Horse with runny nose?

What kind of runny nose is it? If it's just a bit of clear drainage, your horse probably has a cold. If the drainage is yellowish, greenish, smells bad, or your horse has other symptoms of infection like a cough or a fever, then you probably need to have the vet out again. There are a number of diseases and infections which produce symptoms like this, but the one which most readily comes to mind is the possibility your horse could have or be developing a case of strangles. I know you said your horses are up to date on their shots, but the vaccine against strangles is NOT one hundred percent effective, and there have been cases where horses which were vaccinated have still gotten the disease. That's the first thing I'd look into, particularly if your horse's runny nose gets worse or he develops a bad color or smell to it. Strangles bacteria can live in the soil and water for years at a time, and younger horses are particularly vulnerable to infection, because they usually haven't built up any resistance to the bacteria. I know it's been very wet in Texas this past year, and moist soil is very conducive to the survival of the strangles bug. So I would definitely check this out with the vet.

Another possible reason for your horse's problem is allergies. He could be allergic to any number of things- hay, dust, mold, or the plants in his pasture. Have you tried experimenting with things like soaking his hay before you feed it to him? What sort of bedding are you using in his stall? If it's at all dusty, then you may have the source of his runny nose. Horses are sometimes allergic to things like straw and shavings, so you may want to look into this possibility, and change the type of bedding if necessary. Is your barn well ventilated? A closed barn may be warmer in cold weather, but it also increases the risk that allergens will get circulated around and cause problems. What about mold allergies- have you looked closely at your hay and feed to make sure it's not excessively dusty or moldy? I have known several horses which had allergies to mold- one mare I knew had to be kept on a dose of Tri-hist all the time in the summer because her dust/mold allergies were so bad she had trouble breathing.

I would check out all these things, and see if changing some of them doesn't help your horse out. Good luck.

Horse Runny Nose

When you say runny nose, what are you talking about? A small amount of discharge is okay - it can be from allergies or from wind, just like you might get a runny nose from being outside.

On the other hand, if it's yellowish and thick then you should have the vet come out again. What is the vet diagnosing the horse with? You might want to get another vet's opinion if the same symptoms are coming up again and again. I've only had horses with respiratory infections that did that, so you might want to check into that if you haven't already. Try to look for any other symptoms before you call the vet (eyes have any discharge?, temp?, how's the horse's attitude?).

As you probably know, remember to wash out all buckets, brushes, blankets, etc. that might come in contact with another horse to keep from spreading whatever it is. Wash your hands too and spray the stalls down with bleach when you clean them. You don't want to keep giving them the same pills - just like with humans, their bodies will build resistance to it and then it won't work. At least get your vet to prescribe something different if possible.

Hope this helps!

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Horse with runny nose?

A question for someone who might be able to give me some answers..I have two horses..one delveloped a runny nose about a month ago, vet came out and put him on xmztmp..Got better then came back again..went through another precription, got better..Now he has another runny nose..All of his shots are...

Sometimes horses get colds just like us. They can get severe ones and just like a small common horse cold. Unless he starts having other symptoms like a cough or wheezing then you shouldn't worry to much about it. If you start to see anything other then a runny nose call your vet. It could be serious. Horses also get allergies just like us. My horse's allergies are really bad right now because it is so dry. He gets a runny nose too.

Good Luck & I hope he feels better soon!

Don't be worried, my horse had it, too. If it continues for more than a week, call the original owners back and tell them. Also, go ask around horse stores for an injection. Tell them my horse has a cold-like runny nose. They should find a good vaccine. Good Luck!

I too have had this problem recently. After much research and consultations with several vets we have come to this conclusion. Blanket horses when the temp falls below 40. Double blanket if temp will drop below 32 overnight. Remove blankets by 8am, if the temp is over 45. If temp remains low you should consider keeping a light blanket on them. I started doing this and its amazing the change in them all. No more runny noses, no more snotty noses. One mare looked like a little baby with a snotty nose each morning... it was so gross, I thought kids could produce snot. Boy was I ever wrong... horses produce more snot than the largest snot factories I know of. :-) This mare in particular I have taken extra precautions with such as:

Opening each flake of hay for her and placing in a large, clean muck type bucket. Some times I even dampen the hay to reduce the dust.

Make sure your stall shavings are all dry. Damp or wet shavings not only harbor germs, but it also helps to promote upper respiratory problems.

I hope this all helps you take care of them. i hope nothing is seriously wrong and that they remain happy and healthy!

did you mean smztmp, not xmstmp? Are you saying that your horse was given Sulfur based antibiotics? Did your horse's drainage have color/odor? Has your vet grown a culture on the drainage yet? Sometimes, the shotgun approach is not the best approach, not saying that I am a vet, nor am I saying that is what your vet is doing...but, after all of these meds and no consistent results, I would think that it might be time to culture. Oh, I assume the Rhino shots are up to date? I read somewhere (I know, that's not a good reference) that allergies normally don't result in clear drainage from horses).....so, with that information and the fact that your horses have been given antibiotics, rather than antihistamines, makes me wonder how your vet arrived at what antibiotic to use without culture?

Sometimes when a horse gets a runny nose, It's just like a human getting the sniffles. Is it cold where you are? DO you run him? Sometimes, when you run a horse when it's cold, his nose runs. Its kind of like sweat, in that case.

If this is viral in nature your two horses could pass it back and forth for awhile....if it is more of a bacterium, you'll see yellowish nasal discharge and a low grade fever. Just enough to put them "off". Just as you might feel with sinusitis or sinus infection.

You want to stay on top of this and if their temperatures spike or you think there overall condition is worsening call your veterinarian immediately.