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  Discussion on Nasal discharge
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New Member:
jlfrates

Posted on Wednesday, Oct 14, 2009 - 9:43 pm:

My 13 year old oldenburg mare has a thick yellowish nasal discharge. I first noticed there was something different with her when she coughed quite a few times when I was riding her which is unusual for her. A couple days later the nasal discharge increased a bit so the vet put her on SMZ's. 10 tabs twice a day for five days. She has been on them for 3 days and still has a nasal discharge. Yesterday I lunged her she didn't cough once and today when I rode her she started to cough again. It's only a few times is dry and only happens with exercise. She does not have a temp has a normal appetite and behavior. She seems to lack her usual energy when ridden but otherwise seems ok. A couple weeks ago another stablemate of hers had a snotty nose as well and was put on antibiotics but never had a cough.
Is it possible she caught something from him?
Shouldn't she be better by now? His snotty nose cleared up in a couple of days. Can I continue to exercise her even though she coughs on occasion?
The nasal discharge is both nostrils but seems more copious on the right and has no odor that I can detect. COuld it be sinus related?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Oct 15, 2009 - 10:34 am:

Welcome Jennifer,
I will try to answer your direct questions below but if your horse has been diagnosed with a recent upper respiratory infection see Diseases of Horses » Respiratory System » Colds, Influenza, and Upper Respiratory Infection for a complete explanation:
1) Yes this is possible, for instance herpes virus infections can move slowly through a population.
2) It depends on what is wrong, which we don't know. However snotty noses following a URT infection sometimes go on for weeks and in my own children sometimes it seemed like months. And there is a wide range of symptoms displayed in different individuals to the same disease.
3) The question for exercise will depend on your veterinarians evaluation of the situation and I would pay attention to that lack of energy too see the article I referenced above.
4) The sinus might be involved and since it is simply the continuation of the nasal mucosa probably is involved but that does not mean this is a chronic problem that will not heal itself. A chronic sinusitis can be a complication of a simple viral of bacterial URT and the diagnosis and treatment for such a condition is covered in the article associated with this discussion.
DrO
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