Snotty nose

[ronansmum]

I am hoping this is a cold........

Ronan was coughing yesterday so the staff told me when I got to the yard, so I took him for a walk (and just a couple of brief canters) on the beach in the hope that the sea air might help a bit...

This morning the girls tell me he has green snot and is still coughing a bit but he did eat all his haylage overnight. I'd be horrified if he didn't - he is sooooooooooooo greedy....

I have asked them to keep him in and the vet is coming....3.30 today.

I am so worried, , he has not been ill since I got him last November.....

We have a new horse on the yard in the box next door to him, Ro is too old by far for strangles.......but is there any other nasty that could be passed on???

Or maybe I am panicking, I expect it is just a cold.......

[racaille]

Green snot usually means bacteria, which will need antibiotics. Is he snotty from one or both nostrils?

[ronansmum]

From both so Siobhan said, Rac.

If he needs antibiotics that is fine, as long as they sort him out. I am glad I decided to get the vet today - I did wonder if I was over reacting but he is 13 so I don't want to take any chances.

My poor boy...

[spotti]

Us too! Faith's got a snotty nose again - I too worried about strangles, but she's only just had it so surely can't get it again??? Hers is mainly just clear/slightly white and from both nostrils but was only there on saturday and none yesterday or today *touches wood that its gone* but she was coughing...real coughing from the chest...I immediately wiped her nose with virkon (gloves on and everything contaminatd has been destroyed) and cleaned surrounding area with virkon too (to stop any spread if it is anything more than a cold) and touch wood, she seems a bit better now. I kept her in saturday until she looked less snotty and has been out by herself since then in the hope that the air would do her good (plus if it is the hay dust then being away from it will do her good too)
Inside her nostrils look quite sore, but that could be from the hay/straw dust irritating her - I've been soaking her hay aswell just in case, and they look a lot less red this morning, but only time will tell...

I really hope it is just a cold and nothing more...(again, annoying, because we're all flu-jabbed up and she still gets poorly!! grrr!). Poorly ponies

Hope Ronan gets better soon. Big hugs and get well vibes coming your way >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>VIBES<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

[spotti]

Actually, come to think of it, we had a new horsey come on the yard on saturday morning...hmmm...I blame him!!!

Get well soon hairy ponies

[andik]

I hat to be the bearer of bad news nut Strangles is rife at the moments, outbreaks everywhere! I had a scar last winter with my boy but started soaking his hay and touch wood he has not coughed since.... Was absolutely terrified as new ponies arrive last winter and they came from a yard that had a break out of strangles only weeks later!!! Ek!

Hope your ponies get well soon... have some karma!

[dannyboy]

How did Ro get on with the vet? Hope all is well

[duckles]

Racaille- you seem knowagable on this. what does it mean if its white and from one nostril only and with a very dry cough?

[racaille]

It means call the vet!!

Seriously, I am not very knowledgeable, just pick things up as we all do. A clear discharge from both nostrils can be just a cold (but not always) but a discharge from one nostril only (unilateral) should be checked out, it could be sinus problems or worse.

[spotti]

Can they get strangles twice??? My vet said that because we didn't put her on antibiotics last time, she sheould have built up some kind of immunity and be immune (atleast to some extent - does that mean she could get it again but just not as bad???)

[madcatwoman]

they can only get strangles once , but can be a carrier without showing symptons

[ronansmum]

Update guys.

I am miserable/upset and resentful. They are treating it as strangles, the vet took blood yesterday and is coming back to do the first swab today, the swab has to be frozen apparently so she didn't have one with her.

He and the wretched Oirsh horse have been isolated and although Murphy isn't showing signs of anything he is undoubtedly the carrier of whatever it is. Apparently, it is common for horses just over from Ireland to have some sort of lurgey...(NO offence to you DB - it is just the way the breeders treat em over there and transit is a big worry.)

The yard is closed to traffic. The HOYS horse was due back today and we were expecting another new one from Jedburgh....on hold obviously. Onr of the liveries had a dressage lesson and that had ot be cancelled too.

I am resentful because Murphy wasn't put into quarantine.....but as he isn't showing any signs I suppose it wouldn't have helped. I am just so worried. Ronan seemed not too bad when I left him last evening, he was stuffing his haylage, temp 98.6 and very little coughing and snot. He was bemused by his new box though, it is huge and no rubber matting but a lovely view into the yard, the trailer is right in fornt of his nose so I have told him to just keep looking at it so he will load easily from now on ;D ;D......I just hope he will be OK. I phoned 5 minutes ago but Siobhan had just arrived so I will phone back in a minute to check how he is...

[fimacg]

Hey Ronansmum, I hope it is just a case of the irish horse brining a bit of a bug over with them, they usually do get a snotty nose for about a week after coming over, they appear fine for a couple of days then come down with a cold and get a bit of a snotty nose, I always think of it as similar to kids starting in a new school they have not built up an imunity to the exact strain of lurgy that the other kids have.

Fingers crossed its not strangles but keep us posted

[Becca]

yes lots of crossed body parts for him.

[spotti]

That's what happened to us! It was the new irish horses that brought strangles with them and then infected my hairy baby.
I too hope its not strangles, but against what the name suggests, its not really all that bad (unless its the bastard form where the abscesses are on the inside) - just a bit gooey and a pain in the bum in terms of keeping everything clean. I hope ronan feels better soon

UPDATE on Faith (incase anyone is interested): - she's not technically snotty, just coughing up snotty stuff (still white though, but a bit of a worry) and seems bright and happy in herself, just a bit poorly on the outside. Also found a few scabs on her face...not sure if they're fly bites or the starts of abscesses (I know she shouldn't get it twice, but this is Faith we're talking about!) so I've been cleaning them with virkon and cleaning everything and keeping her away from the other horses and not letting anyone touch her and then another horse - so I'm trying my best to keep her isolated without actually being isolated! If it doesn't go/gets worse over the next few days then the vet will be called out, but hopefully *touches wood* we won't need him.

[ronansmum]

First of all Spotti of course we are interested, we all want Faith to get well from whatever it is that is bothering her zippy quick...It sounds like a wee cold to me, and the scabs might be mdigy bites?

Let's face it, there are lots of other things it could be, humans get loads of viruses, bugs etc so why should horseys be any different. This obsession with Strangles seems a bit much but I know they have to be overly cautious and assume the worst, even when the symptoms aren’t really right!!.

The vet came yesterday to swab Ro's nose (rhymes ;D ;D ;D) - she was pretty useless, had either no answers or glib retorts to my questions, and totally insensitive unlike Monday's girl who was lovely.

Yesterday's doll says " this is a good time to get it (!!!!!??) cos you aren't doing much with your horses anyway(??!!!!!!!) this time of the year, so all you are losing is clipping them!! And if you go out and about then you have to expect this....(?!!) - it is the risk you take!!!"

What!!!!!!!!?? I didn’t even bother to explain the situation about the Oirsh boyo. She didn't seem to link the fact that they are both isolated and she was taking blood from Murphy.....

Just phoned Siobhan who reports that Ronan whinnied to her as she arrived, wanting his brekkie (with 2 butes) and he has eaten every scrap of his overnight haylage, (about a ton). Still coughing but apart from that very bright and his usual saucy self. He will want to go out I know that much…

I know nothing I admit that but he really doesn’t look or behave as though he is ill, yes he has a cough but as I said earlier coughs and colds are not uncommon among all species…his temperature yesterday was 36.3 when I took it – that seems ok to me.

The blood result may be available at the end of this week and the first swab by next Wednesday………..she says there is no treatment for strangles anyway – they just lance the abcesses if necessary.

I am so upset for him, my beautiful boy…..

Will keep you posted but if anyone has any more advice or comment please share it!!

[racaille]

I'd be hopping mad too and I'm surprised you didn't deck the silly cow who did the swabs. You're right, it could be loads of thinks but I do understand your anxiety. The very good signs are that he isn't ill in himself. Fingers crossed!

[spotti]

When Faith had strangles, she was bright and happy with a disgustingly snotty nose for about a week or 2 before she got really down and depressed and wouldn't eat/drink/move etc (obviously the abscess had been building up over the 2 weeks and then when she refused food was when it was at its biggest and most painful) - which was not like her AT ALL, she always eats food!!! ALWAYS! Then when I found the abscess it was huge and yellowy and ready to burst! I phoned the vet (hoping it was just an abscess but knowing it could be strangles, and asked for advice on whether I should pop it or let it pop on its own) and he said it could be strangles so she needs isolating asap and to pop the abscess and then keep it clean, burning anything that has been in contact with the infected gloop and everything else should be kept as clean as insanely possible. As soon as the pressure was released from the abscess, Faith was back to her normal cheeky, greedy self and seemed to be making up for lost time because she just ate and ate and ate and ate!
2 weeks of gently teasing gloop out of the abscess and then cleaning it with virkon and putting idione stuff on it (to keep it clean) - a clever tip I learnt was to put vaseline below the burst abscess to stop the acidic gloop from buring away the hair and making the skin sore - saw her looking much better and happier and she and a few others who had also caught it got turned out in a 'lurgy field' to live out the rest of the isolation time (just to point out all of their abscesses were dry and healing at this point so no chance of spreading the bug from the goo, but it was just so they could run around and eat grass and save us all a bit of money on hay! They ate loads!!!

Anyway, I really hope Ronan doesn't have strangles, but if he does then its actually not as bad as it sounds...just a pain in the bum really. If you want any tips/advice/support etc if it is strangles then feel free to PM me and we can talk 'lurgy'

[ronansmum]

Spotti

Thank you so much for that........and for your kind offer of letting me lay it all on you by PM... I do appreciate it. Your words are reassuring really they are...


Update is this guys....

1. Ronan's blood test is clear, so is the mare's but the new Oirsh boyo is a Strangles carrier....as if we hadn't guessed that much..

2. The vet wants to wait til we get the result of the first swab, next Wednsday probably, and then decide if Ro needs another blood test or swab. She is saying he may still have caught it, the blood test may have been taken too early and as Murphy is definitely the culprit I have to face the fact that Ronan may yet get it. But for the moment he is bright and cheery, still eating for Britain but Spotti's experience makes me feel gloomy I must admit..he is bound to have got it hasn;t he? The vet says he has never been exposed to it before, so you can imagine I feel so guilty for allowing him to be exposed to this now. >:(I am livid to be honest.........

But, and this is the biggie question - what happens to Murphy?? He can I suppose just keep reinfecting can't he?? They talk about carriers on the websites but no one seems to give a clue about what happens to the horses? Can they get treated or what? I am being told there is no treatment and Spotti seems to be confirming that so where do we go from here?

I did read something about gutteral pouches being washed out and "contaminated material" being removed. Eventually the animal has no more bacteria in its system and is "clean".

All this raises an interesting gap in the vetting process......we all get blood taken from a potential purchase, dont we, but probably never use it? My pal and I were both saying last night that we would now, never buy a horse again until it has been tested for strangles and found to be clear....

[jane]

What happens to the carriers.... sadly people still keep breeding from them, like many genetic conditions people pass 'em on. I think it is disgraceful and truly believe that known carriers should be euthanised for the sake of all healthy horses.

Might sound harsh but stories such as yours are too common and terribly sad for all concerned.

I hope things go well for you and everything crossed that he hasn't caught it...

jane

[jane]

I don't think strangles is a genetic condition... but people keep the carriers of this and just move 'em on. The breeders of the genetic conditions are horrendous in my book... or just incredibly stupid!

jane

[ronansmum]

Spent a lot of time on the web looking at carriers and treatment.

Seems they can be treated but it is expensive and time coinsuming, and as you say Jane, breeders would rather just pass 'em on.

Exactly what happened in this case, the Oirish boyo arrived and was not put in quarantine, but that will never happen again. Stable door closed etc....

Seems a blood test is being developed which will enable carrier-horses to be checked/treated before mingling with others.

Fingers still crossed for my boy, temp was fine again last evening.

I tried to take him for a wee walk in hand for a graze, but it wasn't a go-er. He is 17 hands so when he started rearing and bucking and squealing on the drive I bottled it and took him back to his box......

[florence]

Just read through all of this (don't know how I missed it before). Ronansmum, I'm really keeping my fingers crossed for you. How awful that this could have been prevented - especially as you seem to have the facility to isolate newcomers (but as he's a carrier, would that have stopped others from getting it?). None of the yards I have been at could actually quarantine a sick sufficiently. Good that he's still feeling himself, though. Fancy bottling out of a walk, though!!!!!

Spotti, I do hope faith is okay. The poor thing has been through enough already. Lets hope she's built up a lifetimes immunity.

[jane]

Wow - he is a big boy, I wouldn't argue to much either.

Have a karma for the weekend

jane

[ronansmum]

I hope you aren't sick of me and these updates people.

Well it is all looking very good for Ro!! ;D ;D ;D His temperature is still totally normal and he is stuffing himself witless as usual... I have taken him off the bute, can't see the point of stuffing bute down a horse that seems perfectly well can you? He is coughing a tiny bit, like three times a day, but as I said at the start I think he has had a cold.

Lunged him Friday and yesterday, he is easier to handle with his bridle on ;)and once he had had a good squeal and buck at the end of the lunge line he was actually very good, trotting and cantering to command in a nice shape on both reins ... My pal watched and said "he doesn't look like a sick horse to me.."

The swab result is on Wednesady so we'll see what happens then. Murphy is also not showing any signs of strangles/any illness. He spends his whole day kicking the door and kicking his water buckets over...delinquent!!

Mehtinks this was a serious over reaction by rather a silly vet....but not so silly maybe, this is all going to cost plenty!!!

Never met a poor vet have you??

Thanks for ther karma Jane, mjuch appreciated.