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  Discussion on Cough with discharge
Author Message
Member:
Cowgrl

Posted on Thursday, Aug 5, 2004 - 6:52 pm:

Hi,
My 4 year old mustang has developed a dry cough usually accompanied by a thick yellow/white nasal discharge. Plus sometimes he coughs up the discharge and then quits coughing. It's usually while he's working and is intermittant. He'll have a bout of coughing then none. His attitude is good, his appetite is excellent, and he has no fever. I started wetting his hay to see if that would help but haven't had a chance to work him since. I plan to tonight.

It doesn't sound like heaves because he isn't having any trouble breathing, he's up to date on all vaccinations. I don't vaccinate for strangles because our horses never come into close contact with strange horses and don't live at a boarding stable with unknown horses coming in and out. I don't show so they don't go to barns at the showgrounds.

What do you think it might be? I've read the articles pertaining to these symptoms but none of them address this issue.

Thanks for any help.

Holly
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Aug 6, 2004 - 9:35 am:

Hmmm, I suspect you have gone through a mild upper respiratory infection, that did not cause fever and depression, but has caused the symptoms you do see. Read the article associated with this forum and I think you will your horse most closely resembles this but it should be confirmed with a good exam.

A couple of comments though, early heaves starts as a cough without the difficult breathing and if hay molds are the problem wetting the hay does not help very much.
DrO
Member:
Cowgrl

Posted on Friday, Aug 6, 2004 - 10:59 am:

Thanks for your input Dr. O. I read that part of the heaves article and was thinking about it as I wet his hay last night.

I gave Dakota a brief workout in the roundpen last night to see if any coughing would start and it did not; although he seemed a little depressed and not his normal bright self. I took his temp (still normal) and since his appetite was good, I wasn't too concerned. I will continue to keep an eye on him though.

The hay we have has small spots of mold that I remove before feeding but I'm sure there's some I'm not getting. It's almost impossible to keep mold out of your hay here in the rainy NW. I'll be bringing in a new load of grass hay soon so we'll see how it goes. My QH who gets the same hay does not have a cough at all. Are some horses more predisposed than others to contracting heaves?

Thanks again.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Aug 7, 2004 - 9:47 am:

Yes some horses are more predisposed and you are correct in being concerned about the hay even with the spots you are removing. You can remove the obvious mold but you cannot remove the spores that actually causes the problem.
DrO
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