November 2005

Stop Stable Cough As Soon As You Hear It

Stable cough will progressively worsen to the point of permanent lung damage.

Ensuring your horse has fresh air while stabled is important to combatting stable cough.

The term “stable cough” refers to a syndrome where horses start coughing when they’re confined to a barn. The problem isn’t related to respiratory infections, although it does put the horse at a higher risk of developing one. Nasal discharges due to stable cough are more thin or frothy, as opposed to the thick, discolored discharges associated with an actual infection. The stable cough is dry and hacking.

More significant than the cough is why the horse coughs. The cough is caused by airway spasm and inflammation called recurrent airway obstruction (RAO). The terms “heaves” and “stable cough” may be used interchangeably or heaves reserved for the most severe cases. Once…