Why Does My Horse Drool so Much?

Could my horse’s drool be because of an allergy or behavioral problem?
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Q. My 18-year-old Arabian gelding likes to drool. My veterinarian has examined my horse and his teeth and says my horse is in excellent health. The drooling is not continuous–it just happens every once in a while, and he’ll spit a slobber out. It’s pretty gross. My questions on horse slobber are:

  1. Could this be an allergy?
  2. Is it more behavioral because I give him treats? My vet calls me a "Pez Dispenser"; maybe my horse sees me and starts to salivate?
  3. He gets plenty of water, but does he need electrolytes even in winter?

Nancy, via e-mail


A. Thank you for your question. It sounds like an interesting case, and it is great that you are already working with your veterinarian who has completed a thorough oral examination.

Excessive drooling, or hypersalivation, can have several potential causes. One of the most common causes is slaframine toxicosis from ingesting mold on red clover. Most horses stop the drooling when they are taken off the inciting pasture, although hay might potentially result in exposure as well. That seems unlikely based on the history you have provided

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Amanda Martabano House, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, is an assistant professor in the department of large animal clinical sciences at the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

Where do you primarily feed your horse?
280 votes · 280 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!