# Advice please... yellow nasal discharge..



## Bens_Mum (16 February 2009)

Ben has developed nasal discharge out of one nostril only for the last few days. Its is almost like a fluorescent yellow colour. Have called vet and she said wait and see. It is bizarre as Ben is eating his usual mountains of haylage and playing with the pony like usual but has this really quite heavy at times discharge. It doesn't smell probably being too worried but just wondered if anyone had had something similar and what if anything they did? 

thanks in advance...


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## jenh166 (16 February 2009)

One of my horses just developed this last week - he was put on course of equitrim antibiotics and had bloods taken...vet isn't too worried - thinks its either a virus or upper resp tract bacterial infection. waiting for results of tests tomorrow a.m...

also not trying to scare you, but if you do get a vet out, they often like to swab for strangles just to rule it out, but its prob not that. I hope to god that my horse hasnt got it! But if they're still perky (as yours and mine are) its v unlikely.


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## Bens_Mum (16 February 2009)

I thought possibly strangles for a brief moment. Luckily we are at home and no horses have come and gone so can be fairly sure that its OK (everything crossed). I have VERY STUPIDLY decided after paying insurance for years to cancel it last month and of course this happens... Vet mentioned scoping on the phone and could just envisage the £'ssssssssssss lets hope that its just a virus and passes.. Will give it till Thurs as per Vet and if not better pop my kidneys on Ebay!!


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## shazza283 (16 February 2009)

Just a quick thought - are you on dry hay or straw bed - gone onto different supplier of either ??- this time of year hay and straw has been stored longer so often is dustier and affects respiratory system - for reasons best known to horse it sometimes only drains out of 1 nostril.

Would be worth soaking dry hay - putting bed down well in advance of horse coming in (so dust settles) and feeding as much as possible from the floor - this helps drainage of gunk wherever it's coming from

Forgot to say the eosinophil white blood cell which is often in high numbers in an allergy-type reponse are often said to make the discharge look fluorescent yellowor even a bit green.


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## Louby (17 February 2009)

Hi, hope its nothing serious and just wanted to add my horse had something similar a few years ago and it turned out to be a fractured tooth.  The discharge did end up smelling awful though.


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## Bens_Mum (17 February 2009)

Thanks for all the suggestions. Its a real mystery. He is on haylage which has been from the same place all winter and he is bedded on Aquamax (again all winter) which is supposed to be dust extracted... So i'm feeling fairly clueless. He is still very perky this morning and it doesn't seem to be getting worse or better. They are turned out in an all weather sand paddock due to mud but again have been for months. So i'm clueless hoping that its not going to cost mega bucks and arranging for his teeth to be checked- although no smell he is about due for a check up. Very aged Shetland Gloria is still fine and so whatever it is seems to not be contagious so just have to wait and see!


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## kellyeaton (17 February 2009)

get the vet out if discharge is going to be any colour it should be clear deffo not yellow sounds like a virus or something. what is his temp?


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## Jericho (17 February 2009)

my little welshie had this - I kept an eye on it for about 3 days to see if it did improve, sometimes theses things sort themsleves out and it could have just been a virus which antibiotics wouldnt help anyway. It didnt improve so a vet visit it was as have been told that thick yellow pus from one nostril is an indication of something wrong. 

Vet gave her antibiotics after listening to her lungs etc (which were all clear). He also had a look at her teeth and found that one of her molars had a small crack and said the infection could have come from there but usually the discharge would smell horrible if from the tooth.  After a week of antiobiotics she was fine and no reoccurence so just a small baterial infection picked up.  Did panic slightly when he said she may have to have surgery to take the tooth out if that was the problem (as she isnt insured either!!)


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## fatpiggy (17 February 2009)

If it is any help - I had a horrible sinus infection just before Christmas and I described to the GP the cr*p that was coming out of my nose as fluorescent!


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## Bens_Mum (17 February 2009)

Update... Thank you for all the additional suggestions! He seems the same still but the gunge is still coming out of his nose and still not smelling. 

Temperature is fine. Does seem to have slowed down eating a little but still demolished large haynet today (maybe the impossible has occurred and he got full?!!) Think tomorrow will be vet day if no improvement...


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## Spook (17 February 2009)

I have seen something like this and it turned out to be a fungal infection. Hope alls well soon


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## jenh166 (17 February 2009)

Phew - my horse's bloods all came back normal except slightly high WBCs -indicating slight infection, but the equitrim have obviously sorted that out (or he just got better anyway) as he is fine now - hopefully yours will resolve also! Good luck


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## Bens_Mum (18 February 2009)

Update... Vet has just been. She says although there is no smell she believes it is a tooth abscess. She couldn't get a very good look in his mouth as his lordship would not co-operate. Sinus's are clear and she doesn't think at this stage it is a guttural infection. So  to start with bute and anti-biotic's twice a day for 14 days then see. She says if no progress then x-rays of the teeth and possible scoping. Major problem is that he won't load so looks like a sedation job to get to the vets.. 

Anyway crossing everything that the anti-biotic's work as its already cost me £120!! Poor thing is looking very poorly today though and has temperature so hopefully drugs will work fast!

Thanks again everyone for all your suggestions! Glad your bloods were alright Bean88!


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## brea2006 (21 February 2009)

don't want to put the frightners on any of you but, i bought me horse 5 months ago, and he has remained on the same yard ever since, when he got to the yard he was quarantined for two weeks and then let out in the herd.
anyway i had hos teeth checked and they decidided he needed his wollfe teeth out-which the following week the dentist cam and took them out
4 days later this abcess appears- i called the vet out straight away and he said it is an abcess caused from having his teeth out and 4 days is the right incubation period for an infection to brew.
so the vet gave him an eight day course of antibiotics and bute, he also gave me a swab- as soon as he gave me this i automatically assumed that he thought he might have strangles- the vet reassured me that they do the swab if an abcess is burst just to see if they had put the horse on the right anti biotics.
he also said he can go back out in the herd- which i didn't as he couldn't graze anyway due to the pressure building up on the painful abcess.
he has not been off his food,haylage,water, and has a healthy coat.
the abcess finally burst and i could see the relief in neddys face, i took the swab and sent it off
it came back as STRANGLES, i was shocked let alone the vet.
he did not thave one clinical sign!

aqnyway he is having an endoscopy next friday- and will have his guttura pouches flushed at the same time. it is going to cost £200 per endoscopy. 
so i urge you if in doubt just have your horses swabbed- it costs around £40, the best foury pounds spent for a sound piece of mind if you ask me!


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