COPD

JoClark

JoClark

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My friend is really worried about her horse. He is a freisan x dales, has sweetitch and COPD. He has really had a bad flare up of COPD. Highly likely from being so wet to so dry. He was having hay in the field too which wouldn't have helped. He is out pretty much 24/7 unless its really wet and he comes in, he has a large stable with cardboard bedding, rubber matting and soaking wet hay.

The vets have put him on ventipulmin and steroids, he is being weaned off the steroids, now down to 1/4 dose. However today she rode him on a hack for approx 45 mins, walk and a bit of trot and he really struggled, she got off and walked him back. The vets have said he will have to go back onto ventipulmin and probably an inhaler. I personally think he has got bad again because of the rape seed, I personally generally dont get hay fever but today I woke up with a blocked nose then is was running and itchy eyes, surely if its affecting me who usually is fine then it would really effect him?

Has anyone got experience of dealing with this and any supplements or other things she can do to help him. She's very upset as you could imagine.

Thanks in advance.:D
 
I don't know but your mention of rape made me remember a horse I used to have. She was affected by rape crops, with headshaking, running nose and eyes. Particularly after rainfall.
Vets advised me to keep a dairy of the weather and how she was to look for a connection. Hers was quite area specific. On two yards near rape fields, she suffered but on different yards with no near by rape, she was absolutely fine.
 
We are generally not next to rape but if we go hacking will go past it, only one way we can go to miss it. Might be worth going for a walk that way tomorrow or monday and see if he's any better.
He has been at the same yard for nearly 4 years and not been this bad before, its really odd. Which is why I think due to our warmish wet winter there are more midges about and I wonder if everything is heightened.

She is very upset and doing what she can to help him but its hard as he seems to be so bad.
 
My horse has COPD or RAO as its now called. This time last year he was terrible- heaving, coughing and struggling badly.

My vet put him on high dose of steroids and ventipulmin initially- and he had to go on complete rest - NO exercise at all to prevent overloading the lungs…… after a week he then started on inhalers 2 lots (one a dilator and 1 a steroid) twice daily (he was on 10 puffs of each)

The steroid dose was gradually decreased every 2 weeks or so once an improvement was seen, the ventipulmin stopped and then the inhalers decreased by 2 puffs every couple of weeks, eventually the steroids stopped and he was just on the inhalers and very light work re introduced. Then the dilator inhaler stopped and he is now just on the steroid inhaler at 4 puffs once per day

It took a few months of medication and being very very patient and following instructions to the letter (and not riding) but he is now totally back to normal….. no coughing, breathing normal etc. He will stay on 4 puffs of the steroid for the rest of his life now and all being well I should not need to increase the dose.
If I know he is going to work hard then he would have 4 puffs of the dilator about 1/2 hour before the exercise- sadly this has not happened as he has been on box rest since october with damaged ligaments!

He has a rubber floor, aubiose bedding, I hoover his stable free from cobwebs etc on a regular basis and he has blue horsehage- he also has 2 windows in his stable front and rear to aid ventilation.

COPD is not easy BUT with careful management it can be OK….. it sounds like the your friends vet needs to be slightly more aggressive with the treatment and NO riding for now….. might be worth asking for a referral to a respiratory expert (luckily my vet is one of those)

The inhalers sound like a nightmare but are quite easy to use once you get the hang of it….. I use a paediatric spacer (rather than the very expensive equine version) and this works much much better and is easier to use- it must be kept clean though (washed out at least weekly using washing up liquid) or the drug gets stuck to bits of dirt on the inside instead of going in to the horse!
My horse will stand and let me give him his inhaler now without the need for a head collar etc- he is so used to it and it only takes a minute to do.

Also Ventipulmin should NEVER be given unless the horse is also on steroids…. its bad clinical practice apparently and really does not help the horse at all.

Good luck

p.s We have no idea what set him off as his started in the middle of winter and he has never had it before but it really was bad so there is hope…. he has tests done and his inflammatory markers in his lungs were massively off the scale!!
 
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I used to have a horse with copd and the previous owner was going to have her put down because she was so bad. I got her when she was 13, my vet gave me ventapulmin and I started off 24hr turnout and only haylage if needed , never soaked hay, she improved dramatically over about 6 months and was then stabled overnight with the others on a shavings bed and could then manage soaked hay, she used to do all riding club events and lots of long distance rides and was finally retired at 31 due to lameness issues and put down at 35..so there is hope as it can be managed..
 
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