Everything You Need To Know About Horses

Horse Coughing

Coughing

This is rarely an emergency situation as a symptom or condition on its own. A distinction needs to be made between coughs emanating from the upper and lower respiratory tract, and whether it is from an infection, inflammation or irritation, or if there is an abnormality of the airway such as a growth.

If your horse coughs a little at feed time or at the start of work, especially if dry, dusty conditions prevail, this doesn’t necessarily mean there is a problem. If the cough is persistant or severe, then it should be checked by a vet. If there is any material, such as mucous, pus, blood or saliva expelled from the mouth or nostrils, then naturally a vet should be called.

Give consideration to environmental conditions, such as stable mangement or feed preparation. It may be possible for you to remedy the situation fairly easily by removing the horse from a stable to a grassed paddock or wetting the horse’s feed. Urine in the bedding can cause significant irritation to the horse’s airway, so naturally stables should be kept as clean as possible and all urine soaked bedding removed at least daily.