Bedding debate... Dust, allergies, does anything make much difference?

[kc100]

So I'm sure this has been done to death before but wanted to talk bedding options.

My horse is allergic to life, confirmed pollen allergy and tends to cough if eating unsoaked hay so we can assume some dust issues. Vets couldn't differentiate as the inflammation when scoped was most likely from pollen but couldn't rule out dust either way.

Pollen allergy is under control and he's been on shavings, soaked hay and vaseline up the nose for around 12 months. Cough appears to have gone for now but we did move yards in May so I think we're no longer near the type of pollen he's allergic to, as it was always worse out hacking.

Problem is he is so dirty I'm getting through 3-4 bags of shavings a week, and this will bankrupt me at this rate!

I'm moving yards again due to current yard closing down, it's more expensive at new yard but is full livery with everything included. Only problem is they only offer straw beds, I'd be paying extra for my million bags of shavings.

Is there such thing as a low dust bedding, good for messy horses, that won't break the bank?

Or does anyone have any experience of keeping an allergy prone horse cough free on straw? His new stable is at the end of the barn with a fully open side, so ventilation will be fantastic, much better ventilation than any yard he's been at before. And will be getting daily turnout as usual, from 7am ish in winter and then out overnight in the summer.

Obviously willing to keep with the shavings if it's the only choice for his health but wondering if straw would be so bad if he's turned out plenty and has a very well ventilated stable? He will eat the straw because he likes to do everything he can to harm himself lol, but new yard has massive hay feeders in the stables for ad lib hay so he'll have loads to eat.

There's also the benefit of more natural sleeping on a deep straw bed, I can tell he doesn't lie down much on the shavings unless I've just put 2 new bags in, as he only has shavings in his tail when he's got a brand new bed.

And yes he is the fussiest horse alive, I don't know what I did wrong in a past life!

All advice/suggestions welcome.

 

[paddi22]

I ended up using rapeseed shavings and rubber matting with my allergy horse, shavings didn't work for him at all. The rapeseed works really well.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

In your situation I would seriously consider your horse living out permanently all year 24-7, I never ever considered it I thought in winter they have to come in, I broke my ankle 3 years ago and I had no one to muck out so I left my horses out, I bought good rugs fed them in the field and they thrived on it and I tend to just keep them out now and they are happier.

I understand that in a livery situation it's not always doable so I would soak all hay and sweep the walls just keep the area really clean, my 2 year old colt had breathing problems on a barn environment because all the other liveries deep littered I didnt and he couldn't cope, so be aware if you are in a barn environment it doesn't work for all horses.

 

[TPO]

Nedz Pro has been a game changer for me.

My boy had asthma and the other two are feral; their stables look like bogs.

I swapped to Nedz Pro and it was a revelation! The mongers are easy to muck out and there is as close to no dust as possible for ny boy.

I've previously tried dust extracted shavings, bedmax and pellets. I recently tried miscanthus as it had the same spiel as nedz pro but was around £1.10 cheaper a bale so it added up buying in bulk. Horrendous stuff; the dustiest bedding I've ever had and nowhere near ad absorbent as nedz.

I've finally finished the miscanthus and my bulk nedz pro order arrived last week. It was so good putting a bale down anot having to rush outside for fresh air while I coughed a lung up.

So yeah, I highly recommend Nedz Pro for horses with allergies and if they are dirty/wet in the stable

 

[shortstuff99]

Also consider straw pellets (no dust and better then wood pellets) either on their own or topped with something like mention above or beddown excel.

 

[asmp]

Is there such thing as a low dust bedding, good for messy horses, that won't break the bank?

i use Laysoft which I buy in bulk from the manufacture. Mine box walks and kicks everything around and i find this best for mucking out. It works out cheaper than a lot of other similar bedding. As mentioned in another thread, IMO do NOT use mats as the ammonia sits underneath it and affects the breathing.

 

[be positive]

I have kept sensitive ones on straw successfully, my yard was very open, had excellent ventilation and I turned out as much as possible, the main thing I found helped each one was feeding haylage instead of soaked hay, it made a huge difference for several, I also tended to give them as long as possible out 24/7 from March - Oct or longer with no time in unless essential, travelling with haylage and having them as fit as I could.

Just to add I never mucked out with them in, put down new bedding in the morning so any dust had settled and kept the walls brushed down, they had rubber at the fronts where haylage/ water was and that was always kept very clean, feeding at ground level also helps.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

Mine is on flax straw pellets, but I imagine regular straw pellets might work. I've also used most the flax straw but find that the pellets are better. Even with an open stable mine will still cough on straw. His neighbor temporarily switched to straw and of course he began coughing. The straw doesn't seem that dusty and his stable opens into a paddock, but I guess it still makes him cough just a wee bit. Maybe you can get away with it, maybe not. If the horse has a true dust allergy I would think not, but you could try it.

 

[kc100]

Thanks everyone - he has been on straw pellets before, they are a bit cheaper than shavings but he was still horribly messy on them and wasn't lying down on them - I can only seem to get him to sleep properly on straw or the world's biggest shavings bed, I'm sure he thinks this is the princess and the pea!

I think I'll not bother with mats (new yard is building a brand new stable for him so no mats in there anyway), but that's a good idea about putting them at the front only where he will drop hay etc so I can keep that cleaner. His hay will be fed from the ground from a built in feeder so that is a plus point of the new yard as well.

He is out overnight during the summer and only comes in for a couple of hours during the day so gets as much turn out as possible, the pollen allergy doesn't help though as turnout/hacking/any exercise outdoors triggers the pollen cough so I can't win with him - if he's indoors it's the dust, if he's outdoors it's the pollen! I love my horse really...haha.

I think what I might try is a month on straw at the new place just to see how he gets on, the ventilation is so much better than any yard he's even been at it will be interesting to see if it really is bedding that causes him to cough, or like someone else has suggested, it could be that he needs swapping from soaked hay to haylage (although he eats that faster than Usain Bolt can run the 100m).

If cough comes back then will investigate the rape straw options (like Nedz Pro) or Laysoft as that looks interesting, although I'm convinced it was rapeseed at the old yard that was the main source of the pollen allergy, as there was a lot of rape fields nearby - since he moved to the current yard he hasn't coughed at all, but there's no rapeseed for miles at the current yard. Not sure how many rape fields are near the next yard so will have to watch and see for the summer.

Thanks again for the help - good to hear there has at least been one person that has kept a sensitive horse successfully on straw, my bank balance will be keeping fingers crossed that he is ok with it!

 

[Dontforgetaboutme]

I have just moved mine to a part livery yard where deep straw beds are thoroughly mucked out & aired daily. I was bit worried about straw but they are cleaner & less smelly than semi deep litter on the mats & aubiose. It could be dust or ammonia causing his problems. I’d give straw a go if they muck out well & switch if still coughs.

 

[kc100]

Thank you that's really good to hear - he's going to a full livery yard and her stables are beautiful (when I went to look around) so I know they'll keep it very clean. He'll always be out in the field when he's mucked out as well so that shouldn't be an issue.

His cough is still a bit of a mystery, we know from the scope there is a definite pollen allergy and he rarely coughs during the winter, but all of a sudden he'll have a day where he decides to cough a lot for no real reason. No mucus however. He did this on Tuesday this week coughed a lot when turned out (according to the yard staff) and then coughed when exercised that evening. But not a peep out of him since!

I'm going to give the straw a go with no mats at the new yard and that might help rule whether it is ammonia or not, he is a very wet and messy horse so no matter how long I spend on the mats at the weekend (at the current yard) they are always still a bit damp and can still smell the ammonia once I've done cleaning.