nhg
Junior Member
Posts: 2,429 
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Post by nhg on Sept 5, 2014 17:58:21 GMT
I have googled this but can only find good information on horses that are severe cases. At the last place we boarded we put the horses in a paddock when we realized they were foundering on the green grass they had them on. My horse didn't founder but was close enough that he had to immediately be taken off the grass. There was some old dusty hay lying around in the paddock and all the horses ate it up. That was over two months ago. My horse coughs sometimes when he's being ridden now. My daughter is convinced he has heaves but I think that if he does it's a very mild case so I'm not happy but I'm not really concerned.
Would you guys worry if your horse coughed sometimes? He's never done this before and has always been super healthy but he's sixteen now. Would you suggest getting the vet out? I had a horse with heaves in the past and had her checked out and it was quite the process. Luckily it was in a study and it was free. I can't afford to do it now. That mare required Ventapulmin. If he's got such a mild case how would the vet even tell? |
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mistersmom
Junior Member
Abita Springs, LA
Posts: 3,749
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Post by mistersmom on Sept 5, 2014 18:58:54 GMT
I was worried that Mister had heaves as he would cough when you would start to trot him especially if you didn't warm up a lot. The last time the vet was out for shots and stuff I mentioned my concern. He listened to Mister's lungs and said they were clear - no heaves. Not sure what the coughing is but it's not bad enough that I stop riding (I think part of it is learned as I would stop when he first started doing this).
Now when he starts to cough I let him walk until he is done and then we go back to work. It doesn't take too long for him to stop coughing and we can go on with our work.
So to answer your question, next time the vet it out for something, have he listen to your horse's lung and breathing to see if he can detect anything. I don't think it's an emergency unless it takes a very long time for him to recover.
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Terry
Junior Member
Central Illinois, USA
Posts: 1,466
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Post by Terry on Sept 5, 2014 19:12:39 GMT
If he is just coughing occasionally I probably wouldn't worry too much. Like MM said, I would just mention it to your vet the next time they are out so they can listen to his lungs. Zena coughs occasionally too. I mentioned it to my vet years ago and she said it could either be a very mild case of heaves, or it could be allergies. It has never gotten any worse, so I don't really worry about it. If Zena starts coughing a little while I'm warming her up I just let her rest until she's done, and then we go back to work. She's usually fine after that.
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Post by diamondgirl on Sept 5, 2014 19:35:33 GMT
When I boarded my horses, they developed a cough with exercise. They were fed round bales. I think most all hay has some dust, especially Kansas hay, but I got concerned when they would cough every time they had a little exercise. I did some reading on heaves, and decided I would walk out into the pasture and check the current bale they were eating from. I dug around through it and I smelled mold. I told my BO. It took a lot of arguing, but I finally was able to convince him to change out the bale. I did have my vet check them out, but he only listened to their lungs and said they were clear.
Their coughs have cleared up, but it took a long time, and to seems to come back a little bit then they are eating only hay in the winter. Dusty hay isn't good for them, but moldy hay is much worse.
Anyway. I have some really dusty hay that I am trying to just get rid of. (it has been very dry here for a long time) I was Scooping it into the garden cart and taking it out to a spot that is covered in weeds, and dumping it. It is two years old and while I was scooping it, I could smell that it was also moldy now. I didn't think to much about it, but was really glad I had decided to throw it out. Well I still can't breath, and it has almost been a week since I have moved any hay. Don't get out the >:DI have dust masks now.
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nhg
Junior Member
Posts: 2,429
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Post by nhg on Sept 5, 2014 20:41:02 GMT
Thank you for the replies. He only coughs once or twice and then might or might not cough again during a ride. He's on hay now in a dry lot paddock because he got so fat on the grass. The hay is good but the arena can be a bit dusty. So I'm not a bad horse mom if I don't get the vet out, right?
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Post by horselover4life on Sept 5, 2014 22:06:34 GMT
Ummm..bad mom, NO.
I would be pro-active and get the vet out, yes.
If caught before it progresses far my understanding and experience is you can slow/stop the advancement of the lungs scarring...but it needs to be found an diagnosed.
If it is nothing, you have peace of mind, not concern.
If it is "something", anything... you have knowledge now to do the best for your boy.
The fact that he now coughs every time you ride once or twice and this he never did before...
Me, you bet the vet would be out.
Allergies, mold spores, infection, damage...
I am the kind that needs to know what is happening, if there is anything happening, and if not anything happening I breathe easier with that knowledge.
I'm a worrier and baby my animals....I admit that!!
Have you seen these articles.... all have similar information from different well-respected sources. Not alarmist written...but some facts and advancements in treating, diagnosing and why life-style choices...
horsetalk.co.nz/2013/09/27/heaves-in-horses/#axzz3CTqj9mtL
www.thehorse.com/articles/19718/helping-horses-with-heaves
www.thehorse.com/free-reports/30024/heaves-in-horses
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Post by horselady on Sept 6, 2014 0:10:04 GMT
Having concern with your horse coughing is being proactive.
has the bedding changed?. is he stabled near the indoor arena that is dusty? and what type of grain is he on?
sometimes the shavings can cause them to cough. it is dusty. i switched to fresh cut sawdust and a dust free hay and my stallion has done a 100 percent turn around , i used to give him shots of dex every other day and always wetting his hay and food. now he is not even breathing heavy in the heat
if you want to treat him give him mint cough drops, the mint will help him open his lungs. and look at the hay and bedding.
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nhg
Junior Member
Posts: 2,429
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Post by nhg on Sept 6, 2014 1:15:00 GMT
He's just in a paddock with dirt, no grass. There's no bedding and he's not near anything that should be dusty. When I say he coughs once or twice I mean it's one episode and one or two coughs, that's it. And he doesn't do it every time. My daughter has been riding him for me and she's bad for not warming the horses up, she gets on and just starts going. The times I've been out there he's either not coughed at all or just once with a cough or two and then done. I really don't see it as a big issue or I'd get the vet out. The people that are out there a lot say he doesn't cough in his paddock.
I'll be honest, I can't afford to get the vet out. Because I owned my own business I'm not entitled to any kind of help from the government. If I'd been working for someone else I'd have been able to get disability. We were a two income couple and it's really tough right now just relying on my husband's income. If I were genuinely concerned I'd get the vet out no matter what but when I don't think it's necessary I don't want to spend the money just for peace of mind. If my daughter wasn't bugging me about I wouldn't even think about it. |
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