A question regarding COPD???

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competitiondiva

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Hi, my mare last winter had 2 respiratory infections requiring sputulosin and anti,B's, 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, nothing else has changed!? She's been stabled in summer months before and never had a bought, only ever in winter?

Any ideas????
 
COPD (now termed RAO) is connected to all of the environmental conditions both indoor and out and it is often impossible to workout what the latest trigger factor is.

I would recommend trying to switch to paper or cardboard bedding from shavings as these can still set off the RAO to some degree, particularly if in for a prolonged period.

I would also try feeding the haylage from the floor - loose or in a haybar/bin as this stops the horse from burying her head in the haylage itself still inhaling allergens. Instead she will lift her head in between mouthfuls, which helps too.

I am seeing a rush of RAO flare ups at the moment, you're not alone.

If the environment adjustments aren't helping get a scope as you may need to see if you need some supportive treatment temporarily - sputolosin to break up the mucus is often underused IMO here.

Good luck

Imogen
 
cd - why is she on box rest? After 2.5 months box rest, she could be stressed and/or (depending on why she's on box rest) her immune system could be struggling. Is she running a temperature? With an underlying RAO, she could easily have picked up a viral chest infection which no amount of antibx will fix. You need to discuss with your vet but it could be that your mare needs Ventipulmin (as well as sputolosin) to relax her airways to allow the other drugs to do their jobs better. If a virus is suspected, then you will need to do all the things linked to top quality nursing ie tiny, frequent tasty meals; tlc and grooming; make sure she's getting all the vits and mins she needs. If walking in hand is allowed, the fresh air and company would help boost her spirits. Warm but not too warm, plenty of fresh air circulating, not stabled near the muck heap. You might be able to persuade her to breathe the warm vapours from a bucket of hot water with menthol crystals dissolved in it. If it's a full blown RAO/COPD she may need more heroic efforts to help her such as steroids. Let's hope not. My veteran horse has summer pasture COPD and he's doing very poorly at the moment. He's on 100 x 5mg preds a day and still not doing that well even though the pollen finished almost 3 months ago. Good luck hun x
 
She's been lame since may after competing on a unlevel dressage arena, she's had x rays, nerve blocks, joint injections everything and finally the vet wanted her fully restricted as she suspects the collateral ligament of her coffin joint is strained, as you said I do wonder if after 2 1/2 months she is just run down and her immune system is low with not having the vitamin d from the sun etc and she may have just picked up a virus, she has started (this last week) to go out in the day into a pen building up to hopefully (if sound) being back out at the end of the month. She's on seaweed for her vitamin/mineral intake but I'm not sure if this is broad spectrum enough to provide everything, I will look into that.

With regard to breeding from her, her 'allergy' had not shown itself until last winter when she was 14 years old, and she had just then been weaned from her foal! So yes I have bred from her, but not before knowing about the possible allergy. We're still not 100% sure it is COPD.
 
Feeding from the floor is better for them too, not just for their wind, but also for their mental and dental health.

If you get a hay bar, do be careful to clean it out thoroughly every day and sweep out under the bottom.

I used to look after a horse on the odd day here and there and he had terrible chest problems because the hay bar was not cleaned out and the old hay at the bottom used to go very mouldy.

Before he retired I used to have a very old, practical vet. He had a maxim that proved its worth many times over

'rest the injury not the horse'

Particularly in cases where the diagnosis is uncertain I remain unconvinced about the modern day predispostion to box rest horses for months on end.

One clue is in the comment that the horse went lame after working on an unlevel arena.

If a horse goes lame in these circumstances I wonder if there was actually something rumbling on before which was triggered by the surface.
 
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