Looking for suggestions, please! In the last week or so, my horse developed an on-and-off cough that seems to worsen when he’s stalled. His temperature is normal, he’s eating and drinking well, and seems bright and alert. I called my vet to ask about it, and she said that it’s probably just a winter stable cough and to try wetting his hay. 24/7 turnout is not an option at my boarding barn, unfortunately, but he does get 8+ hours of turnout during the day. Has anyone else experienced this, or have any suggestions to deal with it? Thank you!
Is it possible to increase the amount of ventilation his stall gets? One of my ponies gets a cough like this when the barn is shut up. I have to leave his sliding door open a bit at night and then he is OK. Even though the stalls are thoroughly cleaned every day I think the ammonia from the urine spots sets him off.
Obviously check his hay and you can try wetting it to take the dust down, but consider his bedding also.
Dusty shavings make me cough when I put them down, and I don’t spend hours in that stall and sleep with my face on them. If they seem dusty, try sprinkling them with a little water. You may consider changing bedding types to something else (wood pellets are good, you have to wet them thoroughly to get them to expand properly, but they are extremely absorbent, and even changing brands of shavings can help a lot).
Also consider if your barn is doing anything to control the ammonia in their stalls. Get down on your hands and knees and get a good whiff of his stall after its been cleaned - does it smell like ammonia? Something to cut the ammonia down may be needed, or more absorbent bedding. Ammonia can be extremely irritating to the airways - again, a stinky pee stall makes me cough when I walk into it, and I am not sleeping with my face in it!
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UPDATE: Vet was out yesterday for spring vaccinations, so my horse got a physical exam as well. She palpated his throat, listened to his lungs, and said that there was no evidence of fluid or mucus in his lungs, and no detectable issues in his throat. He still has no discharge, no fever, just a dry cough that doesn’t seem to present with any sort of consistency. All good news.
The vet suggested treating with generic Robitussin DM cough syrup - 1/2 cup once a day to start, with the option to up the dose to 1/2 cup 2-3 times per day if no improvement. Generic cough syrup runs about $3 at my local Walmart for an 8 oz container, so it’s not super cost-prohibitive as far as horse medical treatments go. We’re only on day 2, so I’m not sure if there’s any improvement or not yet. I’m curious though, has anyone else ever treated a horse’s cough with human cough syrup? Did it work? Dosing?
Can you get Buckleys Zev? Our tack stores sell it and it seems to work well (we’ve never been advised to use human cough syrup)
http://greenhawk.com/wdItemList.asp?strilhID=Web&intwgID=256&intwdID=266&intwtID=267
I wouldn’t blow off “winter stable cough” since that can go down the road of COPD or another inflammatory airway disease (not that you are blowing it off). I’d have him turned out way more, and absolutely wet his hay. Switch his bedding to Sanicare.
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I’m guessing moldy hay. That is the only time any of my horses have ever had a cough when stalled.
Not sure how human cough syrup would improve the situation.
Soaking hay should help, but Id probably try replacing hay and see if there is improvement.
My horses are out 24/7 with covered (not enclosed) shelters. Due to suspected dusty hay, both have intermittent
coughing when I first put the hay down in their shelters. So I agree it’s most likely the hay.
My horses like to dunk their hay and there’s been a lot more dunking lately.
Soaking your hay will most likely reduce the coughing.
I have treated a cough associated with seasonal allergies with Cough-Free with good results, and at the recommendation of my Vet.
I had an old, old pony who lived on cherry guaifenesin, an expectorant cough syrup, for years. A local pharmacy that worked with my vet ordered it by the case for several of us with similar problems. It definitely helped the old guy.
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My horse began coughing on a trip last Summer. The trailer had hay nets and the stall had wall feeders. So the horse had his nose in the hay for several days unlike conditions at home.
I was concerned about hay mold spore so…
Feeding on the open ground, avoiding wall feeders and hay nets resolved the coughing. The same hay was used.
Buckley’s Zev is great. The directions say to mix it with molasses or honey, but I’ve always given it straight. Yeah, its gross, but it kicks the cough so whatever. I just hold their heads up and they swallow it eventually. (My mare is a freak and will eat it in her feed, but she’s the only one I know that’s ever done that).
I would take a good look at the hay inside and out (especially if he’s on a round outside!) and the bedding in his stall. Some shavings brands are really dusty, and as another poster suggested, that can have a huge effect.
