My 11 year old horse has developed a cough. He has no other symptoms. Is there anything I can do treat
him prior to calling in a vet? My pocket book is tight as a drum right now so I need to spend every penny
judiciously! Thanks for any help you can give me!
As always, we recommend a veterinarian examine your horse and perform appropriate diagnostics to
evaluate his condition and determine a treatment regime. Most likely there will not be a sole “home
remedy” to cure your horse’s cough. A few things you can try at home before consulting a veterinarian
all have to do with environmental changes. Many allergens and dust within your horse’s environment
can cause difficulty breathing and a cough.
First is switching from round bales to square bales. Some horses given round bales will eat through to
the center of the bale, thus encompassing their heads entirely within the hay. While eating in this
manner the horse is inhaling all of the dust and allergens contained within the hay.
If you are feeding flakes of hay throughout the day, you can try wetting the hay. This helps cut down on
the amount of dust and allergens the horse inhales while eating the hay.
If your horse is stalled, more turn out time in a small paddock or pasture can decrease exposure time to
the allergens that may be affecting your horse. If your horse must be stalled, changing the type of
shavings in the stall may also help.
Again, taking your horse to his veterinarian for a thorough exam is the best option, but these
environmental changes are simple things you can try at home before or in addition to your
veterinarian’s recommendations.
I have a horse that has a knot on her back where the saddle blanket ends. I’ve had her to 3 different vets
and the one I just recently went to said it was scarred tissue. Every time you ride her the knot gets
bigger. One vet said it was the saddle, so I bought a new saddle and it still does it. Nobody has been on
her in about 2 months and the knot is smaller.
Without evaluating your horse and not having a true diagnosis of what is causing this knot to form on
her back, it is difficult to come up with a plan of action for you. The knot does seem to be associated
with increased activity or the fit of the saddle, or both. My best recommendation would be to have your
mare evaluated by a veterinarian who specializes in sports medicine. This veterinarian will be able to
examine your horse and decide what diagnostics will be appropriate to determine the cause of the knot.
Diagnostics that may be chosen include radiographs, ultrasound, and/or nuclear scintigraphy. Once
these diagnostics have been performed an appropriate treatment plan can be formed.