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  Discussion on Coughing - postviral? COPD? Allergy??
Author Message
Member:
Wendyp

Posted on Friday, Nov 10, 2006 - 3:42 am:

Hi

I am sorry - this is long as I have included the full history....

My friend has a 6 year old gelding who has been coughing recently.
In July 2006 her horse and 3 others on the same yard had a cough, small amounts of snot and increased respiratory rate (around 25 breaths/min), which was assumed to be due to a virus. Her horse recovered within a week, one of the affected horses has had an occasional cough ever since. Other horses in contact with them have not coughed at all.

2 months later, the same horses all started to cough again and breathing rate was increased again (and again no others were affected). This time my friends horses cough didn't clear up quickly, he was bright in himself, had no snot and did not cough when exercised, but was coughing occasionally at rest and was beginning to get puffed after canter work and look as though breathing was an effort. He was also beginning to develop a double breathing effort after exertion.
So my friend got the vet out, who said that his breathing sounded very wheezy diagnosed COPD and prescribed sputolosin and a 3.5 week course of ventipulmin, this vet did not seem interested in the full history of the case and appeared to have made his diagnosis before even entering the stable. A more senior vet in the same practice said that he doubted it was COPD in a young horse who had been previously healthy and in his opinion it was post-viral and may take a further few months to clear up.

The ventipulmin appeared to stop the coughing, although the respiratory rate remained a bit higher than ideal (15-20). On Sunday the horse was heard to cough again, and on Monday he finished the course of ventipulmin.

The horse is still bright in himself, but the coughing is following quite a confusing pattern. The horses normal daily routine is hay and hard feed at 6am, turn out in a group in a small paddock at 8am, back in at 12-1pm, hay at 4pm, ridden at 6pm, feed at 7pm. He has only ever been heard to cough mid afternoon - before he gets his afternoon hay. He never coughs when worked (and it is often frosty or foggy by the time he is worked so he is inhaling cold damp air but not coughing), he also never coughs when eating his hay. Articles on COPD all describe a different pattern of coughing to this. What is the likely cause of a cough following this pattern?

Thanks in advance!
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Nov 10, 2006 - 7:53 am:

I agree that the above story best describes that of a horse has been through a second viral infection that has not completely healed, though it is surprising he does not cough when exercised.
DrO
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