Help and treatment when the horse has a cough

Your horse has a cough? Diseases of the respiratory tract are among the most common symptoms in horses. If these do not heal completely and the course of the disease becomes chronic, wrong diagnoses are often made. Learn here what to look for when the horse shows cold symptoms and how to prevent them.

If your horse has a cough – researching the cause is important

If the horse has a cough, it is not always due to a cold. Most respiratory diseases are based on allergic reactions. Therefore, it is important to determine the cause of bronchitis, asthma, a hay allergy or damping off (emphysema). In most cases, this can be treated so that the cough can be completely cured.

Diseases of the respiratory tract can in many cases be traced back to the following causes:

  • Infections that have not healed
  • Weakened organism
  • Feeding not appropriate to the species
  • Not optimal husbandry

Respiratory diseases – the common disease of horses

Horses suffer most frequently from diseases of the respiratory tract. Often it is a minor infection that has not healed properly that promotes the development of chronic bronchitis. It is often overlooked that colds can take many weeks to heal completely. If the animal is stressed too soon, a chronic disease develops. The bacterial infection does not heal completely, is aggravated by fungi, and allergic disease of the respiratory tract develops.

In this process, horses increasingly react to dust and mold spores, which cannot be avoided in any horse stable. Whereas horses used to be much less susceptible, today sensitivity is increasing and causing allergic reactions more and more often. Exposure to roughage and dust must be minimized as much as possible for the healing process. Even with the smallest infections, the animal needs rest, fresh air and feeding that is as dust-free as possible.

Hypersensitive reactions and unrecognized symptoms

If the horse develops a cough, it may be a reaction to fungal spores, hay dust or other allergens found in the stable air. If the animal is exposed to the allergen long-term, the chronic irritation causes mucus to form that is difficult to cough up. Increased breathing noises, difficult breathing and coughing are then the result.

If your horse is standing in a meadow and you only see it for a short time, the symptoms cannot be realistically assessed. If no nasal discharge is visible and the horse’s cough only occurs when no one is around, there will be a misjudgment of the health condition. The animal may still be in the regeneration phase, while the respiratory disease is already turning into a chronic condition.

If your horse has survived an acute condition, you should look for a dry cough during the first exertion. If the animal starts moving with a suppressed cough, this is a sign of already manifested bronchitis. Often the animal only coughs once, so you may be fooled by the symptoms. Since there are no other symptoms at this time, the seriousness of the situation is often not recognized. If left untreated, the mild symptoms will worsen to acute respiratory distress, putting the horse’s health at serious risk.

Signs of a cold – when the horse has a cough

If the horse was exposed to drafts or was not properly dried after activities, an infection quickly sets in. The first signs may be

  • Cough
  • Nasal flow
  • Sneezing
  • Loss of appetite
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Fever

First of all, you need to control stable hygiene so that a cold does not turn into chronic bronchitis. Straw and hay are dusty, which aggravates inflammation of the respiratory tract. Here it helps to moisten both a little. However, you must then renew the feed regularly, as moisture carries the risk of mold growth. In summer it is easier to react to a cold by keeping the animal in the pasture. In the stable, the effort is greater.

If your horse develops a cough, do not put any weight on it. Normal exercise will help with coughing. You must absolutely refrain from larger loads. Only when the animal is completely cured, it may exert itself again. Until then, you must warm it in the winter with blankets and red light lamps in the stable, so that it does not additionally cool down with an attacked immune system.

Respiratory diseases caused by a feed allergy

At first glance, the idea of horses being allergic to hay or straw may seem strange. However, if you consider that these feeds have to be stored and that our soils are partly overfertilized with chemical substances, the thought is no longer absurd. Normally feed allergies show up in the skin area or they affect the stomach.

However, it is now known that the symptoms can also manifest themselves in the form of bronchitis or general respiratory problems. This means that the allergen must be found and eliminated if the respiratory problems are to heal. If only the symptom is treated, the disease will take a chronic course. The animal continues to receive its allergy-causing feed, so that nothing can change in the basic problem.

More and more often a horse shows by coughing that it suffers from a feed allergy. In this case, it reacts to the cereal starch, feed mites, additives or fillers and flavorings. In this case, a detailed search for an allergen must be started to rule out a feed allergy if the horse shows coughing.

Domestication and its consequences for health

As long as horses lived in the wild, they were considered robust animals. Today, it is said that half of all horses are dumb bronchitics. This means that unhealed infections are latent in the animal. As a result, performance decreases and it only takes the smallest triggers to cause severe respiratory problems.

Studies by the DVG e.V. make it clear that the life expectancy of horses has been drastically reduced. The following are cited as reasons

  • Overstrain due to equestrian sports
  • Poor husbandry
  • Irregular exercise

Allergic reactions of the lungs cause mucus accumulation and swelling. In some cases, constriction of the bronchial tubes occurs. These problems occurred in up to 30 percent of the horses kept in the barn. If the symptoms coincide with the change of coat, the weakened defenses cannot counteract a chronic course.

Infestation with lungworms

Worms may also be a cause if your horse shows coughing and other symptoms. Most horses are infested with worms. When grazing, they ingest larvae that settle in the horse’s stomach and intestinal tract. A severe worm infestation weakens the immune system, impairs the utilization of feed, and causes a deficiency state despite abundant feeding.

If the worms migrate to the lungs, the horse will exhibit coughing, nasal discharge and respiratory problems. Therefore, if respiratory symptoms are present, deworming should also be considered.

Providing for old age with healthy feed

Healthy feed is important for horses because many diseases are related to feeding errors. If the animal is ill, it needs a special feed composition to support the healing process. Grains should be fed only in moderation and in a highly digestible and easily digestible form (for performance animals and horses that need to be rehomed). Crude fiber provides increased chewing and better utilization of the feed, resulting in a good feeling of satiety.

Healthy horse feed should not contain artificial additives to which horses can be allergic. Minerals and vitamins must come from natural sources. Flavors or preservatives also increase the risk of a horse developing a cough due to an allergic reaction. If you want to be sure that your feed is really healthy, you should always look for certifications that exclude heavy metals and pesticides.

Horse cough: FAQ

When should the animal go to the vet?

Since horses are very sensitive animals, any change in health should be taken seriously. It is important to react quickly when a horse has a cough. Even at the first signs, you should at least consult with the veterinarian to rule out a chronic respiratory disease.

Should a horse inhale?

Inhalation is a natural process that gives the horse relief from breathing. To do this, you will need a bucket of warm water with table salt, herbs or essential oils that you dilute heavily. Peppermint, chamomile, eucalyptus and thyme have proven to be effective.

Do herbs help the horse with cough?

If herbs are fed in a controlled manner, the animal receives trace elements, vitamins and minerals. These can strengthen the immune system, accelerate detoxification and bind free radicals. They can also have a positive effect on the respiratory system. It must always be taken into account that herbs must be mixed in a certain ratio to achieve effective results.

Cold in horses – what you have to do

It is very important that the animal gets rest and warmth. In the warm season, it should be in the pasture, but have the possibility of shelter. In the stable, all activities that stir up dust should be avoided. Monitor the horse’s temperature and notify the veterinarian as soon as a slight fever appears.

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