Horse has upper resp. inf. and on antibiotics, question...

ErinR76 · Horse has upper resp. inf. and on antibiotics, question...

(Thread title formerly called....What would you do if your horse had greenish yellow snot? I am adding a new question below about antibiotics so keep reading.)

I went trail riding last weekend (trailer ride was about an hour) with a friend of mine at a nearby park, and haven't been out to the barn all week. I went out today and my horse had some slightly greenish yellow snot coming out of both nostrils. A couple times she coughed a little, like to clear her throat (not a big heaving cough, nor was there any strange noise). I wish I knew what day it started but I don't. It apparently wasnt severe or noticable enough for the barn manager to notice it. She is eating and drinking and acting fine. How long should I wait before I call the vet, or do you think I should have it looked at immediately? Thanks.

PasoBaby_CarolU

I keep SMZ around and would start her on 7 days of it (sulfa). Clear snot or runny white, around here, is usually dust. Yellow or green is usually an infection.

becdubie

It take his temp immediately....if over 101, I'd call the vet.
...oh and I agree this is a great drug to have on hand....

ErinR76

whoops, forgot to say, I did take her temp this am and there is no fever.

dmcamelothills

Blue Flame

Taking a photo or a sample to the vet might save an unnecessary visit.

ErinR76

great ideas, thanks! I'll get some pics and see if the vet will do a 'remote call' LOL

ErinR76

Ok I left a message on the wrong message machine so the vet wasn't callign me back. My sister finally got ahold of him (she has the right phone number or something since its her vet too) and she described Sasha's symptoms (swollen lymph nodes, green snot, cough, but no fever) and the vet could not come out (out of town) but was confident prescribing an antibiotic and she picked it up from his office. He said upper respiratory infection. It is apparently the same one that vets use to treat strangles so I guess its a pretty good one. I don't recall the name of it and its at the barn. It's a powder that I mix with her food, two scoops once a day.

So he said that I should have called the emergency number once I saw greenish yellow snot, so I'm passing that on for anybody else who didn't know that!! I forgot to ask him if it is contagious. I know viruses are contagious and not treatable with antibiotics so I suppose its a bacterial infection. I looked up information on horse upper resp. infections and the info I found talks about viral infections being contagious so I don't know.

But I am nervous about her being on an antibiotic, messing with her gut flora and fauna. Is there something I should watch for, or do, to assist her body while all its beneficial bacteria is being killed? A probiotic? If so, when during or after the course of treatment, what kind, and and how frequent? Anything else?

I think she got sick from riding in the trailer. She hates trailer rides and although I try to keep it swept out, I think on the way home I failed to do that and I am slapping myself in the head about that. So clean your trailers, y'all! It could have been from drinking from the community trough at Parrie Haynes, too though. So, don't let your horse drink from the community trough!! Aaarg.

becdubie

Probiotics.... Bubba was on antiabiotics for four months. The Vet recommended Fast Track probiotics....it's a powder and shelf safe and they love the taste. Worked great...he didn't get a hint of problems from the AB's. I bought a 5 lb bag from Valley Vet supply...online.

Now I have all my horses on it, they get it 2-3 times a week everybody is shiny and happy...no more loose stools for the mare when she goes into heat.

Added...yep...bring your own bucket...some people even bring their own water.

thelmanelle

Belle Belgian has this right now. Seems to be going around. We have done two nasal irrigations and now, on our 2nd round of sulfa to rid us of this ugly beast. I hate it for her and hope the others in the pasture do not catch it. They are very bonded so I have not separated her from them. I don't know what else to do.

ErinR76

I've been cleaning out the boogers and wiping her nose every day. So funny because she lets me do it. I can tell she doesn't like it, but she hates the snot and boogers worse.

its weird cuz she has had no loss of appetite, no lethargy, and no fever, but sure as heck has the snots and the swollen glands. I am grateful it's not worse. Will pick up or order some probiotic tomorrow!

Chablis

Anti-biotics (full course, prescribed by vet). Wet/soften feed so that it doesn't irritate your horse's throat. If it's cold, try and rug your horse, or at least at night while she is unwell.

Is your horse coughing?

My mare had a cold about a month ago and had a huge amount of snot (a number of other horses on the property had same thing). Was disgusting.

Minx was within a normal temperature range for a horse but the temepature was elevated for her, and steadily increased.

ErinR76

Her temp is stable, not very much snot, but its there. its not cold here! LOL Highs in the high nineties. I've heard her cough only three times in the last several days' visits to her for about an hour each visit.

PasoBaby_CarolU

Erin, it's been my experience that horses get these quite frequently. I had three horses get a similar infection early this summer - none of the three had been off the property in years. They didn't even share a water trough, and the horses kept with each didn't get sick. The sulfa drugs Sasha is on should knock it out.

ErinR76

I got some manna pro opti-zyme probiotic, that has all sorts of digestive goodies in it (guaranteed analysis and all that jazz), and am going to put it in her a.m. feed, then give the antibiotic in the p.m. feed.

ErinR76

oh good carol I feel a little better now. I just hate when one of my babies is sick! (Sasha counts as one of my babies. My other two are human!)

PasoBaby_CarolU

It's never fun, and the worry part is the worst. I just came in from another PT session with Rosie. It's been a long time since her injury (July 25) and we FINALLY start to ride in another week. She is finally working without limping - mostly, but still has her moments.

That is the hardest part, taking so long for them to get better. I'm even going to ride a friend's horse tomorrow, probably all fall since Rosie's PT program is 10 more weeks. All the fall riding will be long over.

becdubie

ErinR76

yeah I hardly have her what anyone would call conditioned, and now without even that (our 3xweekly rides), I will not really be able to go on my weekend hour and a half rides in a couple of weeks when she's better...will I?

PasoBaby_CarolU

If she's not coughing you can continue to walk her. I have two horses that I have to walk 1-mile a day. It gets really BORING but it has saved their lives. Bien is ridable again.

You can also do stretches and conditioning lateral work...sidepassing, halfpassing, small step-under circles and keep her muscles in tone. That way when her respiratory tract is back to health you only have to work on aerobics.

ErinR76

Great, that is super! One more thing...on the contagious thing,....is it contagious? I know with kids, they say that after being on antibiotics for a couple days they are not contagious anymore. Is it the same with horses?

ErinR76

oh and I would like to hear more about your horses and how walking saved them and biens problem and how you solved it (if there's more to it than walking, or what exactly the walking did).