Dry cough

Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins

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Oct 10, 2004
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My horse has in the past reacted to dry hay. I used to soak it everyday for years until I went away on holiday in the summer and to save the yard time, we decided to see how he went without it being soaked. He appeared to be fine so for the last few months he has been having dry hay.

Last week we got a new batch of hay and as I was hanging it up, I literally said to him 'I hope you are going to be OK on this hay because it is dusty'. The next day he came down with a horrible dry cough that he has had for a week now. He is not showing any other signs of being ill. He has no discharge, he is eating and drinking fine, I took him temp which was normal. He is forward going and happy to be ridden, but exercise does make him cough more. The yard staff feel that exercise is good as it will help dislodge any nasties from his lungs.

The vet is coming on Monday to do his teeth and jabs so will look at him then, but I was wondering if anyone else had experienced this? I am 99.5% sure it is down to the hay, but it's been a week now and he is not getting better.
 
I would say it will be down to the hay. One winter on a livery yard Storm had a cough which started when they ran out of hayledge. She would cough at the start of us schooling and then it seemed to clear. I had the vet look at her anyway as she happened to be visiting the yard and I think if memory serves me correctly she gave me some kind of cough mixture - but was pretty certain it was the hay. After that we either sprayed at the hose pipe or dunked it.
 
This is about the 4th time he has reacted this way, and I am so annoyed with myself for not soaking that hay. I have been giving him 'Koff Syrup' from Robinsons but I don't think that it has really helped him. The cough isn't clearing with exercise which worries me a little, but then perhaps I haven't given it enough time? I am getting more worried as I would have expected it to start to clear up now as all his hay is being soaked for 2 hours before feeding. I wish he could talk to me!
 
Yep. I go through this regularly when we get very dry or dusty hay.
(I actually buy in haylage, but it is more like wrapped hay)
Her cough can vary too. If the weather is dry and warm at the same time as I am feeding 'dusty' hay, her cough seems worse. I found method that suited us best was to rest the bale of hay over a large bucket, pour some water over it so that most goes through the net into the bucket. I do this 3/4 times so the hay it wet, leave it to drain and then hang it up.
Her cough then gradually improves but it can take a few weeks. My vet told me to continue with exercising her but not go too mad doing X country or such.
 
Star the Fell said:
Yep. I go through this regularly when we get very dry or dusty hay.
(I actually buy in haylage, but it is more like wrapped hay)
Her cough can vary too. If the weather is dry and warm at the same time as I am feeding 'dusty' hay, her cough seems worse. I found method that suited us best was to rest the bale of hay over a large bucket, pour some water over it so that most goes through the net into the bucket. I do this 3/4 times so the hay it wet, leave it to drain and then hang it up.
Her cough then gradually improves but it can take a few weeks. My vet told me to continue with exercising her but not go too mad doing X country or such.
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That is really helpful, thank you. I do have the option of feeding haylage but I am always trying to keep his weight down and haylage is so much more fattening than hay. I have gone back to completely soaking my hay for about 2 hours and then rinsing and draining it before feeding. He has adapted quite well after initially turning his nose at it, he has now decided to eat it.

I'm just so annoyed with myself. I have booked into 2 dressage competitions this weekend and I am going to have to miss both of them. While he is not 'ill' as such, I doubt anyone would welcome a coughing horse into the warm up ring!
 
Jess gets it when I've had dusty hay in the past, just the odd cough when out and on starting work, the Lincoln koff syrup normally clears it in a day or two.
Some haylage can be lower calorie than hay, depending which grasses each are made from, eg rye being supercharged and Timothy being slimline :)
 
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My share horse started to suffer a similar cough caused by eating her straw bed. After we changed her to woodchip she was much better but would still suffer a bit if hay was very dry and dusty. Now her hay is put in a hay bucket and she is fine.
 
This sounds very similar to my boy, the vet provided me with something which i think was called equisolon, ( ill get to the yard tomorrow and find its called something completely different!!) but its basically a powder form of ventilin, which is a 10 day course and its brilliant. i think the tub was about £80 BUT you can keep it for another cough aandt a later date and clear it in a few days, i highly recommend it! xx
 
I was reading only today good reports from the product pro-equine Airway from a discussion about a friends horse.
 
I've always stringed a mixture of benyln dry/chesty cough syrup and garlic paste for dry coughs in horses :)

I gave Kia access to a lick one year and it did help him. Didn't affect his weight or feet.
 
Thanks everyone. He is now on day 11 of the cough which is showing no real signs of getting better. I am taking his temp every day which is normal, he has no discharge, his coat is bright, he is eating and drinking fine etc. I am actually worried sick and am so pleased the vet is coming in the morning. It is beyond horrible having an ill horse.
 
MO could you feed from the floor for a few days?

I've found with madam that either going out full time for a week or so, or feeding from the floor is the only way to clear it (due to airways being down where they are meant to be, and not scattering hay dust over face) then after that go back to hanging nets.

We are going in to winter so I wouldn't worry about feeding loose or feeding Haylage for a week or two in terms of weight - I am sure with you meticulous weight management you will be able to compensate over winter xx
 
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Thanks for asking @Trewsers The vet came and said that he has a dust allergy and that the cells in his throat are inflamed. He basically has a sore throat. I have had to remove all bedding from his stable and now when he comes in for a few hours during the day he just has his rubber mats and a few handfuls of shavings to soak up the wee. I wasn’t sure about this to start with, but his stable is actually must cleaner and fresher as a result, and he still comes in and lies down to sleep on his mats. It takes me less than 5 minutes to muck out as I just pick up droppings and brush the mats clean.

The vet also said that Ben is still overweight and despite my best efforts, he still needs to drop more weight. In her words, ‘a horse of this size having laminitis would be catastrophic’ has sent alarm bells ringing through my head. So, we need to clip out and not rug again, bring him off the grass as much as possible – but his stable must be as dust free as possible, soak all his hay for at least 2 hours and feed off the floor (as this helps this throat), and when he is better he needs to be ridden as much as possible.

I have been very upset over the last few days because the yard staff do not agree with my vet over any of this. The vet told me that gently exercise him in walk and to not push him on if he coughs because his throat needs time to recover. Therefore, he can walk with very short periods of trot, and as his throat improves can do more. The yard staff however think that I should be cantering him hard and making him cough, because this will clear his lungs.

The yard also think that I am over reacting by moving him off his straw bed, and that all horses cough like this from time to time. The vet said that if he lies down in a straw bed and eats it, this will just make his throat worse and he won’t recover. The yard and telling me that it is important for him to lie in his bed to have a rest, and that the cough will go away on its own. The yard are also telling me Ben is not fat at all, and despite me pointing out where the vet said his crest was, where the fat pads are and the fact that you have to dig to feel his ribs. While I agree he is not as fat as he used to be, he is still too fat and if it is not good enough for my vet, it is not good enough for me.

I have chosen to follow my vets advice to the letter, and this has caused conflict and bad feeling. I have been told to change my vet as she doesn’t have a clue what she is talking about. I don’t want to do this because I actually think the advice I have been given is good. They are offended I am not listening to them, and I am upset as I feel bullied and unsupported when all I am trying to do is the best I can for my horse. I cried absolute buckets over all this on Monday and now feel uncomfortable about talking to any of them about him. I wish I lived somewhere with land where I could keep him in the way I wanted to without anyone telling me I am wrong all the time.

Gosh that was long! Large glass of wine to anyone still reading!!!
 
Well I think you are doing the right thing (hugs)
I spoke to my own vet about this when my pony was coughing. She mentioned a dust allergy and actually gave exactly the same advice that your vet has. However, we jointly decided to do the easy thing first and just rinse off the hay, leave out in field as long as possible, and exercise gently, trotting when possible, but coming back to walk as soon as she coughed. No fast work at all.
This was actually decided on more for my benefit as I work full time and don't have time to soak nets for 2 hours.
Luckily my pony is cough free at the moment, but if the cough persisted, then the bedding would have to go and hay would have to be soaked.
Don't let the others upset you. You trust you vet and are doing the best for your horse.


(I can't have the wine as I am at work....will save it for when I get home tonight)
 
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Star the Fell said:
Well I think you are doing the right thing (hugs)
I spoke to my own vet about this when my pony was coughing. She mentioned a dust allergy and actually gave exactly the same advice that your vet has. However, we jointly decided to do the easy thing first and just rinse off the hay, leave out in field as long as possible, and exercise gently, trotting when possible, but coming back to walk as soon as she coughed. No fast work at all.
This was actually decided on more for my benefit as I work full time and don't have time to soak nets for 2 hours.
Luckily my pony is cough free at the moment, but if the cough persisted, then the bedding would have to go and hay would have to be soaked.
Don't let the others upset you. You trust you vet and are doing the best for your horse.


(I can't have the wine as I am at work....will save it for when I get home tonight)
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Thank you. It is really hard to go against their advice. I use a completely different vet to most of the yard and they have never really liked this. They went so far to tell me that the vet didn't examine my horse properly and the best thing I can do is change vets, I don't think what the vet has suggested is unreasonable at all, I just think that it conflicts completely with their advice and they don't like my vet saying they are wrong, and they don't like me disagreeing with them even more. I love the yard and love that advice and help is always on hand, but it is not nice to be on the receiving end of this.

(you can have a cup of tea and biscuits instead of wine for now!)
 
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