EQUINE ASTHMA: talk to me about it please

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

After scoping, vet thinks my coblet has Equine Asthma.

Our normal vet is away till Friday and we will be speaking more then, but this is the initial diagnosis after scoping.

Just seeking wisdom please: what works for people's horses, supplements, etc., please chuck it in the mix!

Have a friend who's horse has a similar diagnosis (and uses the same vet practice!) and she says nothing has worked for hers except salt therapy.

Need advice please! Dammit I've dealt with laminitis, Cushings, trigeminal headshaking and god-only-knows what else in the past, but not this!!

 

[smiggy]

My little coblet was diagnosed about two years ago. I tried loads of things, oral steroids, Ventipulmin, inhalers. Salt therapy made him worse.
basically gave him a year off and he would cough at rest on and off all year round in or out.
he seemed better at the beginning of last month so tried bringing him back in to work, hacked about 25 miles ( not at once) and took him to a dressage completion which he won ! Next day coughing when ridden, couldn’t even think of cantering. So because I knew he could be better I bought a Flexineb and I nebulise him daily, with saline, steroid and Ventipulmin. Plus he has loads of supplements including vitamin e, Boswelia and the magic potion of oil and essential oils posted here.
the nebuliser is the game changer, hasn’t coughed since, is in work ( though I’m very careful how much we do )

 

[OlderNotWiser]

My daughter’s ISH was diagnosed last May. He would cough and suffer with rapid breathing April - End July. We didn’t find any supplements worked despite trying several. He is now on 2 inhalers through a child’s spacer and is down to 3 puffs of each medication once a day. He is very tolerant of the inhalers and we can actually do it in the field without putting a head collar on him. He’s back to working as he would the rest of the year now.

 

[EllenJay]

My boy was diagnosed a few years ago. It is managed by standard asthma inhalers, well aired stable and haylege.

it has been under control now for several years

 

[Red-1]

Rigs had this for just a month August-September. The vet said it is likely a seasonal thing.

Ventipulmin did give temporary relief. The biggest help seemed to be antihistamines though, 30 odd of them a day! It is likely to be a specific pollen as he is fine the rest of the time, even when he has some dry hay as a treat.

I am cautious about steroids as he is a recovered laminitic.

If it is worse this year we will look at inhalers. I guess something will get him in the end.

 

[SEL]

Microcob has asthma related to pollen (we scoped and it was pollen). Antihistamines work for her but she's at her worst April / May so I'm going to try some herbal stuff next year.

 

[GoldenWillow]

My cob was diagnosed with EA about 5 yrs ago via a BAL. He's fine on no meds or supplements from Oct to May/June time with dust free management. He's in through the day in a stable with excellent ventilation, bedded on Bedmax shavings and fed haylage and out overnight. In pollen season he has a flexineb with steroid/saline mix either once a day or every other day depending on how he's doing. On this he's in full work including beach gallops and jumping.

One thing I've noticed on a couple of fb groups I'm in is that certain therapies are very heavily pushed by covertly by people who've used them but are actually people selling the therapies, so much do that one group has specifically banned certain groups of people. In fact I've just had my first ever "discussion" with a person who was so blinded by their viewpoint they were giving, in my opinion, dangerous advice to me.

Palo has a really interesting post about her mare and EA.

 

[palo1]

My Welsh D mare was diagnosed with EA last July after wheezing and coughing on work. She was pretty miserable though the vet could only find mild asthma - even though she looked 'worse' than mild. Last year she had an instant jab of dex followed by a couple of weeks of inhaled steroid and ventolin. She recovered well but I realised that she had had quite low level symptoms for a bit longer; the symptoms were subtle but I can recognise them now. I had noticed one day in June that she seemed unusually puffed having done a long, hilly ride and she had coughed once or twice (literally) before she had an attack of wheezing.

She was in great form from about August last year till this April and was in full work all winter. In April, when she had another flare up and vet suggested nebulised dex - I purchased a flexineb but in fact Dex didn't really help. It seems that nebulised Dex doesn't always work. Vet advised low level inhalation therapy through May -July instead, which we are doing ( 3 puffs of Clenil modulite once a day) and she has been ok. However, she wasn't as good as her diagnosis suggested she should be so I had a bit of a think about it all lol!! I removed all feed including ANY (even tiny amounts) and all forms of beet or linseed (which was only in her vit and min supplement and as a carrier for those supplements) and there was a pretty dramatic and almost overnight improvement in her annoyingly subtle respiratory symptoms.

She generally has had normal resting respiratory rate though had been puffing a bit on work. No cough or discharge and no wheezing but puffing on faster/hilly work more than I would like. I have been a bit obsessive about watching her breathing (quality and quantity lol).

That is hugely improved though we are currently (this week) having very high pollen levels so I am only working her gently as I don't want to put her respiratory system under more pressure. I believe for my mare, seasonal pollen allergy (trees and probably grass) are the trigger so I am happy to use preventative inhalers through the season. If I want to compete I will need to withdraw meds for 2 days I think but I am not wanting to compete for other reasons and happy to train. Some days even in the pollen season she hasn't needed medication - she has done longer, faster rides as well as xc training very happily and easily. I could also simply decide to only compete during the Autumn, Winter and early Spring.

I am sure that certain feeds and supplements just add to the problem for my horse so even though I had the best of intentions in feeding supplements (in beet based wet feed as advised) so I would advise considerable caution about adding any supplements. The only things that I use are boswellia and MSM which I believe enable her to have days without any medication depending on weather/pollen. None of the supplements I have tried made much difference - possibly because they themselves can cause some sensitivity. I tried a real variety too including nebulised menthol-y ones, herbal ones and 'science-y' ones lol. I don't think nebulised saline made much difference because I don't think my mare has excess mucous; her symptoms are more a 'tightness' of her chest which leads to shallow breathing (though at a usually normal rate).

I am also careful to do other management; she is large and black so is clipped out, hosed down when it is very hot and she wears a pollen/nose net/fly mask in the field and vaseline in her nose when ridden (a nose net annoys her lol).

FWIW, having seen a range of other horses out and about, including friends horses I think mild symptoms of pollen allergy/asthma in the summer are pretty common. I have seen all manner of horses having the odd cough (which may be common but not 'normal') or puffing, being unusually lethargic or riders complaining of horse having the handbrake on. Heat can trigger asthma too. You have to look quite hard to see some symptoms - especially as they can come and go throughout the day. I try to not over-monitor my mare now as I can see that at many points in the day she is totally normal but at other times , is more symptomatic. You would not know, looking at my Welsh girl even as a horsey observer, that she has any issue at all!! I try to just see how she is each day and treat or not accordingly. Sorry for the essay - this has been an issue that caused me much upset and worry so it's been a bit of a learning curve!!

It is frustrating but for most horses it should be really manageable - albeit with an understanding that some days are difficult because of climatic/environmental conditions. The diagnosis of asthma is a bit scary but my vet has been really brilliantly reassuring and helpful.

 

[Muddy unicorn]

Our ISH was diagnosed with asthma in the summer of 2020 at the age of 11, having not had any breathing issues before. It came on very suddenly overnight - he came in from the field breathing at >40 rpm. Ventipulmin made no difference, we had a failed scope on the yard and then got referred to Liphook to see a respiratory specialist there. The results of the scope and BAL showed lots of inflammation in the airways plus fungal spores. The specialist suspected the asthma was triggered by a pollen allergy but that his lung function had already been compromised by being on box rest due to injury earlier in the year in a dusty stable with slightly dodgy straw bedding.

He was started on oral steroids while we got him used to the flexineb and then switched over to inhaled steroids. He was a star with the flexineb and I was amazed at how easily he accepted it. He was on inhaled steroids with saline solution twice a day for a month then gradually weaned off over another month or so. For the first couple of weeks he also had inhaled ventipulmin before the steroids to open up his airways.

We moved him to grass livery so he could be out 24/7 and not be in a dusty stable environment. When he has hay over winter it’s soaked to remove as much dust as possible.

He had two very brief flare ups last year, once in late August/early September and then again when there was a sudden cold snap in November. Both times he had inhaled steroids but only for a couple of weeks before being weaned off then again.

Frustratingly he developed sweet itch last summer - I suspect the two conditions are related.

His breathing is fine at the moment - although sudden changes in his environment do seem to affect him - eg if there’s a sudden hot spell or cold snap and changing fields can be a trigger too. The flexineb has been amazing though - hideously expensive but worth it

 

[palo1]

I just wanted to add that I understand that a healthy weight and maintenance of exercise are really important in the management of asthma. There is so much evidence to suggest that obesity/overweight horses are far more likely to suffer with asthma/respiratory issues, it is not entirely surprising that EA seems on the rise as more and more horses are an unhealthy weight. It is a struggle for me to keep my native sensibly slim but it really has to be done! Exercise can really help to shift any nasty stuff lurking in the tubes/lungs too.