COPD newbie :( Tell me your success stories please!

Cheshire Chestnut

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In a nutshell, my 8 year old Welsh D has been diagnosed with fibrosis of the lung, an incurable disease. I'm heartbroken. Luckily I noticed something was very very wrong so it's been caught early and he's been in horsepital for 5 days and had lung biopsies, ultra sounds, chest X-rays and lots of other stuff in between. I've already had him on a nebuliser for 3 months but that just treated his upper lungs, leaving the lower lungs still in danger zone.

I now have the drugs, facts and determination to help him get better. We have 6 weeks to get this right. Steroids will reduce the severe inflammation in his lower lungs and hopefully slow down or stop the fibrosis from developing. Basically, I have to treat him like a severe COPD pony.

YO has been brilliant and I have a huge (20ft x 20ft) standalone stable for him which is open both ends, one onto a tiny postage stamp of a paddock. He can't have grass while he's on his initial steroids so I'm calling this paddock a 'sun terrace' to go with his massive airy bachelor pad :D

Any success stories out there please with severe COPD? Much appreciated, never had to deal with this before and feeling a bit scared. I can't afford to get it wrong with the way his lungs are, I need to get it all right first time.
 

be positive

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I have dealt with several COPD horses over the years, none with the condition as serious as your horse but some fairly bad, they all were best on haylage, no amount of soaking hay was enough for the really sensitive ones but they all improved once on haylage, soak the haylage if you need to reduce sugars.
Turn out, once he is safe to do so, 24/7 if possible, nothing beats being outside for allowing them to recover, my now retired horse, had several hasty bouts when in at night, he could not have soaked hay without coughing but now living out apart from a few really bad nights each winter and he has not coughed or struggled to breathe at any point for the last few years, I could probably ride him again but having retired in part due to the problem partly due to becoming generally stiff and not up to full work , he is mid 20's so I think he is enjoying doing nothing and nannying the others.

I guess with your boy being so young if you can get the management right some exercise to keep the airways open would really help, it may be incurable but with care you may be able to slow down the deterioration so you have many more years with him, good luck with him.
 

Hetsmum

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I used to ride one with pretty bad summer allergies. I can recommend the cardboard bedding for when you have to stable. He seemed to do well on 12 hour soaked hay but it had to be completely submerged in the water. He was on steroids frequently during his life and lami was always a risk. The owner called it a day in the end but mostly to do with other mechanical issues not the breathing. I have to say your YO sounds wonderful and that setup with the large airy stable and 'sun terrace' a god send. Good luck :)
 

Fransurrey

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Hi OP, I've been working in the respiratory area for 4 years now, albeit human (!). First, don't put time scales on it. If your horse's lungs have fibrosis, then it won't 'get better'. The symptoms will improve as you remove allergens such as dust, pollen, chemicals and so on, but hopefully you already know that fibrosis is irreversible. It's scarring. Sorry I sound like a right gloomy sod. I have a pony with mild COPD. He's managed by living out and this year I've had to make his field shelter as dust free as possible, too. For bedding I've put down Easibed, with grass mats on top. It's made the effect of a mattress without the bedding disturbance. I don't know how practical that would be in a stable, but is it worth a go? He's given haylage as he coughs on even soaked hay (although I might try again with the new crop as my mare struggles with her guts!!) and I keep food simple. Too much sugar will increase inflammatory cytokines, which are the signalling molecules that stimulate mucus secretion and therefore increase coughing. As you have fibrosis present, you will always have to manage it, but it's something that becomes second nature. My gelding is in full work still (he's 23) and has the odd cough at the start of work (normally when I'm walking the fence back, so they eat the grass right down to dust!!), but otherwise is fine. The terrace sounds great. I have an image of a horse in shades with a cocktail trough for him and his buddies. 😆
 

Pearlsasinger

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At least now you know what you are up against!

I did have a mare with a persistent cough, many years ago, she had several courses of Ventipulmin and the only real advice the vet could offer was to keep her out 24/7. In fact we found that her cough was related to allergic reactions to cereals and molasses. We took her off all 'feed' except alfalfa, which she tolerated very well and found that she improved enormously. We kept her until she was 24, when she died of a stroke and for the last 12 yrs at least she ate dry hay overnight.
I don't know if that is of any use to you?
 

Cheshire Chestnut

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Thank you for all your replies, they have all been really helpful.

Just starting out with our new routine. His new stable, not being allowed out 24/7 with him being on such high steroids that he's a real lami risk. So just managing that itself is a bit of a headache, never mind all the COPD stuff thrown in too :( Just getting to grips with it all now making sure his small dust free shavings bed stays urine free as that could be a trigger too. Also soaking all his hayledge (we don't really have hay very often), making sure I give him is nebuliser at consistent times, giving him his steroids in his feed in the morning, keeping him exercised twice a day (he's got stitches in at the moment and can't be ridden) so lunged once in a morning and walked down the road in the afternoon.

I've come down with a chest infection and a million mouth ulcers now, thinks it's from all the stress of the last two weeks.

Getting married two weeks on Wednesday in Las Vegas. I can't wait but we're away for almost 3 weeks so was worried about his routine. Luckily, a lady at the yard is doing it all for me - she is brilliant and I'm so grateful for her taking over while I go get hitched/have my honeymoon.

Feeling ready for a break after all this :)
 

lamlyn2012

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Nothing useful to say but just wanted to say thinking of you. Am so sorry this is happening. I have a welsh d and love him loads, good luck with yours and your wedding. X
 

Ditchjumper2

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Have him out 24/7, feed haulage or buy a proper hay steamer, if he has to come in just have him on rubber with very small amount of shavings. It is a pain but it is doable. We did this with a hunter and he lasted til his 20s........and he was grey!
 

twiggy2

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Our old pony has allergies and they sometimes trigger asthma attacks, she has an open sided field shelter with an earth floor, she is bedded on rubber strips and fed 12 hr soaked hay, she is also given a supplement she has been managed like this for 2 years and is in full work without any asthma attacks for that time
 

Cheshire Chestnut

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Our old pony has allergies and they sometimes trigger asthma attacks, she has an open sided field shelter with an earth floor, she is bedded on rubber strips and fed 12 hr soaked hay, she is also given a supplement she has been managed like this for 2 years and is in full work without any asthma attacks for that time

Thank you, which supplement is this? I've been feeding American Equine Ventilatior in his feed along side his steroids & medication.
 

fatpiggy

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Thank you for all your replies, they have all been really helpful.

Just starting out with our new routine. His new stable, not being allowed out 24/7 with him being on such high steroids that he's a real lami risk. So just managing that itself is a bit of a headache, never mind all the COPD stuff thrown in too :( Just getting to grips with it all now making sure his small dust free shavings bed stays urine free as that could be a trigger too. Also soaking all his hayledge (we don't really have hay very often), making sure I give him is nebuliser at consistent times, giving him his steroids in his feed in the morning, keeping him exercised twice a day (he's got stitches in at the moment and can't be ridden) so lunged once in a morning and walked down the road in the afternoon.

I've come down with a chest infection and a million mouth ulcers now, thinks it's from all the stress of the last two weeks.

Getting married two weeks on Wednesday in Las Vegas. I can't wait but we're away for almost 3 weeks so was worried about his routine. Luckily, a lady at the yard is doing it all for me - she is brilliant and I'm so grateful for her taking over while I go get hitched/have my honeymoon.

Feeling ready for a break after all this :)

Poor you. Get busy with swilling your mouth round with manuka honey solution for a start. It sounds like you and your pony are sharing the same immunity problem, you have obviously come out in sympathy with him. I hope your new hubbie will be good and supportive, and able to share at least some of the burden with you. I know its hard dealing with something very serious on your own, been there and done it. My old girl was a Welsh D x and there is something very special about them. I swear they were put on this planet to try our patience but they have a way of worming their way into our hearts like no other. Like I said before, take every day as it comes with him. MY girl was on borrowed time effectively, for the entire time I had her. Stressing about tomorrow won't help him or you. Deal with problems as they arise, not worry about when they might. Now go and enjoy your wedding!
 

Achinghips

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Following expensive vets bills two years ago ....... At night, I have one of mine who has copd on a gravelled turnout area with rubber matting and good rugs in winter, next to the stables so he can see everyone and shelter in the stables overhang. Leave a haynet out in the rain in the morning for evening to dampen down the spores or feed haylage. Stable remains a definite no go area as in the morning the door is covered in coughed up bits of dried hay and green phlegm due to dust.
 

Cheshire Chestnut

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Thank tou for your replies. Fatpiggy, my OH has been a god send bless him. He's been creeping around me on tiptoes most of the time trying not to say the wrong thing because he's not horsey at all. To be fair to him, he's not once mentioned that all of this might ruin the wedding (at one point we thought my pony would have to be put to sleep a week before it), even though it was probably on the back of his mind. He's been a saint and I couldn't have got through it without him :) Feeling very lucky! Taken your advice on the manuka honey and started with it last night, they actually already feel better :)

Just settling into our new routine now, feeling bad as he cant go out with his usual friends whilst he's on the steroids - needs to stay off the grass. Poor boy, just thinks I'm being mean. Vet is coming tomorrow so can hopefully ride him and take him for a gentle potter once he has his stitches out in the morning. That will cheer him up :)
 

fatpiggy

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Good, you sound a bit happier today. A girl I know had an eating disorder but she was also blessed with a saint of a boyfriend. He wasn't horsey either and as soon as we realised she was too ill to do her horse so he was doing it for her we offered him as much help and support as he wanted to ask for. Bless him, when she was recovering he told her that as he earned a reasonable wage, there was no way she was going back to her old job ( it was a factor in her illness) and if she didn't want to work or only part time, he would support her entirely. I'm glad to say the last I heard, she was much better and was expecting a baby. WHat a lucky girl to have such a wonderful partner though. Alot of lads of that age would have just legged it.
 
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