Flakey1
New User
Hi - I have a horse that is suffering fro asthma/copd and wondered if anyone had/has horses with similar symptoms and might be able to give me any advice.
He is a novice event horse that was fit and ready to go at the start of last season, he did one event but then started to blow badly during normal exercise, sweat and his performance went down hill rapidly. I had him looked at by my vet who took blood and told me he had a virus. He was putting in the odd cough when being ridden but not coughing significantly. He had from May last year off and was bloodtested every 6 weeks or so, the blood had not changed at the end of the summer (not enough red blood cells I think) and so the vet said to start working him and see. All seemed fine until he was fit and started jumping again (in December) when the same thing happened. Vet then scoped him and his lungs were thick with gunk, he went on ventopulmin and sabulosim for 2 weeks, and then he went on a beclometasone dipropionate inhaler starting at 16 puffs a day, after 2 weeks further on that we scoped him and took blood and both were clear, he then stayed on the inhaler gradually reducing to 6 puffs morning and night. He had January off and then we built him up again and all seemed to be going well, hed been out jumping, xc schooling and even had a run round a pre novice event double clear with no issues, then about 3 weeks ago I was xc schooling him and he had no enthusiasm and was blowing, about a week later I was having a flatwork lesson indoors and again he was blowing hard and had no energy, last week I jumped him before an event and he was awful, blowing very hard after about 5 fences and no enery atall! Ive now turned him out as was still coming in at night and having soaked hay (as haylage made him cough) nad hes going to see a specialist vet on Wednesday - Im not sure what they will suggest but obviously I am very concerned as he was a super event horse until this all appeared - hes now 9. Any advice on similar situatiosn would be grately appreciated!
He is a novice event horse that was fit and ready to go at the start of last season, he did one event but then started to blow badly during normal exercise, sweat and his performance went down hill rapidly. I had him looked at by my vet who took blood and told me he had a virus. He was putting in the odd cough when being ridden but not coughing significantly. He had from May last year off and was bloodtested every 6 weeks or so, the blood had not changed at the end of the summer (not enough red blood cells I think) and so the vet said to start working him and see. All seemed fine until he was fit and started jumping again (in December) when the same thing happened. Vet then scoped him and his lungs were thick with gunk, he went on ventopulmin and sabulosim for 2 weeks, and then he went on a beclometasone dipropionate inhaler starting at 16 puffs a day, after 2 weeks further on that we scoped him and took blood and both were clear, he then stayed on the inhaler gradually reducing to 6 puffs morning and night. He had January off and then we built him up again and all seemed to be going well, hed been out jumping, xc schooling and even had a run round a pre novice event double clear with no issues, then about 3 weeks ago I was xc schooling him and he had no enthusiasm and was blowing, about a week later I was having a flatwork lesson indoors and again he was blowing hard and had no energy, last week I jumped him before an event and he was awful, blowing very hard after about 5 fences and no enery atall! Ive now turned him out as was still coming in at night and having soaked hay (as haylage made him cough) nad hes going to see a specialist vet on Wednesday - Im not sure what they will suggest but obviously I am very concerned as he was a super event horse until this all appeared - hes now 9. Any advice on similar situatiosn would be grately appreciated!
