2010 : 12:45:27 PM
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| Ishara had a cough recently I fed her Coff Less which she loved and Manuka honey which she didn't. It came on when they were cutting the hay in the adjacent fields and was very dusty but lots of the horses were coughing and some still are. I don't think the dry weather helps. She didn't have any other symptons either and was fine in herself. I stopped riding her for ten days until it cleared up. |
      
Harthall Rashida RIP, Binley Ishara, Bouchan
Chorleywood, Hertfordshire |
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Kelly
Platinum Member
England
1571 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jun 2010 : 1:52:54 PM
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After doing a bit of research, I'm going to continue with the homeopathic remedies belonging to the lady in the next stable, for a few days, and try vaseline inside his nostrils to catch pollen!
And we will have to stick to walking for now, which is NOT going to help get him fit for our (hopefully) 5 day ride in September!
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Kelly
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Coughing?
