“It’s green, it’s bubbly and it’s frothy and anytime you get near Toby you get covered” says Toby’s carer Jerry from Horse World, a charity set up to rehabilitate and re-home horses and ponies. Poor Toby suffers from an over production of saliva which has prevented him from finding a new home for the last six years.
When Marc meets Toby at the Clinic he is keen to find out whether he suffers seasonally. When he learns that the problem definitely worsens in spring and summer, Marc diagnoses a severe case of clover slobbers. Essentially he thinks that Toby could be allergic to a fungus which can grow on clover pasture and suspects the toxins in this fungus are irritating Toby and causing his drooling. Marc refers Toby to an equine specialist vet for further tests.
Equine Vet Duncan Ballard, conducts a full medical investigation including a thorough mouth and throat exam, x-rays, and an endoscopy. Apart from some minor stomach ulcers Toby receives the all clear, plus tests on the clover he feeds on confirms there is no presence of the fungus Marc was hoping to find. The medication given to Toby for his ulcers however seem to be making the slobbering worse, so perhaps Toby is just a very sensitive horse that suffers with allergies.
Roly – Chief Executive of Horse World Welfare says: “This case highlights the responsibility all horse owners have to ensure that their horse is healthy and happy. The challenges can be varied and not always straight forward! It is essential that you work in partnership with your vet and other professionals (such as your farrier, saddler, physiotherapist) to meet the needs of your horse. World Horse Welfare can help you care for your horse through its Advice Line (01953 497238) or on-line advice library with free downloadable leaflets”. Click here to find out more worldhorsewelfare.org/information/horse-advice-library
