Yellow discharge, one nostril, no temp—update in first post

[Calvincrowe]

Update: vet said it was likely a blocked tear duct and allergies combined. We tried to flush the duct, didn’t get much but it did make a fun squeaking sound, which scared the silly horse. The discharge is nearly gone and is clear now, mostly. Had fun when she used a long exam glove over his nose to check his lungs—what a good boy when we slipped that over his nose! No way to ask them to take a deep breath so you have to induce it. He’s getting some allergy meds and I’ll keep an eye on him. Otherwise he’s in great good health and as happy as grumpy Gus ever is.

Older gelding, very healthy, eating, drinking, pooping, no temperature but this morning has obvious yellow snot from his left nostril. Vet was out 4 weeks ago for teeth and shots, all good then. I will call vet on Monday as I’m not thinking this is an emergency at this point.

I’ve read a few old threads about same symptoms, but would love to hear any advice or experiences—is it an acute problem? Can I wait? What should I do in the mean time? He lives out 24/7 with stall access, pasture and hay. No changes in feed. He did have one odd moment where he seemed to struggle with a big piece of carrot, like he couldn’t quite chew it or it got hung up in the back of his mouth and it wasn’t positioned so he could eat it, but then he did. Could he have gotten some somewhere problematic? Or am I grasping at straws?

[Simkie]

How old is older?

I’d not consider it an emergency either, but if it doesn’t resolve on it’s own in a week or two, I’d be tempted to do dental radiographs and perhaps scope the head holes.

Hope it’s just one of those weird things that goes away in a couple days!

[Calvincrowe]

He’s 20? He’s my boarder and I’ve lost track of his age exactly. Owner agrees it’s not an emergency so we are taking a wait until Monday approach.

[pokesaladannie]

Does he have a runny eye on the same side?
My gelding has a mildly runny eye and various types of discharge from clear to dandelion yellow out of same side nostril. My dentist who is also a vet demonstrated that there is a tiny tear duct hole just inside the nostril. It’s where the tears drain out but can often be plugged. He injected saline in the tiny hole and it squirted out of his eye!
Gave him drops for a few weeks to reduce inflammation but it didn’t change much after drops were done.
Long story short, I was told it really isn’t anything to get crazy worried about… I had been worried about sinus infections.
Hope yours works out to be similar.

[Huntin_Pony]

It never hurts to monitor temperature in a situation like this.

[Calvincrowe]

Ahh… you know, he has had a weepy left eye for some time now. Vet didn’t remark on it at the last visit but that might be something to explore when I call on Monday! Thanks for helping me connect those symptoms. We will see. Still no temp, and acting normal.

[vxf111]

Could be a blockage or a sinus infection (possibly originating from a bad tooth)

[Feathered_Feet]

I had this happen and it was due to the dental a few weeks prior. Horse never presented with any pain, just unilateral nasal discharge. Cleared up with SMZs.

[Skip_s_Rider]

My 32-year-old had exactly the same symptoms a week ago. Vet thinks it was most likely a sinus infection. She said this is relatively common in older horses due to dental issues. There could be gaps between the molars, which trap feed and then lead to infection in the sinus. We treated with Exceed five day ago and then again yesterday. The nasal discharge is gone. We’ll be following up with a dental in the next few weeks.

[TheJenners]

This was my answer as well: tooth abscess

[Calvincrowe]

Morning update: just a small amount of nearly clear discharge from the nostril. No fever, normal eating, pooping. He’s always been head fussy—hates bugs, flips his nose/head around if he even thinks there’s one near him, but I’ve noticed him oddly flicking it up the last few days. I’ll still call the vet and see what she thinks the next step is. Thanks for all the input and support. Hopefully it’s easy and quick to treat.

[Bluey]

@Calvincrowe

Morning update: just a small amount of nearly clear discharge from the nostril. No fever, normal eating, pooping. He’s always been head fussy—hates bugs, flips his nose/head around if he even thinks there’s one near him, but I’ve noticed him oddly flicking it up the last few days. I’ll still call the vet and see what she thinks the next step is. Thanks for all the input and support. Hopefully it’s easy and quick to treat.

Sounds like it is trying to clear on it’s own.

If it was our vet, we better don’t tell him our horse doesn’t has a temperature, as he will ask how stiff is he by now?

We say he is not running a fever, or that his temperature is normal.

Please let us know what next, so others can learn from this situation.

[Hippolyta]

A horse I leased had one constantly runny nostril with clear discharge. Vet said it was a tooth - - when it went from being clear to orange (blood) I finally convinced owner to get the dentist in.

[Calvincrowe]

Still a bit snotty- vet cannot come until next Monday. How do I know for sure it’s still yellow snot? He sneezed it out all over me tonight as I took off his fly mask. Ick! I have snot globs in my hair, on my glasses, all over my shirt. Monday cannot come soon enough!