Cheap bedding for suspect COPD case?

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flyingfeet

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Help!

I normally use straw, but my boy is coughing like crazy. So having never ventured into alternative bedding, what is the most cost effective dust free bedding these days?

This is for a semi deep litter bed on earth floors (so drain a bit themselves).
 
The best bedding for suspected COPD cases is paper - most dust free bedding I have found and most vets use it in their clinics.

Even shavings can be mega dusty nowadays.

The other bedding I have used which is dust free is Easibed, but I didn't get on with that all.
 
Cardboard - we were lucky an were able to buy in bulk and paid £4.25 a bag - use 2-3 bags a week at the most.

Virtually dust free, absorbent and makes a suprisingly cosy bed.
 
I have just gone onto Wood Pellets, not dusty at all. Cost approx £3.26 a bag. Took 6 bags to set up a half bed (on top of rubber mats) with one bale of Nedz Bedz original round the edge as banking. Top up so far is just one bag a week.
 
Another vote for cardboard- we use Ecobed and the equine hospital at Lambourn uses it too. Lovely deep squashy bed thats easy to muck out. Muck heap rots fast aswell.
 
Shredded newspaper or Cardboard.
When I had mine on Cardboard, I found I got through more of it to keep a nice big bed than paper, one of mine is on paper and he has 2-3 bales per week.
 
Are you sure its COPD? My two are both coughing - vet said is a virus going round with addition of high pollen count at the moment. They are on antibiotics and ventapulmin and rest... just get going and they off with something else!
 
I am now - had vet out last night

He is an allergic beastie with Sweet itch, so has to be in during the day (trust me on this one!). However have been advised to knock hole in barn and get him off straw.

Virus in dec has probably not helped, and his mother had COPD, so he seems to be getting all the bad inherited traits!
 
Thanks guys - I went for cardboard in the end. Makes a nice soft bed, but haven't had long enough to decide whether this is easier or harder to muck out than straw!
 
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