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Discussion on Left Eye and Nostril Discharge, Cough, No Fever
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New Member:
alarson
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Posted on Monday, Mar 26, 2007 - 12:07 am:
About 2 ½ months ago, my gelding (10yo) and mare (25yo) both had an upper respiratory viral infection that lasted about a week with yellowish snotty noses and that was it. It happened around the time our weather jumped around 20 to 30 degrees all within 1 ½ weeks. They both cleared up and returned to normal, so I believe this incident and the one I’m about to describe are separate, but worth mentioning in case I'm wrong.
For the past month now, my gelding's left eye and nostril has been running. On occasion, the right side will have a bit of fluid coming out too, but not nearly as noticeable. The left eye is tearing and the left nostril discharge is clear to white - no odor. No fever or loss of appetite and his attitude is good. He "blows" his nose and sneezes all the time. Asking for a canter guarantees he will start coughing, but he is still willing (I don't continue, I ask, he gives, and we slow back down, against his will). While riding, I noticed the one nostril flares more and is red on the inside. I rode today, and let him graze for a few minutes and the fluids were really coming out when he put his head down to eat.
He’s current on his vaccines. In trying to figure this out, I've eliminated his bedding and keep him stalled from dusk to dawn only and on turnout the rest of the time. When he is stalled, our barn ventilation is good and his top stall door is always open to the outside (with his head hanging out!) The only addition to his feed in the last few months is soy bean meal. We grow and harvest our own grass hay and I get the pick of the crop – no dust or mold – although, not knowing what else to do, I may start soaking it anyway. We do live in Oregon, so mold conditions are perfect. But my mare that does have COPD issues from past exposures isn’t having any new or increased issues currently and both are fed the same hay/feed. The 3rd in my herd, a pony, hasn’t had any issues at all. I'm getting impatient/worried waiting for it to clear on its own, and am curious why the symptoms are primarily unilateral. Has anyone experienced anything like this? What treatment, if any, was administered? I will be making a vet appointment this week and want to have an idea what he might suggest and what questions I should be prepared to ask. Thanks in advance for any advice offered.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Tuesday, Mar 27, 2007 - 11:13 am:
Hello Alicia
It is unclear there is a connection between the cough and the runny nose but if we try to put them together, irritation of the pharynx may be involved and the running when the head is down and the primary unilateral running suggest possible guttural pouch infection. This could be a complication of the previous URT infection like a secondary bacterial infection of tissues that were effected during the cold.
Your next step is a good exam to try and differentiate the possibilities. This will probably include scoping to see where this exudate is coming from.
DrO
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Member:
alarson
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Posted on Wednesday, Mar 28, 2007 - 10:58 am:
Dr. O.,
When dealing with kids or animals, the best cure for a mild ailment is to make an appointment with a dr  . When the vet arrived yesterday, only his eye was tearing a bit - no cough, no snotty nose. He checked him out and everything was clear - he listened from top to bottom. He has a couple of suggestions - 1) use a warm rag on the eye a couple times a day and massage it to see if it will help clear it out 2) the next time he looks like he's having a "spell", get a shot of steroid from the clinic and give it to him - if he clears up within 24 hours, then we know it's an allergy. The dr. could find no obvious allergens (hay, barn conditions, etc.) and since the symptoms come and go depending on the day, he thinks it could be something in the air and will get better as the weather changes. I will make note of the weather/outside conditions when he flares up to see if there is a correlation. Time will tell ~ at least I can stop worrying about it for now.
Thanks again,
Alicia
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Thursday, Mar 29, 2007 - 6:59 am:
Hmmmm, though delighted to hear things have improved, if this comes back remember that allergies do not typically present on one side of the face.
DrO
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