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Post by dannyboy on May 2, 2011 19:50:06 GMT
Murphy has had his meds for the last 5days (his last dose tonight), he's still wheezing & a clear nasal discharge is evident. Have any of you had any experience with this condition? The vet is coming tomorrow - Please wish us luck  |
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Post by solomon on May 2, 2011 19:55:44 GMT
Good luck! Hope he is ok.
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Post by fleabitten on May 2, 2011 21:03:52 GMT
Good luck!
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Post by dannyboy on May 3, 2011 21:09:24 GMT
The vet called this afternoon. Murphy's isn't as bad, there is still evidence of wheezing but he thinks its reduced by about 30%, so thankfully the treatments have been working. He was given more antibiotics and more meds to take over the next few days but the vet is hopeful he will recover  . The vet thinks it is linked to his hay and says that no horse should be given it to eat - he's seen more problems like this in recent years. Problem is, I have half a garage full of hay, should I sell it and use haylage (can I even buy small bales of haylage?) or should I soak the hay overnight? I've heard of steamers but I think they can be quite expensive. I have grass for him atm but its limited. |
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Post by fimacg on May 4, 2011 11:42:57 GMT
I would soak they hay which takes the dust and spores out. put it in a hay net and then in a black bin overnight.
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Post by brigadier on May 4, 2011 12:54:10 GMT
Soaking swells the mould spores which are then too big to cause the allergic reaction, unfortunately it can take a lot of the goodness out of the hay and the resulting water is toxic to plants and fish so be careful you dont dispose into a water course. Steaming is also an efficient way to treat the hay- put his net in a bin with a lid then pour in a boiled kettle full of water- seal the bin and let it cool down on its own. You can repeat this a couple of times and dont pack the net too tight- best use two nets for a big horse so the steam penetrates.
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Post by brigadier on May 4, 2011 12:57:38 GMT
sorry forgot to say- haylage can be tricky to get hold off so it wont matter if you switch between the two and use the hay (steamed or soaked) as a gap filler. I wouldnt waste the hay unless you can get a good rice for it though- keeping horses is expensive enough! Basil is one of the horses who will always cough with hay- but is a bit fizzy on haylage so I will be having all this to do when he comes home to me next month.
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Post by fleabitten on May 4, 2011 14:42:29 GMT
Great advice! I would just soak or steam it too. We used to just dunk it before feeding whilst we did a few jobs and then hang it in the stable (after letting it drain a bit first). Theres some debate over how long to soak. You can get small square bales of haylage but a lot dearer - you could even go top of the range and buy horsehage which smells good enough to eat yourself! but try and see how you go with the hay, as brig says, horses are expensive enough! Glad Murphy is recovering, thats good news |
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for so much hard work we thank ye!!