Horse with outdoor allergy? Supplements?

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welshcobmad

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After 8 months of trying every tactic under the sun, the vet took my 7 year old Section D in for scoping & a tracheal wash. Symptoms came about after he caught a respiratory virus at our old yard, coughing, breathless, heaving under any work whatsoever. He basically shook the virus but was left very breathless under ridden work.

He was scoped, trachea etc all very clean & normal, wash came back with no bacteria but cells to say its a mild allergy. No idea what & vet says no point in allergy testing because it isnt specific enough.

The last week or so since our winter routine has started it has become very obvious its something outdoors setting him off despite being rotated through 3 various fields its consistent. If I ride him straight out after a day or night in stabled hes fine, up for a gallop, trotting along fine - even did 10 mile hack Saturday! Then for example yesterday, he was out in the day, went up to ride later on & he was lethargic, wheezy & doing a big heave every so often. Nowhere near as bad as he was in the summer though by any means.

So basically we're down to guessing games! Whats flowering all summer & to this point in autumn that could be setting him off? Could it be anything to do with cattle grazing the land before the horses? I dont know.

Vet says to try supplements so does anyone have any suggestions? So far the ones I've found that look good are:
Allergy Herbal Blend
Winergy Ventilate
Global Herbs Airway Plus
Global Herbs Dust X
Global Herbs Pollen X
NAF Easy Breathe Herbal Mix
NAF Respirator

I rang the vet with the intention of having him allergy tested but she was adamant that it could be anything outside setting him off & the range they'll give in the results is too much. She also suggested an inhaler but he'll go beserk & thats for the rest of his life. Final suggestion being to move yards, but if I dont know what it is I may just move him somewhere the same or worse!

At my wits end with this I just want to enjoy my horse again & be able to ride out without stressing hes going to be "off". Hes only 7 & the way the last near on year has gone has got me thinking hes going to be nothing but a pet!
 
I love global herbs products :D

HAve to admit I would be tempted to keep him in for a few days (3-5days) and ride on the 3rd day - I suspect whilst stabled it may be that the dust settles - but once he has moved about a while that it all comes up?

It is still mild so lots going on outside - glad your vet has some sense. I paid a lot for allergy testing which was completely wrong and gave useless answers - the panel isn't big enough, and what they do test for throws so many false positives up its unreal. My pony is allergic to cockroaches and a brazilian tree... clearly my welsh mountain pony came from tropical climates!!!!!!

The other thing would be to turn out with a nose net (such as equilibrium mask) on and see if that helps?
 
My Mare is allergic to all Grasses - which includes our (ex dairy) pasture grass, and all grains. Her allergy manifests itself in itchy lumps in the skin, so not a respiratory problem - but an allergic reaction nevertheless.

She can have two hours turnout in the summer, and has about 8 hours in the winter when the grass isn't growing. She can eat hay (thank goodness).

I can't begin to guess what your horse is allergic to (sorry), but here are some things I have learnt from my time of owning her during which I finally worked out what it is that she is allergic to.

1 - A controlled exclusion diet/lifestyle is the only sure way to finding out what the allergen is. The blood tests very rarely give conclusive results and can show up false positives.

2 - All the specialist equine vets in my area were extremely helpful, and tried to find a solution but the reality is that I ended up knowing more about horses allergies than they did. It's a very specialist subject, and with hindsight I can now see that over the course of 2 years my vet(s) contradicted themselves and each other. Not because they were in any way bluffing, but because it's a really really complicated area and they just don't have the specialist knowledge.

3 - If it responds positively to steroids then it is most likely an allergic reaction. But you can't keep your horse on steroids all the time.

4 - Anti-histamines is not a solution recommended by vets.

5 - There are many supplements out there that claim to help a horses immune system. I haven't found one that makes the slightest difference yet.

6 - I ended up solving this 50% through my own research/observation/exclusion trials and 50% by talking to Professor Derek Knottenbelt at the Liverpool equine Hospital . He is (I think) a skin specialist rather than a allergy specialist but boy did he know what he was talking about. I e-mailed him a full case history plus my own guess/suggestion of what the problem is, and he was kind enough to talk to me for half an hour over the telephone. No charge.

I know that seems like not a lot of knowledge! but I can't stress enough that for me the solution that worked was to stop the 'quick fix' remedies suggested by the vet or the feed manufacturers, and to just objectively and systematically exclude and observe until I'd narrowed it down.

I hope you find a solution to your horses problems. I did :) so it can be done. Good Luck.
 
I did the same as Rosie - tO the point of making Trousers for her!

I too had to often lead the vets, and when I did finds good one we spent hours bouncing theories back and forth as he had never had a case of auto immune disease.

I actually think supplements can be the way forwards. global herbs Skratch transformed my little girl - by totally controlling the sweet itch, it means that as long as she is rugged from sunlight her sores are there but never broken open
 
We had an old (27) mare who was practically unrideable she was so wheezy out at grass. Last resort used Global Herbs Airways Plus and she was back doing 6-8 mile hacks and unaffiliated dressage. I would highly recommend it.

She loved every minute of being ridden and was finally PTS at 31 due to arthritis.
 
Thankyou all so much for your help! It's very much appreciated & its nice to know there could be a positive outcome through trial & error. I'm trying to decide between Global Herbs Airways Plus & there's a good few on Equinatural that sound really good including the Breatheplus & Pollenease.

I've been doing my research & I know the vet said it was an allergy most likely pollen but its still affecting him late now in November. So looking at pollen counts etc the only thing still releasing it at this time of year is stingy nettles & certain weeds. It's a possibility!
 
popularfurball said:
Trees too - shedding leaves.

My pony is allergic to beech trees so that was march and autumn at change of leaves
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How did you manage to track down the allergy to beech trees?
My boy is allergic to something and was bad in spring then again since October, but I'm not sure how to work out the cause. Any experiences would be very welcome.
 
I assume this horse is new to you ? Why not ask the old owners if they had the same problem, if they didn't - and you believe them, ask them more detailed questions about the environment they kept him in.
 
Ah trees is another, although 2 of the 3 paddocks hes been in hasnt got any close by but all 3 have nettles in or around the edge. But least its slightly narrowing down so I'll keep the trees & nettles in mind.

If he's 100% once everything frosts over then is definately pollen & definately something releasing pollen late - nettles & trees being the only 2 I can identify going on until November so far.

It started in April/May & is still going now, breathless (huffing every few mins on rides) & lethargic to the point of it being cruel to ride him hence just really leaving him be & dabbling with different routines. At his worst he makes a horrible short sharp rasping noise on exhale.

Hes in on a straw bed (soon changing to shavings) with a hay & haylage net no problem overnight so its definately outside.

I just hope I can control it when it comes back with avengence next spring because otherwise I'll have no choice but to retire him to a few months winter use only - a total shame as hes only 7 & too good to retire! Trying to choose which Equinatural tub to have a go with or ring & explain his situation to see if they'll make something for him.
 
elliecjno1 said:
If he's 100% once everything frosts over then is definately pollen
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I don't want to crush that theory, but having learnt from my experience with Rosie I can say that as far as grass goes it's the grass sugars in the growing grass (Spring, Summer, Autumn), but not in the dormant winter grass, or the dried hay, that cause Rosie's problem.

I mention this because you're conclusion that it is pollen would be based on an assumption that this is the only thing that changes with the seasons. Which it's not. Rosie's grass allergy, and Popularfurball's Beech Leaf allergy are other examples of seasonal variant caused by plants.

If the allergy clears up this winter (fingers crossed), then you are best off leaving everything EXACTLY as it is (don't change bedding, don't change feeds, don't add supplements etc) and then keep a really really careful watch for the first signs of the allergy coming back in the spring (let's hope it doesn't).

Then if it does - I would suggest you start with a week of box rest if possible to see if that makes the allergy go away, then limited turnout etc. Take it really slowly and methodically..... and you will get there.

Other things to look out for are any changes in crops if you are in farming country. Is there near to you - chicken farm, or oilseed rape for instance?
 
It was identified by allergy testing... not that I would recommend it. It doesn't test for enough things, and equally throws up too many nonsense results. Says my pony doesn't have sweet itch - when quite clearly she does - 95% undeniably so.

I would be tempted to keep him in now for a week - just because it isn't a problem in the stable doesnt mean it isn't a problem in the stable - it may just be that as he is warm, and not having to move that he doesn't struggle to breathe.

The other thing is something like an exercise induced asthma in people.

As for things outside - just to totally blow things out of the water - you can't tell if something is inhaled or contact allergy.

An example, if a horse eats or inhales something it is allergic too - it can come out in hives. If a fly bites it it can come out in hives.

If a horse inhales something typically breathing difficulties present - but also if something touches it it can cause breathing difficulties. This is the same in humans - my dad only has to touch fish (not eat it) and his through and tongue swell up requiring A&E. Sorry, that probably blows a lot out the water!

PS He could also be eating a plant - rather than pollen stuff.
 
Don't know if this will be of any help, but my horse coughs when out on certain types of pastures. She is fine with short lush grass, even longer lush grass, but any long brown stringy grass, wet or dry makes, her a bit coughy, nothing major, but still there.

When she came she had a bit of an infection that was cleared up with antibiotics & ventipulmin. After that I put her on to NAF easy breathing liquid, I didn't go for respirator purely because she wasn't in work, if she had have been I'd have gone with that. I was going to put her onto the herbs after the liquid, but she had stopped coughing so I stopped giving, and now that she is kept on decent pasture (which has always been grazed by horses, seems to make all the difference to her coughing), I haven't had to give it since! Would recommend it though, but introduce it slowly, mine wouldn't go near her food cause I put too much in to start off with, oops.

I love Global Herbs products after good experiences with various ones, so would recommend giving them a bash :)
 
elliecjno1 said:
Ah trees is another, although 2 of the 3 paddocks hes been in hasnt got any close by but all 3 have nettles in or around the edge. But least its slightly narrowing down so I'll keep the trees & nettles in mind.

If he's 100% once everything frosts over then is definately pollen & definately something releasing pollen late - nettles & trees being the only 2 I can identify going on until November so far.

It started in April/May & is still going now, breathless (huffing every few mins on rides) & lethargic to the point of it being cruel to ride him hence just really leaving him be & dabbling with different routines. At his worst he makes a horrible short sharp rasping noise on exhale.

Hes in on a straw bed (soon changing to shavings) with a hay & haylage net no problem overnight so its definately outside.

I just hope I can control it when it comes back with avengence next spring because otherwise I'll have no choice but to retire him to a few months winter use only - a total shame as hes only 7 & too good to retire! Trying to choose which Equinatural tub to have a go with or ring & explain his situation to see if they'll make something for him.
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There may still be weed pollen still around and probably spores too. Once something has set off the allergic reaction it will take time to settle down. I have a horse with a pollen allergy which starts around April/May and carries on until September/October time. If you E Mail or ring Jen at Equinatural she will advise you on which blend you can feed. I have tried every product on the market for breathing issues and none of them worked for my horse. The herbs however do appear to help. It may be worth a try. Good luck, I know how frustrating it can be when you cant seem to pinpiont the cause.
 
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