Anyone with experience of Summer Pasture COPD?

[legaldancer]

I'm looking after a pony (laminitic 21 yr old Welsh Sec A) who has started to heave & occassionally cough, though she seems bright enough & still has a good appetite. She lives out on a very small piece of grass with an open field shelter in the corner of a hay field. I've done a little research via google & believe it would be best to keep her in on soaked hay which seems such a shame in this weather. Moving her completely is out of the question. Hope some of you may have first hand experience of this condition & some helpful suggestions.

 

[McNally]

Hi, Sorry but as yet i cant offer any real advice- just to say that i'm looking after a 20 yr old pony and our problem is exactly the same as yours. The vet recommended keeping her in for a few weeks first during the day- then just at night and to monitor her breathing to see if either was better than the other.
Unfortunately we have lost use of the stable so this is not an option and i am quite concerned about her.
I have just started giving her some medication as prescribed by a vet which is similar but cheaper than Ventipulmin.
I will let you know if we have any success and will be very interested in any more replies you get (more helpful ones!!)
Oh- also been told to smear thick vasaline round her nostrils to catch pollen before its breathed in??

 

[Jericho]

I have a very similar situation - 15yr old Welsh A lami pony - in summer she coughs quite badly unless I soak hay. In winter she is fine without soaked hay. I believe it is because she is grazing very short pasture and inhaling dust from the soil. Soaked hay goes some way to help to keep dust intake down.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Very locally we seem to have a pocket of irritant and several horse take Piriton quite successfully. Ours also have steamed hay to top up the bare paddock grazing. Although they are just on grass at the moment and are still having minor breathing problems. We also use Golbalherbs' Airways plus.
We think that it is caused by atmospheric pollutants in the air which seem to settle at the top of our hill.