My horse has a snotty nose and cough. Is it serious? Do I need a vet?

Hi there. Poor Venice! It could be because of hay, that is true. More specifically the dust on hay that is breathed in while our horses eat can cause this (generally referred to as Heaves) . Respiratory conditions like COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), Equine Influenza, and Equine Herpes are possibilities as well, and all can come +/- nasal discharge. The first step at home would be more turn out time if at all possible, and other ways to decrease dust in your barn (soaking hay in water about 20-30 mins before feeding can help a lot) as well as feeding a good quality or vacuum packed hay. Hope this helps!

Bernie does have a bit of a fever, but it's not too high. Since his appetite and behavior are normal, monitor him tonight. Should his fever get higher, he becomes lethargic, the nasal discharge gets worse, or he has trouble breathing, get the vet out immediately.

This sign could be compatible with an upper respiratory tract inflammation/infection or possibly to a chronic rhinitis (inflammatory, allergic, infective). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

It looks like your mare may be developing vitiligo, a loss of pigment. This would be harmless. However such white spots can also appear with a fungal infection, so I suggest you have a veterinarian examine those spots. Fungal infections can be contagious to people and other horses and will need to be treated with an antifungal medication, Your vet may want to take a brush sample of the spots and culture it in order to facilitate a diagnosis.

I recommend purchasing a basket muzzle either from amazon or from your local pet store and scheduling an appointment with your vet. That much thick nasal discharge definitely indicates either a bacterial or viral respiratory infection that can possibly lead to pneumonia (expensive/difficult to treat and possibly life threatening) if not treated early. Your vet may write a script for Xanax and dispense trazadone to be given prior to the appointment. Good luck! Keno is a good looking shepherd!

Hello. If Skye only coughs on occasion, this may be either an allergic-type condition or some residual areas in the lungs that have not healed following a previous infection. I would make sure dust is kept to a minimum as best you can in the stall & dampen her hay before feeding. You may need to have a vet come out to listen carefully to her lungs to see if any unusual sounds are picked up that might indicate any areas of consolidation or thickening of airways or tissue. Often a course of antibiotics & steroids are necessary to clean up any leftover lung infections, or an inhalant medication like albuterol is useful if there are some bronchospasms especially in reversible pulmonary problems. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Toby. I recommend that he sees his veterinarian. His symptoms can be related to an upper respiratory tract infection. He may need to be started on antibiotics. A runny nose in dog tends to be a more serious sign than it is in humans. In the meantime, keep him quiet to allow his body to rest. Keep him home as he may be contagious to other dogs. I hope this information helps!