Horse cold??

[angelsdream]

What does everyone do for there horse if it has a cold? This is a first for me, my quarter horse has a cold, runny nose, coughing. He got it from another boarder that came in, her horse had a cold Do I treat or just let it run it's course??

[Michelle Clarke]

As always, call your vet and see what they say first. What I do with mine is immune boosters, rose hip tea and echinecea/goldenseal extract (about 6 drops 2x's day mixed with honey and given with a syringe right into the mouth). I also make up a mix of herbs condusive to the symptoms. Is the cough wet or dry? Coughs can take up to two weeks after the cold is gone to quit.

Remember, you can't treat a cold to get rid of it (just like humans) you can just support the immune system. However, if the snot turns green is it bacterial, and that you can treat with the golden seal and garlic.

A good thing to keep on hand is a mixture of garlic, soaked with raw honey (needs to soak about 3 weeks). The honey takes all the oil and good stuff from the garlic and this can be put right on top of feed.

Fever is viral and needs to be addressed seperately. A virus is not treatable with anitbiotics and the fever is doing a job of heating up the virus to kill it. Speak to your vet about this, but keeping an eye on the fever instead of just getting rid of it with Banamine or something is working against what the body needs to do and the virus will just move and settle somewhere else (probably show up later as a different issue).

If you do have to give antibiotic, just remember to give prebiotics during treatment and for five days after, double doses.

Electrolytes in the water (NOT the ones with lots of sugar!!!!) and even a few slices of fresh ginger in the water bucket (change daily) to encourage drinking and the ginger is very warming to the body.

Don't load him up on sugars, starches or treats, as the body needs to focus on getting better, not processing those types of things.

Keep him out of wet and wind at least three days past symptoms.