Advice needed for pollen allergy

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AngelaP

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My wonderful four legged best friend is showing signs of a pollen allergy, she began with a cough, a little discharge and swelling to her grass glands last week. I had my vet up to check her over and she gave her a tub of venitpulmin. She began to improve until she has a slight tickle of a cough rather than a barking terrible sounding one. She came in yesterday after a very warm, dry day dreadful sounding cough again. It was a harsh day for pollen you could even see it in the air on the yard. After finally pinning her owners down (as she is on loan) they didn’t not admit that she had an allergy but I know how she was talking even naming (in a roundabout way) that maybe it was flower pollen. A friend has suggested to try over the counter remedies rather than pay for expensive treatment from the vet. All I want to do is to get my girl happy again, I was wondering if any of you had heard if these remedies will help if you have had any experiences etc. Also if it would be safe to start her on anything whilst shes on the powdered ventipulmin. My vet is wonderful but seems hell bent on all kinds of tests and if possible I want to avoid putting her through them, when it is clear what is causing it. Thanks for reading.
 
Try Pollenex, my friend is having the same problem with hers and it has helped. I've not heard of so many horses suffereing with it this year seems to be loads.

You could also try NAF T-Tox
 
i really rate the global herbs suppliments - so i'd second trying pollenex
also maybe locally produced honey? as per hay fever sufferes?

my may headshakes from pollen allergy = a nose net helps her - as does good vit and min suppliment that supports the immune system
 
We give our lad Chlorpheniramine (piriton) on a daily basis. 4-5 tabs a day. He is a 13.2 (square!) cob. And we use a nose net when ridden, and he has a full face mask with a nose cover on in the field.
 
Take great care in spending loads on so-called pollen allergy or breathing supplements. If these things actually worked, then vets would prescribe them and Summer Pasture Associated COPD wouldn't be the chronic and eventually life threatening condition it is.

Managing SPA COPD is a nightmare. Allergies to hay spores or dust is much easier as you can control the environment to a degree. But with tree pollen allergies (more usual than flower) every breath the horse takes between May and September is loaded with allergens.

There are a few drugs that can help some horses but it's pretty hit and miss sadly. Ventipulmin is a drug that relaxes the airways so can help with the all-important exhaled breath. Sputolosin is a drug that helps to break up the strands of thick sticky mucus which is the lungs response to the (wrongly) presumed attack from the allergen and which can cause permanent damage to the lungs. They are usually given orally to begin with. If they don't help, they can be given as inhaled. You may also be prescribed steroids either oral or inhaled. Take care with oral steroids as they are a recognised laminitis risk. Some vets will recommend trying human antihistamine tablets but other vets will tell owners they don't work for horses. There's another treatment where skin tests on the horse's neck identify the allergen and then a sort of personal serum is made up for the individual horse. This serum is injected on a very frequent basis initially, tapering off to a prn later. Be aware that this serum often does not work and can be very expensive. Indeed, dealing with a pollen allergy is very expensive. Steroid tablets can start to run into the £thousands for a serious case. Theoretically, moving the horse to a yard on a cliff top where a stiff off-the-sea wind rages day and night should help but this isn't always an option.

There's a new-ish product out called Cavalesse. It's 100% marketed as a sweet itch product but it can help with pollen allergy COPD too. The problem is you MUST start it at least 3 weeks before the pollen season starts (so March or April) and it MUST be given at approx the same time every day, give or take 15 mins either way. Watch the horsey press as I'm trying to get an article on this published to help all pollen allergy horses. My horse has been on this as a drug trial since March and so far he is at least 85% improved on normal years. He has permanent lung damage which it won't mend but he's well enough to have been brought out of retirement into easy ambles round the block and it is no longer the quality of life/pts issue that it was by October last year.

Do a search on my posts for other info/experiences. Good luck.
 
I'd like to introduce myself and at the same time seek advice about our 31 year old mare! When we bought her 15 years ago, we were told she had a dust allergy and until this year it has been manageable--- dust free shavings, soaked hay/feed. Yesterday I called out the vet as she was breathing heavily, had lost weight (unusual for a good doer like her!) and was salivating. To cut a long story short, she has been prescribed Ventipulmin, a short course of Bute and has had a NSAID. It was recommended that we leave her out as much as possible--- she has a tendency to get laminitis which we have managed successfully since her first attack many years ago--- so this will be a problem. This morning, she was just as bad but of course, is at the early stages of treatment. How long does it take for the Ventipulmin to start working? I had to syringe her with it as she couldn't eat the soaked chop although last night, she tucked into it with relish! I'm now inclined to think it's the stable which is causing most of the problem although I've gone onto Hemcore bedding recently. Has anyone come across a horse being allergic to birds? Swallows nest in her and the adjoining stables! So many questions-- sorry. :)
 
Yasmin, I've sent you a PM. If you don't know how to access it, there's a box in the top right hand corner of the screen that says "welcome....". Click on Private Messages then click on the unopened message.
 
I've been using Winergy Ventilate on recommendation from my vet as our yard was completely surrounded by rape this year. Got through the rape flowering season with no problem at all - no cough, snotty nose or head shaking unlike last year.
 
1. do u need an inhayler???

tho you cant use this at the same time as ventapulmin ( diamonds just come off her tub)


2. do u soak hay / haylage??



3. are u on dust free bedding? you can seal the tops of stable to reduce dust

4.

thought about using http://www.equimins-online.com/cgi-...er_Booster_Cough_Mixture.html#a1_21P6#a1_21P6




5. easacough put it on the bit or into corners of mouth

6. does your fly hood have a nose net protect while grazing

7 . maybe use the ride on nose net while riding and hacking

8.use http://www.equitack-online.com/for-the-horse/horse-care-products/gl-vapor-spray/prod_657.html

i use this on diamond who has asthma
 
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