Gross description - mare very mucousy... what is it?

I am new to horse ownership, and I board my two mares at a local stable until I am confident I have learned enough to bring them onto my property.

My new mare, I bought about three weeks ago. She is 6 years old and a QH/Draft mix of a more average height. I was in a dusty indoor ring with her the other day and she coughed twice. It didn't sound mucousy or anything other than a simple dry cough and everyone kept telling me it was due to the dust.

Flash forward to Saturday, I went to get her out of the field and she had the most yellow thick mucus I had ever seen in my life dripping from her one nostril.

I brought her in, her temp was up, and we ended up giving her penicillin and something else to take her fever down.

What on EARTH causes that much mucus? What kind of sickness nad how on earth could she have gotten it? Is it because of the stress of coming to a new barn? (no other horse at the barn is sick right now).

Like I said, I am new to this, so other people were checking her out for me... I was told no wheezing was heard in her lungs unless it is really deep.

Hi,
First and fore most. Have you consulted a vet?

Sounds like some kind of Viral infection, all the ones I know of requiring veterinary assistance.

Yep, we have consulted a vet. Saturday, the vet was contacted and the vet okayed the use of penicillin and the pills we gave her (my boarding stable vets most of their horses on the property, and then brings in the regular vet by request or if things aren't getting better - basically, they do what the vet suggests before bringing the vet onto the property).

I'm going this morning back up there to check on my girl and most likely she is doing better - because no news is good news (the stable did not contact me last night which means she apparently is doing better). So anyway, most likely, she is better, and on the mend and I will know definitely within the hour, but that is why I asked the question here - what causes a horse to just get this out of nowhere... is it the stress of the move? Out of 70 horses there, why is mine the one that is sick?

:) Hey horses for you! They get sick too! Perhaps it was the move, perhaps the bug was at your place, perhaps she already had the bug and it only just surfaced. However it happened its done, I personally would have called the vet in the first instance in this case....overuse of antibiotics can cause superbugs! Hope your horse is ontop soon! :)

Was she stabled at the last place?

SOunds like she has some type of respiratory infection. If it's a viral infection then the penecillin won't help. If it's bacterial though then Penecillin would be the right choice. Your vet will know.

Well, she's doing a bit better. She's eating, she started stomping her foot at me when I wasn't paying attention to her during grooming time (had to deal with our other horse at the same time) - so she is definitely coming back around to her old self again. Vet does want her on penicillin the rest of this week... The vet will be coming by next Tuesday for regular routine shots, so we will be able to check her out at that time.... if she gets any worse, we will get the vet right away, but right now, she is starting on the mend...

Thanks all :)

This is her by the way ;)

http://jottephotography.typepad.com/...4/01/day1g.jpg

Wow!! She's pretty!

Kind face too. Glad she's on the mend, keep us posted!