A Question COPD??

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competitiondiva

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Hi, my mare last winter had 2 respiratory infections requiring sputulosin to break up her mucus etc, the vet said she thought she may have mild COPD.

My question is that she has been on box rest for the past 2 1/2 months on rubber matting, shavings and haylage, and no problem with her breathing, mucus etc, now suddenly as the wet and cold weather has arrived she's started to get think mucus build up again, not coughing yet or anything just a nasal snotty mucus, is COPD also connected to weather? She's been stabled in summer months before and never had a bought, only ever in winter?

Any ideas????
 
I had a cob with COPD and he was better in the winter as although he was in more (matting, shavings and haylage) the damper weather suited him as no dust in the fields etc.

Sorry can't help but will bump thread up!
 
Hi I wouldn't put a COPD horse on box rest. Box rest - she's been stabled all the time, yes?

I don't profess to be an expert on this and can only go on my own experience, but mine has had it for 6 years, following a lung infection. The weather does affect him, but not cold, wet weather - hot weather and pollen affects him.

He is mostly affected by dust - from bedding and forage. I've tried lots and lots of different things. The best bedding for being dust-free is shredded paper. But most yards don't allow it because it is very messy and is difficult to get rid of (farmers don't like putting it on the land). In the past, I have resorted to bagging it up and taking it to the allotment each week, which was a complete pain in the bum, but I would do it again if I had to. He's on Aubiose now, which seems to be working ok. It's a little bit dusty when you put a new bale in, but I put the watering can on it and it's fine. And it's not dusty at all after you've watered the new bale in.

I also find that dry haylage makes him ill. And he can't tolerate hay of any sort - soaked, or steamed with a proper hay steamer - makes him puff and cough. He can't have normal farmer's haylage, he has to have Horsehage, which is very expensive, but it works for me. And it means I can ride him and gallop him and jump him and do all the things I want to with him (touch wood).

I turn him out in all weathers (except for snow because it balls up in his feet and he does a Bambi and scares me to death).

With a COPD horse I would:-

Turn out as much as possible (if the pollen is a reactor - turn out at night and keep in in the day).

Use dust-free bedding (paper, cardboard, Easibed if you have good drainage or Aubiose/Hemcore).

Feed Horsehage.

Damp her feed down well.

It is expensive to manage a COPD horse and mine is on a steroid inhaler daily, which is also quite expensive (but cheaper than the supplements that are on offer, which may or may not work).

I think it is very much a trial and error thing.

Maybe yours has had a couple of infections rather than being truly COPD?

Hope this helps.

ETA: Ventipulmin and Sputulosin did absolutely nothing for Tee. Nor did the Ventipulmin with antibiotics, horse antibiotics, turkey antibiotics or oral steroids. The only thing that works is the inhaled steroids. He has a horsey nebuliser thingy called an Equine Haler.
 
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Thank you for your replies, box rest is not a choice, she has been lame since may after competing on an very unlevel dressage arena surface!! and has had nerve blocks, x rays, joint injections the works but finally the vet said that she had to be rested as we suspect the collateral ligament of her coffin joint has been strained. She has coped with the box rest for 2 1/2 months absolutely fine, with no sign of respiratory problems, but has only now in the last week with the weather changing to cold and wet and funnily enough also coincides with her spending some time out in the day in a pen/barn to allow gentle movement of the joint that she has developed a nasal discharge! Like you say, Of course this could be a complete coincidence and she has actually picked up a virus instead of it being down to COPD which I suppose would tally more with a change in routine and weather??
 
My mare can get very bad.
She's bedded on paper which is bloody messy but with haylage it works 100% for her. I also make sure her window is kept open all the time and the stables nxt to hers are not bedded on straw
 
There are different factors at work. Some horses may react to dry conditions, pollens or dust. Others may be aggrivated by mould spores which are more common in damp weather. Perhaps the stable could do with a good scrub down, especially if it is wooden.
 
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