COPD/RAO

jenbleep

jenbleep

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what is it called these days? I know everyone used to call it COPD but lately I've heard it being called RAO
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ANYWAY, I'd like to know all you guys know about it.

*Symptoms
*What causes it
*How to prevent it
*How to control it
*Can you compete a horse with COPD?

I think I'm being paranoid but I still would like to know all I can about it.

Thanks in advance
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Jen xx
 
It is very similar to asthma in people. When they take an RAO 'attack' the muscles around the broncous contract, this is called bronco-spasm. This narrows the wind pipe causing breathing problems, wheezing, coughing or in servere cases can almost cause inability to breath. The horse can then be attached to some expensive machine thing, forget what this is called, until breathing has returend to normal.
Syptoms can be a heeve line along the side, caused my muscles being used to contract the lung [I think] making these muscles over developed. This is why the condition is sometimes known as heeves.
I think it is caused by dust.
It is controled by not stabling the horse, and soaking hay/feeds ect.
And yes you probaly could compete if everything was managed properly, possibly dependant on the servarity of the case??
And it is now called RAO[reccurrant airway obstruction]. That is what a vet told me any way
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RAO includes both conditions, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and summer pasture associated obstructive pulmonary disease (SPAOPD).
 
Breathing like an asthmatic, with heave lines and possibly a cough

An allergy

No real prevention but keeping out of dusty, stale stables can help

Keeping in a dust free area, preferably out 24/7. Soak hay and use non-straw dust-free bedding if stabled. Drugs such as ventopulmin are available from the vet

Possibly, would depend on the severity.

When we bought our cob 7 years ago he had been diagnosed with RAO and was on ventopulmin. Once we got him he was kept out 24/7/365 and only twice had a short recurrance. One was from eating a fine hay and the other time when we put him in an empty stable for an hour.

(hopefully someone wil explain better, I'm wearing my Dunce cap today)
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We had a point to pointer with COPD as it was then known. She never actually won a race but she was 2nd once and usually completed. She was bedded on shavings at night and out during the day. She was fed soaked hay as she didn't seem to like haylage and her concentrate feed was dampened. She had Ventipulmin once or twice and something I forget the name of (Sputulosin??) but generally her condition was manageable.
 
It used to be called COPD, but it hasn't been known as this for at least a decade. It was changed because they found that this name was incorrect to describe the condition which horses suffer from ie. it is not a chronic condition and when managed correctly it often goes away.

Snotty nose, coughing, difficulty breathing and heave line are the main symptoms.

It's an allergy.

Best way to manage it is to keep horse outside 24/7 and do not feed dry hay during winter; try to keep horse out of dusty fields and fields which adjoin cropland during the summer.

If the horse has an attack then depending on the severity, the usual drugs used are Ventipulmin and Sputulosin.

Once the horse is stable again then yes you can pretty much do most things with it.
 
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