While waiting for the vet

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nootka

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Ok, I have a call in to my vet about this:

I got a two month old filly brought to my farm. Originally, she was a bit on the thin side, wormy, and had an occasional dry cough.

No temp, no discharge, no other symptoms.

I wormed her twice w/Zimectrin Gold since she's been here (about a month and a half). She's no longer thin, but the cough seems to be increasing in occurrence, but never so much as to overly worry me, considering there were no other symptoms! It seemed she would do more of it when it was dry and dusty.

This morning when I went to feed, I could hear a "snoring" sound coming from her throat/nose as she walked over to get her hay. She coughed once when she lowered her head to eat.

None of my other herd has any symptoms, either, and it's been 6 weeks since she's been here. Her dam is fine, too.

I would love to hear some input on your experiences with similar problems. I'm just hoping it's not something we can't easily fix.

When I had something similar a few years ago, my weanies got it, and they had snotty noses along w/it. It lasted just about six weeks before they finally got better, despite the antibiotics, the bloodwork, etc., we finally determined it was a non specific bug that mainly just had to run its course though the antibiotics were for keeping down any secondary infection since the snot was pretty thick and yellow/green. Bleah.

This is different, though, as I said, because there is no discharge and not even a slight fever.

Thanks in advance,

Liz M.
 
[SIZE=14pt]Liz the cough could be from Congestive Heart disease or a heart murmer or she could have a collpsing trachea. That would cause the snoring sound. Hope it isnt that. Some minis are prone to that.[/SIZE]

Lyn
 
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[SIZE=14pt]Man, Lyn, I hope it's not that.[/SIZE]

I just noticed this morning another new symptom: she has diarrhea.

The "snoring" I have only heard once. The cough has been intermittent for several weeks, starting with when she arrived (I thought it might have been from the trailer ride w/all the dust and hay blowing about, as she had no temp/discharge, etc.)

So I will let you know what the vet has to say. This coming week is going to be ultrabusy.

Liz M.
 
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hmm i am going to say de -worm again with strongid or safe gaurd. I was talking to my vet aobut a yearling I have and she was doing simular things iwth the cough and such but not sick at all. She had been de -wormed but he said that it was a sign of worms and yearlings were or could be pretty resisitent to some types of de-wormers she had loose manure as well on and off we did a 5 day purge and shew as fine (and did have lots of worms as well despite regular de-worming)
 
[SIZE=14pt]Im with lisa now that there is also diarrhea..... I bet she has an overload that didnt get cleaned out. Hope the vet just says worm her again or maybe do the panacure purge.[/SIZE]

Lyn
 
Long shot here but with my Halley, same thing...came to discover she was allergic to the alfalfa! it was in the equine jr and when I switched to equine adult which is alfalfa free she got better. Prayers for your baby.
 
pls be aware that this time of year pnemonia is rampant in young foals. I would get a vet there asap. Especially since she was underweight. Why was she weaned so young?? Sending good thoughts!

Kay
 
I was thinking the 5 day safegaurd/panacur dose as well.

I hope she is doing better soon.
 
oh i didnt see the 2month old part or didnt read it correctly yes I would think pnemonia could be an issue our vet always puts a bag over there nose for a bit and then listens to them breathe
 
[SIZE=14pt]I would surely have the vet out to check this little girl! Sounds to me like she allergic to something! Which in many cases will cause coughing and a loose stool![/SIZE]

I would tend to think that if she has put on weight then your worming did the trick there! I vote for allergies!
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Good luck and let me know what your vet says!
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Bill
 
We did have a similar experience with Triggy when he was a baby. Couldn't shake a raspy cough that turned roaring and persistent diareahh. We think it was related to shipping, he was only 3 months when weaned, which I think was part of the problem. I know people do it all the time but I think it's hard on a baby.

He had no temp or any other issue so my vet treated the symptoms with Lasix and SMZ first then when the runs wouldn't clear up we gave him Flagyl. After that I had him on fast track for a couple of months to get his gut healthy again. Finally got him well but it took some time.
 
Liz,

It sounds like you have to deal with "eliminating" all the possibilities. Worms that aren't being taken care of is fairly easy to deal with using a purge.

Pnuemonia -- a vet can tell you and get her on antibiotics pronto.

Allergies? That's a little more difficult to diagnose. But your vet can help with the meds on that too. The "over the counter" answer to that is getting some straight old benedryl which is pure antihistyme (sp) without any additives - grind it up in a coffee bean grinder and put it down her throat mixed with water in a syringe. But I'd have the vet weed out your other possibilites first, IMO.

Hugs,

MA
 
We got a mare that developed a cough. We had her wormed and checked for worms. She was okay in that area. The vet finally determined that she was reacting to the dry hay and dry dusty ground. She was breathing in whatever was causing her cough. There was no fever and only occasionally did she have a runny nose. But the cough was off and on without becoming every bad.

She is now three and has outgrown her cough.
 
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