Horse cold???

Question

help my horse has a cold she is still her normally happy self. i rode her to day but when i got down to put up a jump she had white snot and was warm and i ask an instuctor and they said she had it. any tips on what i can do to help her and stop it getting worse.????

Answer 1

She may have C.O.P.D. (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Check her glands in her neck to make sure they are not enlarged as that can be strangles that will require veterinary treatment. You may have to check her respiration and temperature too. If she goes off her food that would be a major worry. I feel that it maybe copd. if she has dry hay or a straw bed then eliminate these. Haylage if she doesnt suffer laminitis and a dust free bed may be neccessary. She may also need an operation which is called a tie back as the airway might be obstructed. If she has been a busy horse over the years and old she may need to be operated on to tie the larynx back. Many racehorses have this. I have little knowledge of success rate and i would imagine expensive. I wouldnt work her at the moment until she is better, but as i say put her in a dust free environment and see if this works. Hope she will be ok. x

Answer 2

Well for one. Contact your vet as soon as possible so that you know for sure that it isn't nothing else and then he can tell you what you can and cannot do to make it worse

Answer 3

i would call the vet either way! for her and for your ease of mind and to be safe! yeah i agree with the answer above me! my horse had strangles a few months ago...its a mystery how she got it! the symtoms that you have descibed sounds like how my horses strangles first started out! of course she had to be kept away from others! i would put her in a paddock away from the others just to be safe.....in case its strangles and call the vet for a look see GOOD LUCK

Answer 4

Horse's don't get colds exactly.  My guess is that it's an upper respiratory infection.  Those tend to be fairly contagious.  You need to give her bute if she has a temperature (but not for more than 5 days straight), and just let her rest.  If you can isolate her from the other horses, I would do that too so she doesn't infect anyone else (give her her own water, etc.).  You can call the vet if you want, but personally I would just keep an eye on her temperature and symptoms, and call if they get worse.  Otherwise, just let it run its course.  Most of these things are viral so there isn't much the vet can do anyway.  Good luck!

Answer 5

Horse cold is like any other cold.  Isolate her.  Monitor her temp and other vitals.  Plenty of rest and liquids.  Try bran mash with warm water, alfalfa cubes soaked in warm water, and adding water to feed to increase water intake.  If she goes off her feed badly, breathing with difficulting, coughing, spikes heart rate and temp, has blood coming from her nose, or no improvement in 4 or 5 days call the vet.

Answer 6

Yes, I'd phone your vet, better to nip it in the bud early. They can often be given an antibiotic powder, added to their feed, very simple and it clears the swelling of the oesophagus and cough super quick.

One tip - just because your pony is at a livery yard, never allow your instructors/yard manager to intimidate you. Go with your gut instinct all the time. An owner/groom always notices little changes first.

Answer 7

Some livery yards treat owners like mushrooms. "Keep them in the dark and give them loads of *muck*" They might be taking care of word getting out in case of having to close the yard down for the duration of the illness.

I would watch your pony yourself very carefully and if in doubt don't ride and ask for the vet to visit yourself. Your pony could just have a mild cold. But with the other ponies having treatment I think there could also be flue in the yard or worse Strangles. These aren't as much of a problem as is made out and really only a few get really really sick. But you shouldn't be riding your pony if he has a cold. It will make it easier for him and quicker for him to recover if you don't.

Answer 8

Was she warm from exercise or have you checked her temperature and determined that she has a fever?  One episode of white mucus discharge from the nose tells you nothing.  Has she been coughing?  COPD involves coughing as well as mucus discharge. Is she sneezing?

Unless she exhibits more symptoms, she is probably fine.

EDIT:  I would not give warm mash to a horse with a possible fever...not without instruction to do so from your vet.

It's looking more like strangles...you definitely need to have her examined and treated by your vet.  Good luck...I hope she is okay.

Answer 9

Contact the vet.

Meantime try and keep her in isolation in a stable.  In this weather they can still need lightweight rugs and stable bandages.

Have only one person attending her and change your clothes before and after each visit.  Also wash hands and boots to prevent spreading infection.  She must have her own buckets and these should be kept scrupulously clean.  Try bran mashes with maybe a bit of a hint of something tasty, ie honey or mollases.  Nothing sharp.  With the swollen glands she is likely to have a bit of a sore throat.  She needs to be kept quiet and do not bother to groom her until she is feeling better.  Use damp kitchen towel (then thrown away) to wipe out nose.

Answer 10

If the ponies belonging to the yard needed injections I would find out why and what they were injected with. Anyone suppling boarding for horses has a duty of care to the animals on their premises and should be totally open regarding contagious infections so get a straight answer.

Whatever it is sounds like a viral infection and will need early veterinary intervention to identify it and decide on treatment so the vet who came to the yard must know. If you are in the UK there is a strong possibility that it is strangles and I for one would not hesitate to get reassurance from the vet!

(COPD does cause a snotty nose but wouldn't appear suddenly through a large number of horses.)