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  Discussion on Strange intermittant wet cough, 8 yr old fit quarter horse/barrel racer
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New Member:
cmaclean

Posted on Friday, Sep 19, 2008 - 7:21 pm:

My Mare has had an on again off again wet cough throughout the summer...no heaving....responds (I think, unless its coincidence) to short doses of Dex.)
I've cut an pasted from another email I sent a friend (lazy I know..)


Gurgly mucous cough the day before windsor..went away....show in windsor....no prob (got me a third...) back home....2 days off...next 2 mornings could not even ride....mucousy gurgling wet cough....enough of this I figured...I'm taking her in to be seen...(this is a long story)...closest vet and since I don't know the rep of one from the other .She examines her in the trailer. LIstens to both sides...could hear a slight wet gurgle in lower part of lungs (she tells me not at all like the traditional pops and cracks higher up in heaves)...(Oh yes and they had drew blood first thing and ran the gammit, and no temp.)....asked if she would stand for a re-breathing test? I said maybe what is it? we did it with the clear garbage bag over her nose (she sd a bit of that is like 20 min hard exercise)...she stood for it and low and behold it brought forth the wet gurgling etc ASAP! ok..she tells me if WBC count is high...infection...if fibrinogen is high it has been long term, ....reads the blood work tells me WBC is high, finbrinogen normal. (I'm thinking good...treat it,problem solved!) so 8 days of Excenel (not cheap!) no work and rest. (and gave be prednisolone for the pony, who's case of heaves is more straightforward).... As I am turning in the parking lot she comes out waving the blood work...on second look she says the WBC really isn't high (12.5) (What 5-12 is norm?) and says probably not an infection but to go ahead and give the excenel anyways. (Which I kinda agree as it won't hurt I guess) and to give her a once daily dose of 12 ml of the prednisone she gave me for the pony 40mg/ml x 4 days. So really still no definate diagnosis, this was just yesterday.

Any insight or opionions from an expert?

thanks...this is my first post, but think this sight is a great idea.

chris
New Member:
cmaclean

Posted on Friday, Sep 19, 2008 - 7:24 pm:

this was just yesterday...so she is on day two of above treatment
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Sep 20, 2008 - 10:30 am:

Welcome Chris,
And thanks for the kudos. We think this is a good idea and have been doing it since 1994.

Chronic cough without fever is a common event in horses with many different causes and nothing in your post really differentiates the possibilities. In our area 90% of them would be a allergic response to mold spores in the hay and barn so the eearly stages of Heaves. For more on how to differentiate the different causes see Diseases of Horses » Respiratory System » Chronic Cough Without Fever.
DrO
New Member:
cmaclean

Posted on Saturday, Sep 20, 2008 - 11:05 am:

do you beleive in antihistamine use? 350mg pyrillamine maleate daily? (hay was not the best past 2 months, have remedied that.......what about a product called "lung Flush"? https://www.macleod-equine.com/equine-lung_flush

thanks....
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Sep 21, 2008 - 9:32 am:

Chris, effective treatment depends on the specific diagnosis. If you would like to see how I treat heaves including a discussion of antihistimines see Diseases of Horses » Respiratory System » Heaves & Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. There are some other chronic lower respiratory diseases that require other treatment and you will find them at Diseases of Horses » Respiratory System » Chronic Lower Airway Disease.

I can find no support for the efficacy or for the claims made by the "Lung Flush" ad.
DrO
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