My Horse Has a Snotty Nose! What Now?

Every day, veterinarians receive dozens of calls from animal owners with all types of questions. While you may have hesitations that you’re being over-reactive or overly paranoid about your horse’s health, more often than not, your question or minor concern is something that gets brought up to veterinarians regularly.

For example, it’s not uncommon for veterinarians to receive a call about a horse with a snotty nose. A snotty nose can be due to a variety of causes, and when brought to their attention, equine veterinarians will typically ask a couple of questions that may give them a better idea as to what could be the cause.

So, if you’ve noticed your horse has a little extra snot, here are 5 key questions to ask yourself as you prepare for your discussion or visit with the veterinarian.

Is a Snotty Nose Your Horse’s Only Symptom?

Recognizing any other symptoms or abnormalities that are accompanying your horse’s snotty nose is important in determining the cause for the snotty nose and if your horse needs to be seen urgently. Be sure to let your veterinarian know if you’ve noticed your horse seems “off."

For example, a horse with a snotty nose who appears lethargic, doesn’t want to eat, and/or has a fever (rectal temperature > 101.5F) could indicate that whatever is causing the snotty nose is affecting the horse systemically. Not every snotty nose requires immediate veterinary intervention, but a horse with a snotty nose who feels bad should be seen by a veterinarian in the very near future.

So, what are some of the things we are worried about? Pneumonia, an infection in the lungs, is one of our great concerns and when severe enough can cause snot from both nostrils. Pneumonia can become life-threatening and require intensive, long-term treatment if not addressed promptly and treated thoroughly. The sooner your veterinarian sees the pneumonia-afflicted horses, the better their prognosis. In adult horses, pneumonia can occur after hauling long distances (> 6 hrs), an episode of choke, following general anesthesia, or secondary to an upper respiratory infection like Equine Influenza. Causes for pneumonia in a foal or young horse can be different but equally concerning.

Has Your Horse Been Around Any New Horses?

There are a variety of infectious upper respiratory infections that are typically transmitted from horse to horse. With many of these infections, you may find that your horse develops a snotty nose a couple of days after interacting with new horses. It’s helpful to ask yourself a few additional questions to help your vet determine if your horse could have been exposed to one of these infectious agents. These questions could include:

• Has my horse recently been to an event or show?
• Did my horse recently travel?
• Was my horse recently purchased from a sale barn?
• Have any new horses entered the property where your hose is kept?

So, what are some of these infectious diseases that your horse could have contracted from exposure to other horses? They include:

• Equine Influenza Virus
• Strangles – streptococcus equi equi
• Equine Herpes Virus
• Equine Rhinitis Virus
• Equine Adenovirus
• Streptococcus zooepidemicus

Not all of these above diseases cause severe disease or even require treatment. However, recognizing their risk may help to reduce the spread of new horses. If your veterinarian is suspicious of an infectious respiratory infection, they will often swab the horse’s nose or sample the snot and submit it to a laboratory for testing. The above infectious diseases can result in discharge from one or both nostrils.

Does the Snot Smell Bad? And Is It Coming from One Nostril or Both?

Horses have what we call hypsodont teeth, which means they are tall and continue to erupt as the horse ages. So, as you can imagine, the cheek teeth of horses have very long roots. Some of these roots live within the sinuses of the skull.

If a horse develops an infection in one of these teeth, then it may also result in sinusitis (sinus infection). An infection in a sinus often leads to nasal discharge as it drains. This discharge is usually very foul in odor and only affects one side of the head (left versus right). Your vet can use radiographs (x-rays) to diagnose infection in the sinus; treatment typically involves removal of the affected tooth and possibly flushing of the sinus.

Is There Feed Material in the Snot?

Sometimes, horses can suffer from an esophageal obstruction, which is referred to as "choke." These horses don't typically have an obstruction that affects their ability to breathe like we think about in humans who choke. So don't worry; your horse can breathe!

What typically occurs is some type of feed material has blocked the esophagus. As a result, the horse can't pass the feed through its esophagus, so saliva and feed material will overflow from the esophagus, come out the nose, and look like slimy snot with feed material.

Unfortunately, this overflow can also find its way into the trachea, which will cause coughing and increase the risk of aspiration pneumonia. Horses can choke on just about anything, but we often find that dry Equine Senior, dry hay pellets, dry alfalfa cubes, dry beet pulp, or large treats are usually to blame. Horses with bad dentition (teeth) can often be at increased risk of choke from hay as well. Choke is considered an emergency because the quicker your vet can resolve the esophageal obstruction, the less risk there is for your horse to develop pneumonia. There are some other causes for horses, especially foals and young horses, to have feed material around the nostrils, but choke is the most common.

Is Your Horse in an Environment with a Lot of Allergens?

You may not have realized it, but horses suffer from allergies just like us!

Horses who live in barns with poor ventilation, eating from round bales, certain pastures, and/or are ridden in dusty arenas can suffer from allergic airway disease more than others. Sometimes, these allergies only affect the upper airway and may produce some coughing and a little bit of snot from both nostrils. Other times, the lower airways (lungs) can become affected and result in equine asthma, which may also cause a snotty nose.

But asthma is a little different in horses than in humans. Horses don't typically suffer from "asthma attacks," and unless affected by severe equine asthma, horses don't typically have trouble breathing at rest. While most horses that suffer from allergic airway disease are usually happy and healthy otherwise, those with equine asthma may have some degree of exercise intolerance. Treatment for allergic airway disease usually involves environmental management and reducing exposure to allergens. In some cases, horses with equine asthma will require systemic or even inhalant medications.

When In Doubt, Give Your Veterinarian a Call

Understanding the causes of snotty noses in horses is essential for any responsible horse owner. A variety of factors, ranging from viral and bacterial infections to environmental irritants, can contribute to nasal discharge in these animals.

If you're ever in doubt or starting to question if there may be something more seriously wrong with your horse, don’t be afraid to call your veterinarian! With the information from this guide on hand, you’ll be able to help your veterinarian better understand your concerns and to determine if a closer look is warranted.

Looking for the perfect vet to help care for your horse? Check out our veterinary database to find a trusted equine health specialist in your area.
 

This blog was first seen on Roaring Fork Equine Medical Center.