“a lot of thick yellowish-white snot coming out of both nostrils and .. eyes… He also seems a little sluggish or mildly depressed”…

I recently purchased a mini horse as a companion animal for my big horse at a local auction. The mini horse has a lot of thick yellowish-white snot coming out of both nostrils and weepy eyes. This morning he appeared to have “snot” coming out of one eye. He also seems a little sluggish or mildly depressed. He is two yrs old, Appy X 350 lbs. The vet at the sale said to watch him for a few days and if it doesn’t clear up start him on a round of Penicillin. I would like to do this, but I wasn’t sure how much to give him and for how long. There is no strangles-ish abscess under his chin (at this point). I am not able to isolate him from my other horse. Also, my big horse is 10 yrs old and up to date on all his vaccines. Should I start him on penicillin as well? He is 17.2 hh, appx 1300 lbs. He was exposed to strangles earlier this year, as a friends horse on my property had it (with draining abscess and all), and he never contracted it. Thanks!

Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:

Hi Sara,

I don’t think you need to worry about your horse contracting the infection from what you describe. He would not need Penicillin unless he actually does contract the disease. Your mini could be treated with about 7cc twice a day for about 5 to 7 days of the standard Procaine Penicillin. I hope this helps and good luck.

 

“I ran out and heard you can give Ibuprofen instead of Bute. My question, how much and is it actually safe? “…

I have a 28 year old mare who might have ringbone or starting of navicular? Anyway, I have been giving her Bute every day (1 gram morning and night) to ease the pain. I ran out and heard you can give ibuprofen instead of Bute. My question, how much and is it actually safe? I know Bute can cause problems, but at my mares age, I just want her comfortable so she can move around a bit better. Thank you.

Dr. Kimberly Gryl’s Answer:

Cheryl:

I have never given Ibuprofen to a horse, nor would I ever recommend it. While it is in the same general class of drug, the two drugs are not the same, and are made for different species. There are many human drugs that cross over into use in the veterinary field, however Ibuprofen is not one of them; it is not appropriate for use in any animal species that I am aware of. Therefore, I caution you against giving it to your horse. The best option is to renew your Bute prescription. One gram of Bute morning and night is likely appropriate for your mare, assuming she is an average (1000-pound or so) size horse. Hope this helps

 

“How long will Fluphenazine show in a horse’s system after they have been given the drug?”…

I know that Fluphenazine is a forbidden drug by the USEF. How long will Fluphenazine show in a horse’s system after they have been given the drug?

Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:

It can depend on the laboratory used, but conventional wisdom is that at least 2 weeks is needed for the drug to not be able to be detected by most laboratories, although there have been stories of that time being up to 30 days.

 

“I have been battling diarrhea for 3 weeks.”…

I have been battling diarrhea for 3 weeks. Vet has been to see her 3 times. Treated the horse for encysted bloodworms via Panacur 5-day pack, still no improvement. She’s lost about 75 lbs. (14h) ,now is rubbing the hair of her face to the point of bleeding. Gums and lips are red and irritated. My vet thinks it’s allergic reaction to the die-off of the larvae. Shouldn’t we be seeing some improvement by now?  Vet is reluctant to prescribe probiotics, says they don’t work, doesn’t want to add to the mix. He did allow Kayo-Pec. administered 2 x daily (about 6 ozs ect.) for four days, no improvement, so I stopped that treatment.

She’s eating her grain only. Started to eat hay but has now stopped again. Will only eat grain, I give her small amounts 3 x day -1/4 lb complete pellet, 1/8 lb MVP.

We’ve ruled out salmonella simply because she hasn’t spread it to any of the other horses or me. Ruled out blister beetle, ruled out bute poisoning… now what. I am very frustrated. Diarrhea is very loose, worse than cow manure. Shouldn’t we at least be trying to treat the symptom at this stage? I know it’s hard when we don’t know the cause. Thanks for any help!

Dr. Kimberly Gryl’s Answer:

Andrea:

Chronic diarrhea can be frustrating for everyone involved, including the treating doctor. The jury is still out on probiotics, whether they hurt, help, or effect no change. In general, it probably does not hurt to try them; however do not expect a huge change. Another product to try is BioSponge, made by Platinum Performance. This serves to carry toxins out of the gut, and in some horses is

successful in firming up the diarrhea. I generally have good success with this, however if the bacteria are still imbalanced, it may not help very much. Again, we believe it is generally not harmful and may be worth trying.It sounds as if your veterinarian has been very thorough in screening for things. Sometimes it just takes time. If I can help you further, please let me know.

 

 

” My horse has a sore leg, hip, etc.  I am new to the horse thing. Can I give her Ibprophen?”…

Dr. Kimberly Gryl’s Answer:

Chad:

NEVER give your horse any human drugs. Drugs designed for humans are incompatible for horses. That said, there are some of the same classes of drugs that are used for both species, however their formulations are different, and thus the same drug cannot be used for both horses and humans. If the lameness (limping) continues, you should have her evaluated by your veterinarian. If you don’t have a regular vet, this will give you a good chance to establish a relationship with one.

 

“Would Adequan be of help”…

They did the typical injections and suggested acupuncture. Who Adequan be something that could help? If he didn’t have to bend and fleck his neck would he still have the occasional pinching of the spinal cord?

Dr. Kimberly Gryl’s Answer:

Brooke:

Regarding the question about the continued pinching of his spinal cord if he did not bend and flex his neck: the answer should be assumed to be yes, because a horse cannot avoid bending and flexing his neck. The neck of the horse not only allows him to lower his head to eat and drink, but he also scratches (bites at) itches, protects himself as a flight animal by looking around, and balances with his neck. So it would be impossible to expect that a horse would stop using his neck. If he was in bad enough pain that he was terrified to move, it may be different; thus, he cannot survive like this.   Adequan may help with these spurs, at least for a while, depending again upon their size, location, and directionality. I’m afraid I can’t answer anything more specific for you. I don’t know enough about acupuncture to know if it would help, but it may be worth a try. Keep in mind that none of those therapies will stop or reverse the arthritis, but may keep the associated pain at bay (at least temporarily). As I said before, you should also use caution if you are going to ride him again–your horse is replaceable, YOU are not.