Breathing. Advise please

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concino

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My horse is out all the time but has access to a large airy barn and hay is always soaked. He does not have a nasal discharge or a cough but when exercised, his breathing can become laboured. His past life was not ideal and I think his problems are typical of that life.

He does not seem to get stressed and is a very playful horse - most days he can be seen racing around or there is evidence of 'playtime' having occurred; chunks of turf everywhere!!
I would appreciate any similar experiences and what remedies people have tried, either from a vet or 'over the counter.
 
Right, im gunna be a bit blunt.. We had this at our yard a few months back and i basically said 'its because shes fat not fit' they had a preganancy test and she was just 'Fat not fit'

So.. is your horse just not fit enough?!

Lou x
 
Thanks for replies - it may in part be due to fitness but he is not overweight. This is something which I am fairly sure is a result of past management. He was a showjumper stabled / travelled a lot etc.

I am in the process of getting him fit, with care - because I think he was 'hammered' a bit in his past life. He has had time to veg and recover, so as you rightly suggest, his lack of fitness at the moment will make him puff a bit but I don't think it is quite that simple.

I was considering a supplement to see if it makes a difference - but there are so many and some feedback would be very helpful. Has anyone found good results from a particular product? I feel it might be worth a try before I go down the vet route. I bought him only as a quiet hack so this is not a major problem at this level. However, if I can improve things, it would be nice to have the option to go a bit faster, when he is fit enough, which is why I am checking with all of you.

Don't worry about being blunt !! I should have covered weight and fitness in my original post - sorry! Pretty sure this is airway dmage - I can prevent further damage but would like to hear about other peoples experiences in dealing with the problem.
 
This might sound like an odd question but what does the breathing sound like when it becomes laboured? Can you describe it?

If it helps, my Welshy had breathing probs and he would take one big breath in and then exhale twice, one in, two out... but only when worked really hard.
 
sounds like your horse may hay something like COPD, my horse does he had 2 live in all winter in a american barn,soaked hay and shavings.
If the cough is chesty it could just be a virus.
The dust around will make your horse cough and when my horse has really bad spells of his copd i cant ride him more than 10 mins without him coughing.
the best you can do its make sure u can put your horse out, soak hay, shavings as bedding and feed hay etc from floor so that whatever is inside can run out your horses nose.
hope your horse gets better
 
My horse sounds much like yours. he is presently on naf respirator and it works a treat. costs about a pound a day tho :-o
 
I do not know anyone with astma ( is that how its spelt ?!) but from seeing it on TV, I would describe it as a VERY mild form - the sound I mean, there is no sign of distress. I think it is, albeit mild, copd but thankfully, I have my own facilities and it is easy to manage the problem re. soaked hay etc. etc.

Anyone else tried supplements? As he is primarily for quiet hacking and the condition seems to be, thankfully, mild I still think it is worth trying this route first. The more feedback on this aspect the better - there are so many - and your experiences will be appreciated.
 
My horse used to do this - she has COPD. She hardly ever coughs or has nasal discharge, so this was the only thing that was amis.
You need to count your horses breaths per minute at rest, if it's more than 12 then its more than likly your horse has COPD. Mine is on an inhaler, which I only give to her when her RBPM is higher than 12
smile.gif
 
My horse has been on some stuff from vets which costs £50-£60 and it only lasts about a week but is fantastic, so he has that when he's really bad (he lives with me at Hartpury College so has to be in alot and cant go out at the moment as the grounf is too hard for his feet, so im stuck at the moment!) I have my horse on a NAF product the 5star thing which is about £35 to see if that helps him but not aswell as the tub from vets.
It a nightmare having a horse who coughs espically as mine has to live in alot and he loves being in, i need it to rain so i can turn him out a little.
I hope your horse gets better
 
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