Fungal Infection in Respiratory Tract?

[painthorse61]

Does anyone have any experience with this? I have a mare who developed a bad cough and snotty nose late this spring when it was wet and muddy. I have had the vet out here three times now and he has treated her with 3 different type of antibiotics, all which seem to help while she is on them, but as soon as it's done it comes back. Now after the last time the cough is gone as well as the snotty nose, but her breathing sounds really wet and nasty! (It reminds me of an old cow with scarred lungs from pnumonia) The vet said all along that her lungs were clear and that it appeared to be just upper respiritory tract. Now he thinks it may be some type of a "Fungal infection" in her respiritory tract and said we may need to flush the nasal/sinus passages with a antifungal type medicine. Just wondering if anyone has any experience with this? It sounds like it would be a rather nasty kinda treatment and I am a little worried about it. Any info would be appreciated!

 

[MiniforFaith]

I don't have any experience with this type of illnes, just wanted to say I pray

: that your mare gets better really soon for you.. It is scary when they are sick.. Hope someone on here has some advice for you. Please keep us updated on her..

Jodie

 

[EMB]

I am in the same boat with my two year old filly. She has been on treatment of one sort or another almost continually since February for the most part. Very snotty nose, and breathing that sounds like the old cow you referred to. She's been treated with a couple of different antibiotics, bronchodilator gel, and prendisone(sp?). What the vet and I have discovered is that if she starts the prendisone at the first hint of trouble then there is no need for the antibiotics. She has not spiked a fever throughout, never lost her appetite even the slightest and my three year old mare is fine. I have tried hay from three different sources and the same with their straw. Their feed dishes are brought inside and washed after every meal and the water bucket is thoroughly washed twice a day. My vet thinks that it is something environmental that she is sensitive to but what??? This has spanned three seasons basically from the dead of winter here in Alberta to the heat of summer. Starting tomorrow I will try her again with no meds to see what happens. She has been on the prendisone for three weeks now which is the first time she has been on them that long. Historically, if this recurs, I will see the breathing deteriorate within a couple of days so we will see what happens this time. Should that happen I will ask my vet what she thinks about the fungal issue. Perhaps you can give the steroids a try as they really have been effective in keeping the snotty nose under control and the breathing difficulties as well. She is on 25mg once a day. I am finding this whole thing so worrisome and frustrating. Lets hope we find a resolution to our girls issues and soon.

 

[kaykay]

i wonder if it could be equine flu? it lasts for months. antibiotics wont help and will actually prolong it.

Horse influenza usually starts with a fever," says McKay. "Other symptoms include coughing, nasal discharge and muscle soreness with reluctance to move around. When horses get the flu, they can feel downright miserable."

Just like the human flu virus, the horse flu is extremely contagious. "It's an airborne virus that is usually transferred through nose to nose contact," says McKay. "If you have a sick horse, he or she should be immediately isolated to prevent an outbreak."

Younger horses are more susceptible to the flu than older horses. "As horses age, their immune systems become programmed to kill these viruses," she says.

If you notice any symptoms in your horse, McKay suggests taking it to a veterinarian right away. "Through medical treatment you can alleviate the symptoms," she says. "Influenza cannot be cured immediately, but treatment can make the horse more comfortable."

Horses may spend several months recuperating from the flu, and a vaccination is the best way to help prevent months of sickness for your horse, McKay believes. "If a horse is vaccinated, it can still get the flu, but the symptoms are usually less severe," she says.

"There are several vaccines available. Equine Rhinopneumonitis Influenza vaccine is the most commonly used prevention treatment. It is injected into the muscle of the horse and is only effective for three to four months." These vaccinations should be done routinely, especially if your horse is frequently around other horses, she adds.

 

[Minimor]

painthorse--since you do see some response to antibiotics, I would suspect that the problem is bacterial & not fungal. I would suggest that your horse has an infection in the gutteral pouches, and once the infection settles there it is extremely difficult to clear up. Antibiotics given systemically simply do not reach the area & so don't clear the infection. I believe it is necessary to flush the gutteral pouches with antibiotics in order to clear it up.

Fungal infections are rare--they can happen, but the few I've heard of have been in animals (or people) with comprimised immune systems.

Not a vet of course, just a horse owner with many years experience with wierd & unusual ailments.

 

[painthorse61]

Hi everyone, Thanks for the responses. It helps just to get some ideas of what to look for next!

MiniforFaith---- Thanks for the prayers, I've been doing alot of that myself!

KayKay---- I really do not think it is the Eguine Flu. All of my horses are kept up to date on vaccinations. Also none of the other horses have been sick at all. She has never spiked a temp troughout and slows no signs of muscle soreness, In fact she wants to run/play with tho young ones but just gets out of breath easily.

EMB & Minimor----Thanks for the info! I will run the ideas of the gutteral pouch infection and also the info about EMB's horse and it's response to the prednisone/steroids past my Vet when he comes to recheck her this week.

Hopefully we can come up with something to help the poor girl, she really sounds horrible! At least she was not bred for this Spring and I have not put her back with the Stallion/Mares until I can get her cleared up, so there is no danger of the steroids or any other type of treatment hurting a foal. I'm just hoping to find something that works soon, I really feel sorry for her.

 

[EMB]

This situation with your little mare sounds so incredibly similar to mine. Allie also feels fine and runs and carries on as if nothing were wrong. She just sounded so horrible though. I have seen no nasal discharge now for over a week and her breathing is fine. Today is the first day with no meds so I will keep praying that they cycle might be broken with the extended steroid regimen this time. I'll keep checking back for news on your girl and will update on things here as well. As an aside, my vet tells me that the University of Calgary vet school has just hired a researcher to study these unexplained respiratory issues so we are obviously not alone with the problem and in our quest for answers.