Anybody with a COPD pony?

xpkEcho

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 June 2015
Messages
52
Visit site
My cob mare was diagnosed with COPD a while back. She is out 24/7 now which helps a lot. When she's stabled, even if only at night, she starts coughing and breathing really badly. She's doing better now but I'm looking for ways to help her out. I'd prefer to keep her off medication and have her live as naturally as possible, seeing as that's what's healing her at the moment.

If anybody has a miracle supplement or any other general tips/advice for or experience with COPD please do let me know! I'd love to hear from people who have COPD ponies even if you don't have any advice, just to be able to discuss our experiences. Thank you angels!
 

SpringArising

Well-Known Member
Joined
3 May 2014
Messages
5,255
Visit site
I've had one proper COPD pony and another who coughed a lot but wasn't nearly as bad. It's frustrating isn't it?

I'm afraid I don't have much advice other than the usual - living out, no dusty bedding, soaked hay, etc.

I think it's better for them to be in constant, light regular work too.

I had days when I couldn't even trot up the road on mine and I just wanted to cry! I loved this bloody horse so much and it was horrible seeing him suffer, especially as he was so young.

How old is your girl?
 

xpkEcho

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 June 2015
Messages
52
Visit site
I've had one proper COPD pony and another who coughed a lot but wasn't nearly as bad. It's frustrating isn't it?

I'm afraid I don't have much advice other than the usual - living out, no dusty bedding, soaked hay, etc.

I think it's better for them to be in constant, light regular work too.

I had days when I couldn't even trot up the road on mine and I just wanted to cry! I loved this bloody horse so much and it was horrible seeing him suffer, especially as he was so young.

How old is your girl?

Thanks for your reply! I've had the exact same feelings, just wanting the best for your pony but feeling so hopeless :( my girl is 15 xx
 

benz

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 March 2015
Messages
593
Visit site
I started taking care of 22 yr old copd pony in March. She was on 2xday dilaterol. I immediately put her on rubber matting with corner of equinola bedding. She is out as much as possible and when in has soaked hay. I have only heard her cough 3 or 4 times and a couple of those times I'm sure was because she was trying to trot with a mouth full of grass! Vet has declared her 'almost normal' and reduced dilaterol to 1x day. I also give her vets own brand of respiratory supplement, it seems to be a blend of nice smelling herbs. hope that helps :)
 

xpkEcho

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 June 2015
Messages
52
Visit site
Yes... My boy has suffered for the last few winters...he's 16, on shavings and haylage. Tried lots of supplements... Best by far I've found is Balsamic Air
http://www.hyperdrug.co.uk/mobile/B...bile/Balsamic-Air-500ml/productinfo/BALSAMIC/

It's really soothing and helps stop the cough... Really worked for Finn. Great if you have a cold too! :) you need to give it to them by syringe.

Thanks for your reply! About the Balsamic Air... Is that something you give daily, or if and when your boy needs it? And by syringe do you mean in his mouth or a serious pokey syringe?
 

xpkEcho

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 June 2015
Messages
52
Visit site
I started taking care of 22 yr old copd pony in March. She was on 2xday dilaterol. I immediately put her on rubber matting with corner of equinola bedding. She is out as much as possible and when in has soaked hay. I have only heard her cough 3 or 4 times and a couple of those times I'm sure was because she was trying to trot with a mouth full of grass! Vet has declared her 'almost normal' and reduced dilaterol to 1x day. I also give her vets own brand of respiratory supplement, it seems to be a blend of nice smelling herbs. hope that helps :)

Thanks so much lovely! Everything helps :)
 

twiggy2

Well-Known Member
Joined
3 July 2013
Messages
11,401
Location
Highlands from Essex
Visit site
I had my work cut out to find the perfect loan home for my kids first pony due to COPD, we found it though and she now lives in a tiny paddock that can be sprayed with water when the weather is dry enough the ground becomes dusty, she has 24/7 access to a 30ft open sided field shelter, they have put 5 bar gates on this for any times she may have to be kept in, they use rubber strips (a type of school/track surface) as bedding and skip and move it from one end of the shelter to the other so the ground does not become too wet as the floor is dirt. she is fed soaked hay and has 'breathe easy' (a supplement), she also wears a nose net all the time in summer now, they have had her for 4yrs and I think she is in her forever home. she copes well and at 23yrs is still in work, she does however also have an allergy to some types of pollen now and that means that she has the odd asthma attack, she had 3 the first year they started, 1 the next year and 2 last year, so we will see, in my experience COPD and the like are always progressive, you just try to slow the progression and manage the symptoms but with very careful management (the above pony has not been stabled for the 12yrs she has been with us) they can live a comfortable useful life
 

xpkEcho

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 June 2015
Messages
52
Visit site
I had my work cut out to find the perfect loan home for my kids first pony due to COPD, we found it though and she now lives in a tiny paddock that can be sprayed with water when the weather is dry enough the ground becomes dusty, she has 24/7 access to a 30ft open sided field shelter, they have put 5 bar gates on this for any times she may have to be kept in, they use rubber strips (a type of school/track surface) as bedding and skip and move it from one end of the shelter to the other so the ground does not become too wet as the floor is dirt. she is fed soaked hay and has 'breathe easy' (a supplement), she also wears a nose net all the time in summer now, they have had her for 4yrs and I think she is in her forever home. she copes well and at 23yrs is still in work, she does however also have an allergy to some types of pollen now and that means that she has the odd asthma attack, she had 3 the first year they started, 1 the next year and 2 last year, so we will see, in my experience COPD and the like are always progressive, you just try to slow the progression and manage the symptoms but with very careful management (the above pony has not been stabled for the 12yrs she has been with us) they can live a comfortable useful life

Thanks so much for your detailed reply! Can I ask what you use the nose net for? Is it to stop dust and pollen getting into the airways?
 

RaYandFinn

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 August 2011
Messages
159
Visit site
Thanks for your reply! About the Balsamic Air... Is that something you give daily, or if and when your boy needs it? And by syringe do you mean in his mouth or a serious pokey syringe?

You give a course of it for up to two weeks.... 10ml twice a day... Syringe into their mouths... Mine really liked the taste so it wasn't difficult... It smells lovely! :)
 

PonyclubmumZ

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 July 2014
Messages
339
Visit site
Hi, we had a COPD pony, slightly different to others in that she came in sometimes in the summer. If the temperature was above 25 degrees, she suffered too much in the field and we found out that she was better off in during the day. We used to hose down her stable to reduce the dust and then bring her in with a wet haynet and then put her out again over night. If it was very hot we would hose her down too. She competed very regularly at Area Pony Club level and managed at camp and staying away from home at events too managed like this.

I used to record her RPM on my iphone every day as I found this was a good way of keeping tabs on her breathing.

She never had any supplements as I never found one with great reviews on Google, for every person who said they were good another one said they were bad; and I was too cautious to try them all one after another.
 

be positive

Well-Known Member
Joined
9 July 2011
Messages
19,396
Visit site
I have found that for some soaking hay is not enough to prevent issues and that a change to haylage can be required, one of mine could not tolerate even well soaked hay but having haylage for several years seems to have really helped, he now lives out and is fine on hay in the winter having had no need for any medication for 4 or 5 years he is fine if brought in for a few nights when the weather is really bad but usually gets haylage if he is in.
It is generally a progressive condition but if the allergen is removed totally it can allow some to recover at least partially, the less they struggle when they are bad the less quickly the condition will progress so I do think that a course of medication is best given at first signs of trouble so less damage is done, living out is best as long as they are not suffering from pollen allergies all through the summer doing more harm to the airways.
 

xpkEcho

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 June 2015
Messages
52
Visit site
You give a course of it for up to two weeks.... 10ml twice a day... Syringe into their mouths... Mine really liked the taste so it wasn't difficult... It smells lovely! :)

Wonderful, thanks! Shouldn't be too difficult as my pony will put just about anything into her mouth. :)
 

xpkEcho

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 June 2015
Messages
52
Visit site
Hi, we had a COPD pony, slightly different to others in that she came in sometimes in the summer. If the temperature was above 25 degrees, she suffered too much in the field and we found out that she was better off in during the day. We used to hose down her stable to reduce the dust and then bring her in with a wet haynet and then put her out again over night. If it was very hot we would hose her down too. She competed very regularly at Area Pony Club level and managed at camp and staying away from home at events too managed like this.

I used to record her RPM on my iphone every day as I found this was a good way of keeping tabs on her breathing.

She never had any supplements as I never found one with great reviews on Google, for every person who said they were good another one said they were bad; and I was too cautious to try them all one after another.

Thank you! My lady suffers in the heat too, she's black as well so that doesn't do her any favours... I make sure she has enough shade and she's usually okay.
 

budley95

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 August 2012
Messages
904
Location
Kent
Visit site
I have a horse with AAD - so COPD and SPARAO combined- in other words allergic to dust and pollen. He's bedded on paper and gets soaked hay (certain haylage gives him hives, so we just stick with soaked hay). All feed is damped down as well. Once a month I "dust" his stable, as in go up in the rafters, get rid of cobwebs up there and use a feather duster across the top of the rafters. Cobwebs I can reach with a soft broom come out as they appear, but the rafters are very high up and require a step ladder! Supplements never really helped him if I'm honest, they just make me feel a bit better, but the NAF respirator boost seemed to have the most impact, but didn't get rid of all his symptoms!

I have him on inhalers, which do really help. He's on a very low dose now and his respiration is around 8-12 most of the time, but went up to 32 once when he had a pretty bad attack, he decided to help himself to his friends dry hay over the fence... I can adjust the dose of inhalers depending on what we're doing, pollen levels, how he seems etc. Also I can give him max dose of his reliever and preventer when he has an attack which stops it normally, or I have to get the vet out for the injection which stops the attack and relaxes him. Management is the key thing I've found, and don't bed next to a horse on straw! Horse next to me is bedded on Hunter shavings which he seems to cope ok with, but doesn't cope being bedded on them himself weirdly?

ETA my boy's 16 and still competes RC level sj, dressage, xc etc and manages 12 mile hacks no problem. More work he's in the better he is.
 

Sugar_and_Spice

Well-Known Member
Joined
6 June 2012
Messages
5,245
Location
the North
Visit site
My COPD horse has regular work, daily is better than occasionally and the fitter he is the less the COPD symptoms. He has Clarity supplement through summer which helps a lot and has a chippings bed with soaked hay or haylage in winter when stabled nights. Outdoor stables are necessary, barn stables don't usually have enough ventilation especially when people block off any gaps to stop rain coming in and shut the barn doors for security, all which is understandable but doesn't help my horse. He hates the heat too and gets ridden at the cooler times of day so he will put more effort in which helps clear his lungs better than shuffling about in the heat huffing and puffing. I try to push him but not so hard he coughs. He has a long slow warm up but anybody watching me ride wouldn't know he has COPD. It definitely affects his performance and his ability to get fit but it is manageable. The days when he is worse and I would love to give him a day off are the days he needs exercising most, to leave him when he is bad just means he gets worse but we will often only walk on those days.
 

xpkEcho

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 June 2015
Messages
52
Visit site
My COPD horse has regular work, daily is better than occasionally and the fitter he is the less the COPD symptoms. He has Clarity supplement through summer which helps a lot and has a chippings bed with soaked hay or haylage in winter when stabled nights. Outdoor stables are necessary, barn stables don't usually have enough ventilation especially when people block off any gaps to stop rain coming in and shut the barn doors for security, all which is understandable but doesn't help my horse. He hates the heat too and gets ridden at the cooler times of day so he will put more effort in which helps clear his lungs better than shuffling about in the heat huffing and puffing. I try to push him but not so hard he coughs. He has a long slow warm up but anybody watching me ride wouldn't know he has COPD. It definitely affects his performance and his ability to get fit but it is manageable. The days when he is worse and I would love to give him a day off are the days he needs exercising most, to leave him when he is bad just means he gets worse but we will often only walk on those days.

Thanks so much for your detailed advice on how you cope with your COPD horsey!
 

PonyclubmumZ

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 July 2014
Messages
339
Visit site
Outdoor stables are necessary, barn stables don't usually have enough ventilation especially when people block off any gaps to stop rain coming in and shut the barn doors for security, all which is understandable but doesn't help my horse.
Just to say that we had the same issue too, in the end we removed all the glass from the windows and we keep the top and bottom of the doors open with a chain across if the weather allows too.
 
Top