Feeding an older horse with possible COPD/bad dust allergy

[Christmas Crumpet]

My old horse (but new to me) seems to react very badly to dust. His wind isn't brilliant but once he's had a quick cough after a canter, he is normally fine.

He was on a straw bed for one night when he first arrived and was dreadful the next day out exercising both in his wind and coughing so came straight home.

He's had a course of ventapulmin which doesn't seem to have done anything.

He is now on mats and shavings with steamed hay for 70 mins. However, he is still not brilliant. He does have a habit of burying his head right inside his hay trug and I did notice this morning that there were lots of hay seeds and bits of very small hay particles at the bottom.

Spoke to vet this morning who said things like HiFi or Alpha A don't help the situation because they have small, dusty particles in them. I also feed Pro Hoof which is like a big scoop of dust. So we thought change his feed entirely to something like Calm & Condition or very soggy Purabeet to mix his supplements in and they should all be absorbed by the liquid. Also to put his hay in a haynet about shoulder height above a trug so that the trug gets all the little weeny bits collected in it and he can't bury his head in the hay up to his eyes therefore inhaling more weeny bits.

He is out all the time at the moment unless he is in the night before cubbing which I will continue till it gets too wet.

Does anyone else have any good ideas? He is such a wonderful horse - my dream horse actually - and I just want to make life far easier for him. Vet is coming tomorrow night to have a look at him and see if there is anything else we can give him to help him a bit.

 

[be positive]

One of mine struggles to cope with hay in any way but is fine on haylage, feeding a complete soaked feed also helps there is no need to add any form of chaff and the supplements mix in well.

 

[Pamfyson]

Soak all food, hay included. Haynets allow seeds etc to fall out on the ground. Remove bedding and just put a sprinkle of shavings or straw to soak up wet and sweep out completely every morning. Allow horse as much time out as possible. I do this for my chap and he hasn't needed medication for years and is as fit as a flea.

 

[RobinHood]

My COPD horse can't deal with shavings, even those that claim to be dust free, he needs cardboard. I took him to a specialist respiratory vet who advised against using rubber mats unless it's liquid rubber or they are very well fitted and sealed. It's also easier to pressure wash the stable every month if you don't have to deal with heavy rubber mats.

Mine does well with steamed hay fed on the floor. I would avoid raising the hay as any mucus won't be able to drain. Currently mine is out in a paddock 24/7 with ad lib steamed hay, ventolin and flixotide twice a day, pus ventolin before exercise.

We had a TB with COPD that lived to 36yrs old. He could only eat long grass or soaked feed, and did very well on fast fibre and veteran vitality 8 times a day.