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| I have a 4yo mare who has coughed somewhat since we started riding her. After I started riding consistently I've tried to figure out what it is or how to help her. She's been scoped twice & they've found nothing except small amount of mucous down deep. I've tried antihistimines, ventipulman, equipulman, dex therapy, antibiotics, bought an equi-resp and treated with silver, dex & ventipulman and nothing has helped. Typically she will cough several times when I start trotting, once that's over she's good, then I walk for a bit and start back trotting or loping and she starts coughing again. I've read up about Heaves but it talks like it happens when they're older?? Just wondering what else it could be? All along I've thought allergies but this last week she's been on 5cc of dex for 5 days and it's never improved at all..... She doesn't rattle when she breathes but after she coughs sometimes she'll carry her head lower and her breathing sounds funny. She's a super nice mare and she's in the futurity at the BFA and I'd like to get this figured out. If anyone has any suggestions, or if anyone knows a super good respiratory type vet in Texas or OK, I'd be willing to try someone or something new! Thanks for your help!! |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| I have a gelding diagnosed with COPD last summer. I pulled him from pasture, put him on Cur-ost and no grass hays, fed baled alfalfa and timothy pellets. This spring turned him back out, continued the same feed program and Cur-ost and no consistent cough. He has coughed maybe on 3 separate days and that is only after being stalled and given alfalfa that was dusty. |
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  Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | My late stud developed it after he injured his knee and was on corral rest. Never bothered him if he was in pasture or on our home grown pasture hay. He was only 5 so I think younger horses can get it just as much as the older ones. |
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Regular
Posts: 56
| Heaves are nasty. My husbands horse had it. They way it was explained to us this that heaves occur over a time and its scaring in the lungs. If your horse has it you will definately know it. They struggle to get air out. He did short breaths and it seemed like he had to push it out. You will also see the "heave line" go along side of them where they are using the muscles to puch the air out!! It is awful. Our horse couldn't be ridden - we would try to pony him but after a few steps he would just stop and struggle for air. We also did everything possible (this has been several years ago) and he was finally retired to just be pretty. I would say if you have the option for any respiratory specialists I would jump all over it!!! I wish you the best of luck because I know how frustrating and emotionally draining it is to watch our fru-babies struggle. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 883
Location: Southern Indiana | rodeomom3 - 2017-09-27 11:32 AM
I have a gelding diagnosed with COPD last summer. I pulled him from pasture, put him on Cur-ost and no grass hays, fed baled alfalfa and timothy pellets. This spring turned him back out, continued the same feed program and Cur-ost and no consistent cough. He has coughed maybe on 3 separate days and that is only after being stalled and given alfalfa that was dusty.
I'm curious as to why no grass hay? I have heard taking away alfalfa, but this is completely opposite. |
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Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | TheDutchMan01 - 2017-09-27 11:26 AM rodeomom3 - 2017-09-27 11:32 AM I have a gelding diagnosed with COPD last summer. I pulled him from pasture, put him on Cur-ost and no grass hays, fed baled alfalfa and timothy pellets. This spring turned him back out, continued the same feed program and Cur-ost and no consistent cough. He has coughed maybe on 3 separate days and that is only after being stalled and given alfalfa that was dusty. I'm curious as to why no grass hay? I have heard taking away alfalfa, but this is completely opposite.
Same here. If we had a drought and had to buy hay it always had just a teeny bit of alfalfa it seemed. He didn't do well on that. From age 2-4 he was on mostly alfalfa too, so strange it came about later. But he never coughed once when in pasture. |
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Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| TheDutchMan01 - 2017-09-27 12:26 PM rodeomom3 - 2017-09-27 11:32 AM I have a gelding diagnosed with COPD last summer. I pulled him from pasture, put him on Cur-ost and no grass hays, fed baled alfalfa and timothy pellets. This spring turned him back out, continued the same feed program and Cur-ost and no consistent cough. He has coughed maybe on 3 separate days and that is only after being stalled and given alfalfa that was dusty. I'm curious as to why no grass hay? I have heard taking away alfalfa, but this is completely opposite.
Edited by rodeomom3 2017-09-27 1:21 PM
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Expert
Posts: 1371
| My mare is out on good pasture at night and up usually during the day (summer) but on rubber mats, no shavings or straw. Heaves may not be what she has, sounds more extreme that she is but she still coughs enough to make me hesitant about running her. I hate when she coughs just trying to leg her up. We give alfalfa once a day and grain. |
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Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| Have you had her scoped? I had mine scoped and a BAL done, you really need to know what you are dealing with so you can treat it properly. My other horses also had a cough, scoped them and it was not COPD but a condition that causes scaring on the pharynx, you just never know, I though it was allergies :(. |
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Expert
Posts: 1371
| Yes, she's been scoped twice and nothing has been found except a small amount of mucous down pretty deep. No breathing sounds when listening with th stethescope. Makes me want to bang my head against a wall! 
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 Keeper of the King Snake
Posts: 7622
Location: Dubach, LA | hbrandranch - 2017-09-27 11:25 AM I have a 4yo mare who has coughed somewhat since we started riding her. After I started riding consistently I've tried to figure out what it is or how to help her. She's been scoped twice & they've found nothing except small amount of mucous down deep. I've tried antihistimines, ventipulman, equipulman, dex therapy, antibiotics, bought an equi-resp and treated with silver, dex & ventipulman and nothing has helped. Typically she will cough several times when I start trotting, once that's over she's good, then I walk for a bit and start back trotting or loping and she starts coughing again. I've read up about Heaves but it talks like it happens when they're older?? Just wondering what else it could be? All along I've thought allergies but this last week she's been on 5cc of dex for 5 days and it's never improved at all..... She doesn't rattle when she breathes but after she coughs sometimes she'll carry her head lower and her breathing sounds funny. She's a super nice mare and she's in the futurity at the BFA and I'd like to get this figured out. If anyone has any suggestions, or if anyone knows a super good respiratory type vet in Texas or OK, I'd be willing to try someone or something new! Thanks for your help!!
Welcome to my world. Mine is like yours plus her white blood count stays around 25000. She has passed multiple bag tests, trach wash, xrays, and ultrasounds. Despite grandly passing all tests, she is developing a heave line. I am in year three. She was five when it started. Mucous Mover from herbsoftheworld.com is wonderful for flareups of bad coughing. For mantenance I use Curost. Good luck. |
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Gettin Jiggy Wit It
Posts: 2734
| Have you gotten a scope and BAL done? That is what will diagnose if it is infectious, IAD or heaves/copd according to the cells that will be present. IAD and heaves are similar except with COPD they struggle to get air at rest and have a high respiratory rate. IAD and COPD are triggered by allergies... mostly hay. I have an 8 year old that I struggled since he was 4 with respiratory issues. He has the more rare mast cell derived IAD. I watered and streamed his hay.. Nothing helped. I finally pulled him off hay completely and feed alfalfa cubes in its place. So far hes done very very well over the last 6 months. To many people dick around with trying supplements and drugs when its just all a cover up. You need to treat the source when more times then not, its HAY! But MOST importantly get him scoped with a BAL!!!!! |
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Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| hbrandranch - 2017-09-27 6:12 PM Yes, she's been scoped twice and nothing has been found except a small amount of mucous down pretty deep. No breathing sounds when listening with th stethescope. Makes me want to bang my head against a wall!
Frustrating,on the one hand you are glad they did not find anything but on the other hand you are left still searching. Good luck, hope you can find some answers |
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Expert
Posts: 1409
Location: Oklahoma | rodeomom3 - 2017-09-27 12:40 PM
TheDutchMan01 - 2017-09-27 12:26 PM rodeomom3 - 2017-09-27 11:32 AM I have a gelding diagnosed with COPD last summer. I pulled him from pasture, put him on Cur-ost and no grass hays, fed baled alfalfa and timothy pellets. This spring turned him back out, continued the same feed program and Cur-ost and no consistent cough. He has coughed maybe on 3 separate days and that is only after being stalled and given alfalfa that was dusty. I'm curious as to why no grass hay? I have heard taking away alfalfa, but this is completely opposite.
This is interesting that you said this. My horse is also COPD and allergies. Curost or Forefront what works for him! Ive tried all the meds mentioned above and didn't work. I had trachea wash done 2x and came back COPD and allergies. Last week I did an allergy test to get specific on allergies and it was grass hay/prairie hay that he is allergic too along with a few other things like rice bran and I don't remember what else right off hand I just got my test back. But he is ok on timothy and Bermuda and alfalfa. Also I had gotten some square bales of prairie hay and he would not touch it! I wish I had known bout my allergy results when I bought it. So horses do know what they should have lol When he was first diagnosed bout 6-7 years ago I was never told bout the hays for COPD |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 883
Location: Southern Indiana | rodeomom3 - 2017-09-27 12:40 PM
TheDutchMan01 - 2017-09-27 12:26 PM rodeomom3 - 2017-09-27 11:32 AM I have a gelding diagnosed with COPD last summer. I pulled him from pasture, put him on Cur-ost and no grass hays, fed baled alfalfa and timothy pellets. This spring turned him back out, continued the same feed program and Cur-ost and no consistent cough. He has coughed maybe on 3 separate days and that is only after being stalled and given alfalfa that was dusty. I'm curious as to why no grass hay? I have heard taking away alfalfa, but this is completely opposite.
That is interesting. I wonder what the theory is behind this. Most say take away the alfalfa because it's typically dustier/dirtier. I like alfalfa though and therefore have kept feeding it. |
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Expert
Posts: 1409
Location: Oklahoma | hbrandranch - 2017-09-27 6:12 PM
Yes, she's been scoped twice and nothing has been found except a small amount of mucous down pretty deep. No breathing sounds when listening with th stethescope. Makes me want to bang my head against a wall!
Mine was the same both times I knew that his respiratory was off! He never showed signs he was sick , but I was adamant bout doing the wash and both times the vets eyes (2 different ones) would grow big and say oh my gosh he really got some gunk! and they would send it off and then I would have to do antiboditcs to get rid of infection, so I have learned the hard way and had to try different things to see what works for him. good luck the scope doesn't tell the whole story! or listening to the lungs. |
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| How about using something that we fed horses with a lung rattle
that came in chicken feed with a patterned cotton sack that your
Mother would make a dress out of for your little sister ... lol
You won't find horse on any of the bags these days because IT WORKS
to clear a horses lungs up just like it does for cattle, pigs, sheep
and chickens.
It is one of these intentionally forgotten antibiotics that has no
profit margin for vets or selling it to owners of 1-2 horses.
As we all know ... when something works ...
it disappears off the market.
So .. go to Walmart and get you a sack ...
drop by your vets ...
and discuss
the amount to be given for the next two months in his feed.
I think you will be amazed how 2-3 ounces/day will have on your
sick horses.
And send me the $500 you would have spent with no positive results ..
so I can buy everyone on BHW a qtr pounder at Micky D's ... lol
THE SECRET OF AUREOMYCIN ..
https://www.jefferspet.com/products/aureomycin-4g-5lbs
Edited by BARRELHORSE USA 2017-09-28 3:01 AM
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Gettin Jiggy Wit It
Posts: 2734
| hbrandranch - 2017-09-27 6:12 PM
Yes, she's been scoped twice and nothing has been found except a small amount of mucous down pretty deep. No breathing sounds when listening with th stethescope. Makes me want to bang my head against a wall!
Don't just scope him get BAL done! |
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Expert
Posts: 1371
| Hummmm, I'll check out the meds for other species. Have you used it yourself?
Also will see about getting a BAL done on her. I don't know why the vets haven't suggested to do one? 
Edited by hbrandranch 2017-09-28 8:04 AM
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 Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4557
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | You can have the teeth checked and look at the back molars there may be a good wad of hay stuck in the back cheeks. You also pu the horse on Forco to help with any allergies or heaves.if the gut is right most everything else is. |
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