Some of you may know my 16 yr old Arab gelding Harley has a chronic cough. Only in the winter, and usually only coughs first thing in the morning. Last winter, it got so bad, the vet put him on Dex. This year, I am managing it with natural supplements, but it's slowly getting worse.
Last night, we put a motion-sensing video camera outside his stall because he has gotten out a couple of times and we're trying to figure out how he's doing it. So I got a really good idea of what he does all night (329 30-second video clips, to be exact!). This led to the discovery that anytime he lays down, he gets up a few minutes later in a big coughing fit. Like full-body coughing, a lot more than what I've been observing in the morning, which was more of a light cough. It happened 3 times, so not a coincidence. He is coughing a lot more at night than during the day, which was a surprise to me. I think it may even be preventing him from getting enough down time (he would only lay down a few minutes before getting back up to cough).
Other relevant info: he had a severe case of pneumonia when he was 8. He does sometimes have thick, whitish mucus, but not all the time. Never coughs in the summer (even though he likes to nap laying down during the day). Coughs more when it's colder outside. The coughing is NOT exacerbated by exercise. I do not believe it is COPD yet (neither does the vet), but want to avoid having it develop into COPD.
The vet has been informed of this and will be coming for a visit. I'm hoping this new information will help him determine the best way to manage this cough. I have tried several herbal supplements which help, but do not clear it up completely. One I haven't tried yet, but that I have on order so will be adding it soon, is spirulina (blue-green algae). I'm also steaming his hay, which again, seems to help some, but not completely. But if anyone has ideas, I'm all ears! Things I could discuss with the vet (who likely is going to suggest Dexamethasone again)....
Last night, we put a motion-sensing video camera outside his stall because he has gotten out a couple of times and we're trying to figure out how he's doing it. So I got a really good idea of what he does all night (329 30-second video clips, to be exact!). This led to the discovery that anytime he lays down, he gets up a few minutes later in a big coughing fit. Like full-body coughing, a lot more than what I've been observing in the morning, which was more of a light cough. It happened 3 times, so not a coincidence. He is coughing a lot more at night than during the day, which was a surprise to me. I think it may even be preventing him from getting enough down time (he would only lay down a few minutes before getting back up to cough).
Other relevant info: he had a severe case of pneumonia when he was 8. He does sometimes have thick, whitish mucus, but not all the time. Never coughs in the summer (even though he likes to nap laying down during the day). Coughs more when it's colder outside. The coughing is NOT exacerbated by exercise. I do not believe it is COPD yet (neither does the vet), but want to avoid having it develop into COPD.
The vet has been informed of this and will be coming for a visit. I'm hoping this new information will help him determine the best way to manage this cough. I have tried several herbal supplements which help, but do not clear it up completely. One I haven't tried yet, but that I have on order so will be adding it soon, is spirulina (blue-green algae). I'm also steaming his hay, which again, seems to help some, but not completely. But if anyone has ideas, I'm all ears! Things I could discuss with the vet (who likely is going to suggest Dexamethasone again)....