do horses always cough more with copd?

[lucymay9701]

I'm still worrying about my gorgeous girl. Recently gone on ventipulmin due to breathing problems - flared nostrils at rest and nosiy breathing out. Probably COPD but shes not coughing more. I just wondered if other people's horses when diagnosed with COPD would cough more than usual or can it just affect breathing? She tends to have 1 or 2 coughs when she first goes out in the morning and has done that for a long time without having the current poblems shes having with breathing - and is still doing that on the ventipulmin. The ventipulmin doesn't seem to be helping. I spoke to the vet on Monday and she said give the ventipulmin another 2 weeks and phone her back, although I'll probably ring back sooner if nostrils still flaring over the weekend. (they're not flaring all the time just intermittently) If she's not coughing more could something else be going on instead of COPD? This is my main query as I always thought horses coughed more with COPD. The Timothy horsehage I ordered has now come in so shes on that and my local feed shop have ordered me in some cardboard bedding which will hopefully be in next week. My next post will be on feed advice as I'm unsure if I need to make changes to that aswell!
Thankyou for any replies
Lucy x

 

[baran]

My old horse didn't cough at all with COPD.

 

[lucymay9701]

Thanks Baran, maybe nothing else is going on then but I'm thinking maybe its unusual and most horses cough more?

 

[baran]

Also, forgot to say, ventipulmin didn't help at all.
After diagnosis she thrived for years, carried on competing as before.

 

[juliette]

i found an inhaler from the vet more effective than ventapulmin - hellishly expensive though!

 

[lucymay9701]

She's been on the ventipulmin over 3 weeks now but no real improvement - got to ring the vet again Monday. I would have thought if it was going to help it would have done by now. At the dose she's on the ventipulmin costs £50 a week so dread to think what the inhaler would be if more than that! She wouldn't be a horse that would tolerate an inhaler though unfortunately. I'm really worried about her at the mo. :-(

 

[Star_Chaser]

Have you had the COPD confirmed or is it the vets best guess?

 

[lucymay9701]

The vet heard 'noises' on her lungs and said it will be due to dust. She's had a dust allergy for years and been pretty well managed with it until now. I just assumed COPD as its gone worse but am hoping the vet will recommend scoping her when we speak next week as I assume this will confirm COPD?