Equine Asthma

[Sianio]

My horse has just been diagnosed with equine asthma. I’ve been giving her steroids and bronchodilators via inhaler since Saturday evening. She’s already learned breath holding, breathing so shallowly that it doesn’t pull air through the inhaler, and breathing through the uncovered nostril only. She won’t tolerate having her other nostril closed. This is all with treats and praise every time she takes a breath in.

All management changes have been made but we are fairly sure it’s a pollen allergy due to time of year of this and her previous flare up, plus she has no symptoms in autumn and winter. I’ve tried the equinox respiratory supplement but she refuses to eat it at all even with nicer feed than she is used to.

I have an inhaler mask arriving today but I can’t see it working since it’s only taken her two days to get round the baby inhaler. Any ideas of what to do next? We have amazing grass so I don’t want to try oral steroids but not sure there are any other options?

 

[Highflinger]

I give mine antihistamine - you can buy them online very cheaply. He has 10 per day (14.2 cob) during July and Aug when he is most affected.
I also put Vicks synex or supermarket cheapo equivalent round his nostrils twice a day - I think that is quite effective
I also use a human asthma inhaler with a baby spacer - 4 puffs each nostril. He is reasonably good with it - I have heard the inhaler mask works well.
I have tried various supplements - Equine America, NAF, etc ( not tried equinox) but none have worked.
He is 28 so I will not use steroids although he had an injection a few years ago and it worked within literally minutes.

 

[BOWS28]

A mare at my yard uses an inhaler. She has a mask that is almost like a muzzle and fits around her whole nose/mouth. It fastens up around her ears. It seems like a much more reliable way of ensuring they breath it in!!

 

[Carrottom]

I found Pulmoease very effective for a pony with pollen allergy. They sent a taste sample FOC when I contacted them and I introduced it very gradually.

 

[GoldenWillow]

I use a flexineb to deliver steroids, pony tolerates it very well. I started off by just having the mask on with the vent open and gradually added the various bits and only started nebulising when he was settled and happy. It is silent so no 'puff' to upset them. The drugs are also cheaper than the inhalers. There is a fb group Seasonal allergy support group which could be helpful.

 

[autumn7]

I too invested in a Flexineb last summer when pollen counts soared. Horse tolerated it extremely well morning and night and we swiftly got into the routine so didn't take long at all. I used it with horse cross-tied so couldn't try and 'wipe' the mask off on door frames or the walls.
I got a prescription from the vet and purchased the (human) asthma inhalers online as more economical.
Praying the flare up won't be as extensive this year (lasted twelve weeks last summer) but feel more confident now I'm 'armed' that I can catch and nebulise sooner. Grass pollens were the culprit with my horse. She's 16 and this was her first attack so hoping it was the freak dry, hot, pollen-laden summer we had.
Decided to buy the Flexineb after horse had been on a heavy dose of steroid tablets and wasn't prepared to have her on them for longer than necessary, although they did work. Nebulising gets the drugs directly to the lungs, unlike steroids which are metabolized through the liver so far kinder to the system. The increase prospect of laminitis with long-term steroid use was also a no-no for me.

 

[awelshandawarmblood]

Which antihistamine can I buy online?

It will be my last attempt at making my boy more comfy over summer as every year I try a new supplement but there's never any improvement - this has been going on the last 8 years now. He's a 15hh Section D with a pollen allergy & between May & Sept suffers with exercise intolerance & has heave lines - no coughing, headshaking or snotty nose, so between those months he's pretty much out of work with the odd slow hack to help his boredom. I cannot put any kind of nebuliser anywhere near him, hes totally neurotic about anything touching his muzzle - I cant put Vicks inside his nostrils & even a nose net sends him loopy. I've always for this reason used feed based products with no luck & won't put him on steroids which is the only thing the vet will offer as he's an extremely good doer & I dont want a laminitic no breathing pony! Only thing that stops it is bute which is of course for short term use plus I wouldn't want it masking anything else.

 

[Highflinger]

I buy hay fever tablets online (antihistamine)- around £5 for 180 tablets
Your boy sounds just like mine awelshandwarmblood - section D - he has had his allergy for a good 15 years - absolutely fine at the moment but around May he will start to wheeze until around September

 

[awelshandawarmblood]

I buy hay fever tablets online (antihistamine)- around £5 for 180 tablets
Your boy sounds just like mine awelshandwarmblood - section D - he has had his allergy for a good 15 years - absolutely fine at the moment but around May he will start to wheeze until around September

That's great thank you! I'll go & have a look for some now & work out what kind of dose I should be trying - I did as a vet in the past but they refused to advise as it wasn't through them It's so frustrating isn't it, I have to ride all autumn & winter in the horrendous weather to get him fit enough to squeeze in 1 or 2 April fun rides, then let him wind down for summer as by May he's wheezy Even if I can't ride him at least if I can get him more comfortable in the field that would be great.

 

[Fruitcake]

Another vote for the Flexineb nebuliser here! I too went down the inhaler route (steroid and salbutamol) with a baby spacer. They made some difference but the nebuliser made a huge difference as the medication was delivered right to the lungs! I used injectable steroids diluted with saline (on prescription from vet and bought online) and, when needed, a human salbutamol inhaler (again on prescription from vet from human pharmacy).

Horse seemed to realise it was helpful. It didn’t take him long at all to get used to it and he actually seemed to like it. The nebuliser certainly wasn’t cheap (insurance paid for it but, even if they hadn’t, I would’ve bought it myself). I’ve used it short term on a couple of occasions since the original stint. I can usually get on top of a flare-up quite quickly with a really low dose of steroids though.

 

[Sianio]

Thanks everyone, this is really useful. I bought the MDI only version of the inhaler as I didn't think she would tolerate it but I'll try the cross ties. I have a feeling she is going to try rearing when she realises she can't get it off! She's indifferent to the puff but just doesn't like the taste of the medication so refuses to breathe it in. More wilful than frightened! I haven't tried antihistamines though so I'll speak to vet about them.