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  Discussion on Cough, runny eyes, runny nose
Author Message
Member:
stuart05

Posted on Saturday, Mar 5, 2011 - 8:00 am:

Hi, I have a 11 year old TWH gelding. About 5 weeks ago he developed runny eyes. Then about 4 weeks ago, he developed a runny nose with clear to white discharge, occasional yellow snot. He has not had a fever and is eating and acting normal. My vet put him on Sulfamethoxazole-TMP for 10 days. There really wasn't any change. About 2 weeks ago, he developed a cough. It doesn't matter if he's exercised or not. I have removed him from hay and dusty areas but that has not made any difference. He seems now to be worse. His eyes are runny enough to leave a trail down his face and his nasal discharge is thicker. He does not have a fever and the discharge does not have an odor. He has not been exposed to any horses from off the farm and he has been with 3 other horses that have not developed any symptoms. He is vaccinated for everything including Strangles.

I am going to have the vet out next week but any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated. Is there another antibiotic that may help? Should he be on an antibiotic until this clears? Could it be allergies? Could it be a guttural pouch infection? Thanks
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Mar 5, 2011 - 12:22 pm:

Hello Kim,
Yes, if the organism is resistant to the TMP/SMZ switching to a antibiotic that the infection is sensitive to will help however without sensitivity testing which one is a bit of a shot in the dark. You can read about the commonly used antibiotics in horses at HorseAdvice.com » Treatments and Medications for Horses » Antibiotics and Antimicrobials. Yes it could be a guttural pouch infection but allergies seems unlikely to me.

The real question you need to be asking is how do we get a good diagnosis, because that is the first step to proper treatment. We discuss this in great detail at HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Respiratory System » Nasal Discharge in the Horse. This article should make communication between you and your veterinarian easier. Let us know what happens.
DrO
Member:
stuart05

Posted on Thursday, Mar 10, 2011 - 12:33 pm:

Just an update,
Had the vet out. Gelding continues to show runny eyes, runny nose and cough. He has not had a fever. It has been going on for a month. Vet listened to his lungs which sound clear and checked his sinuses which didn't seem to be a problem. Next course of action is starting him on Uniprim for at least 7 days and see if it helps. One question though; is Uniprim palatable for most horses or should I mix with something tasty? He's pretty suspicious at this point.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Mar 10, 2011 - 9:32 pm:

I would mix it but note that Uniprim is a similar drug to your previous drug and if resistant to one is likely to be resistant to the other.
DrO
Member:
stuart05

Posted on Wednesday, Mar 30, 2011 - 1:08 pm:

After another two weeks of Uniprim, he is still not that much better. While his cough has diminished to almost none, he continues to have runny eyes. His nose does not run constantly but if he moves around a lot he blows white/yellow snot out. The vet is coming back to check him. Any antibiotic recommendations would be appreciated. Would further investigation of his guttural pouch be warranted at this point? Appetite is fine and no fever...
Member:
frances

Posted on Thursday, Mar 31, 2011 - 7:56 am:

If it is a guttural pouch infection I don't think it will respond to antibiotics as the blood doesn't circulate in that area. So the lack of improvement you're seeing despite antibiotics might rule in guttural pouch?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Mar 31, 2011 - 12:31 pm:

I don't know Kim, that sounds improved over your earlier posts and sometimes complete recovery from upper respiratory infections take time. Let his physical exam guide your next step with consideration of the articles I reference above on antibiotics and further diagnostic work.
DrO
Member:
stuart05

Posted on Saturday, Apr 2, 2011 - 10:20 am:

Thanks Dr. Oglesby,
The vet came out again on Thursday. She decided to run a CBC to see if his white count was elevated. I have not heard the results yet. His lungs are clear and she didn't think his sinuses sounded bad.

His nasal discharge has almost completely stopped. His eyes are still running. I briefly rode him yesterday to see how he felt and he coughed numerous times but he does not cough at rest. He does have a little nasal discharge with exercise and coughing. The vet seems to think if his white count is not any more elevated than his previous CBC that the next step would be Naxcel. I'm not sure what to do at this point. Right now he is not taking anything. Any suggestions?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Apr 3, 2011 - 10:09 am:

As your horse recovers from this respiratory infection I would follow the treatment/recovery recommendations in HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Respiratory System » Colds, Influenza, and Upper Respiratory Infection.
DrO
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