Saturday, November 5, 2011

Snotty Nose, Drooling Mouth

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A spot of disappointment when we learned that the brown gelding we'd wanted for Ty had been shipped east to the adoption facilities there. I sent him a few new faces to look at, however, including the bay buddy of the brown horse here, and Ty agreed that the bay was very nice. In fact, he looked like he may be a little taller than the brown, which for someone who is roughly 6'4", would come in handy. And look at that bay face...does he not look like a sweet Sandy boy? I'm terribly fond of him already, even if he wasn't the brave one of the two.

Meanwhile, out in the round pen, Impulse is dripping...

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I'm not really sure what's going on here, but when I first walked out she had saliva dangling at least two feet out of her mouth. Never have I seen anything like this! I went back in for the camera, and of course it was all gone, and this was the best I could get. Have you ever had this sort of drooling going on?

I'd wondered if perhaps it was a tooth issue, and it well could be. But the part that is concerning is that she's got such a snotty nose along with it. The other day, it was green and runny. She refuses to try any grain so far (and for those of you who are wondering, alfalfa pellets are also out), so can't get any powdered antibiotics down her. I've sprinkled it onto her hay, but she avoids it. So plan B (or is it C?) is to contact the vet Monday morning and get something that can be put into her water, and only give her small buckets so that she simply must drink.

Being that she's rather sick, and pregnant, I'm trying not to push her along in the gentling department. But with the sun out the other day, I grabbed a long stick and rested it on her back. I don't think she felt well enough to really complain. Or maybe she's just easy? She trotted a lap or two, turned around, then came to a stop. I rubbed and rubbed the old hair out, and eventually got close enough to run my fingers along her hip before she walked off. Was good stuff, it was!

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9 comments:

Shirley said...

Can you get her to eat garlic? It would help boost her immune system, although whatever she has will likely just have to run it's course. Keep an eye on her lymph nodes under her jaw, just in case this is strangles.
If she will eat oats, you can put powdered garlic or crushed garlic in it, and if she will eat it, then it'a a good way to disguise powdered anti-biotics. My mares will eat garlic like it's candy.

cheyenne jones said...

My thought exactly! On the Strangles!! But she does look a bit dull and lifeless. Shirley has it right on the Oats and Garlic.

PaintCrazy said...

I have seen copious drool like that but I'm sure it's not the problem here. We used Gastroguard on our horse in the morning before a show - usually we had given it at night. Apparently it got the juices going big time because the poor boy was drooling like crazy. The best was in showmanship when my daughter had to gracefully duck under this long line of drool to avoid getting it on her sleeve!!

Do horses get postnasal drip? Could it be all that green snotty stuff is draining back into her stomach causing the drool? Good luck!

Tracey said...

PaintCrazy, you could be onto something with the post nasal drip thought. Kind of what I was thinking, too.

I'm doubtful of strangles...it typically doesn't show up in wild herds, and if she had it, the others would as well. Others, as in the rest of the Kiger bunch. Many snotty noses, just haven't heard of any others drooling.

Jeni said...

Allergy? To what no idea but if a good number of the Kigers have the snotty nose I'd bet virus as well. Is she coughing too?

If was just drooling without snot I'd say "slobbers" which is a reaction to fungus in clover.

I initially thought strangles too.

Hope you figure it out soon and she feels better.

Dom said...

Clover causes excessive drooling in horses... I wonder if there are similar plants by you that would do the same.

Keechy said...

Didn't she have a snotty nose in the pic from the sales?

Also wild horses might not typically have strangles but once they are in the yards and it was introduced, say from a returned horse, it would go through them like wildfire. Same for colds or viruses I guess.

Have you managed to keep the other horses away from her? i was thinking it might be worth doing even if you haven't already. Just in case!

Kara said...

My Sulphur Springs HMA mare developed strangles a few days after she arrived home. Showed up initially as a running green/yellow nose, but then also developed swollen lymph nodes which eventually abcessed. Sometimes if they get really swollen lymph nodes, it make it hard to swallow and they can drool more.

I know all the wild ones are vaccinated for strangles when they come in, but strangles vaccine is notoriously ineffective. If it is strangles, she may have an easier time with it because often vaccination reduces the severity of disease. And if it is strangles, antibiotics are usually not recommended because it can prolong the recovery.

Ruth said...

My 'stang had the copious drool thing too. It turned out to be foxtails that had worked their way into his lips and gums. There were little oral ulcerations all through his mouth. The dentist pulled all the seeds out, the ulcers healed and the drool stopped.

Not sure how you would do all that with an ungentled one, though. I guess that's what sedation's for. I wish you all the best of luck!