Bad cough - ventapaulin

[ELFSBELLS]

One of my horses, who is on part loan, and suffers with pollen allergy, has started coughing quite badly over the last couple of days, especially when exercised, ( which i have now stopped). He usually comes in during the day with a hay net, and although i soak it, i think it is this which has triggered the coughing, old hay from last year, what i would like to know because my RI who heard him coughing today has said he could do with some Ventapaulin, would i be able to go and get some from the vet or do i need to call the vet out, because at the end of the day i think this is what the vet would recommend anyway.

 

[ELFSBELLS]

BUMP!!

 

[Minnies_Mum]

Ventapulmin is a prescription only medicine and, as such, can only be prescribed by a vet for "animals under their care"- which basically means the vet must have examined the horse. So it sounds like ventapulmin would benefit your horse, but you will almost certainly have to have a vet visit... that's the law anyway!

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

As minniesmum says, Ventipulmin is a prescription only drug so your vet would need to precribe it. Ventipulmin is a drug that relaxes the horse's airways which get tight when the horse is allergic to something. But it doesn't cure anything. If your horse is allergic to pollen I'm not surprised he's started to cough. My horse has the same problem and he's been coughing since the hawthorn bloomed in early May. Your loan horse may also have a hay allergy but if you already know he has a pollen allergy, I'd start with that. The horse may need nore help than just having his airways relaxed. He may also be clogged up with sticky mucus deep in his lungs and he may be unable to take in enough oxygen. He needs to see the vet. My horse started 2 years ago by having Ventipulmin and Sputolosin (breaks up the sticky mucus) as powders in his feed. But he's now having Ventipulmin and steroids as inhaled drugs because they go straight to the lungs so are more effective. My horse is a little better on inhalers but far from being right. My vets said to keep up gentle exercise because that helps the horse cough up the gunge that is choking him x

 

[odd1]

mine suffers from pollen allergy too, this year i put him out at night and in during the day this seemed to help but he didnt like being out at night much =- now back in at night out during the day but we are in NE scotland so not having great weather now!!
i cant give him ventipulmin as he takes a reaction to that too - so i have been using global herbs pollenx & airway plus and it seems to have done the trick, he seems to be worse when the rape is in flower or anything yellow is out in flower like the gorse etc i am expecting him to start again soon as it also seems to be bad late april early may then again mid - end august not sure what sets him off then so i have upped the herbs a bit and sit with fingers crossed

local honey if you can get some is also good as it carries antibodies for the pollen in the area, it can be expensive though
i also put vic up his nose the other day when i rode as he had a bit of snot after being in the lorry - seemed to work as he went lovely!

 

[brucea]

Worthwhile getting the vet to look. Is he gettoing distressed by it at all, and does he have a wheeze?

To be honest we have a pony with RAO and we never found the Ventipulmin did any good. Now he has a pony inhaler (cost me about £90) and I use my own salbutamol! But thorough steaming - not washing - of the hay seems to help. I steam by stuffing a bucket and pouring in a boiling kettle and leaving it with the lid on for 15 minutes.