Inflammation Airways Disease

[karlie]

Hi All,

I am writing this post is desperation and as a last hope really, please if anyone can help Id be very grateful.

I bought my now 5 year old Irish Sports Horse over from Ireland a year ago now and nearly the whole time I have had him hes been poorly.

On arrival in June 2014, he'd had a rough 3 days traveling over so I just fussed and pampered him for a few days. The vet came after a week or so to start his vaccinations. I explained to the vet he'd has a slight run on his nose but the vet didnt seem too concerned and vaccinated him anyway. The following day he was full of thick yellow/green cistard like snot coming from both nostrols. Immediately the whole yard suspected strangles. I had the vet check him again and he was fine. He said he'd had a reaction to the vaccine, it would clear up itself. A month later, the vet came back to give him his booster, the snots hadnt completely gone but they gave him the vaccine anyway, same symptons happened again, thick yellow snots etc.

A week after the booster, I called a different vet out from another practice and immediately they rushed to treat him. He was boarder line pneumonia. I couldnt believe it how did he get to this. The vet said he had contracted shipping fever coming over and it had progressed into pneumonia. He was put onto 120 Prednisolone tablets daily, then reduced over time. He seemed to perk up but didnt gain any weight.

The vet gave him the all clear in the September 2014. Id now broken him to ride and everything was going well untill the snots started again. I called the vets out again in November 2014. They suspected shipping fever still. After more and more steroids with no real change he was admitted into Leahurst Equine Hospital (December 2014) He was there for a week and he was diagnosed with 'Inflammation Airways Disease'

I was to carefully manage his environment, haylage to eat, minimal shavings bed, out as much as possible. Well ventilated stable ETC ETC

I moved yards to better suit his condition, he was now on Prednisolone powder, steroid inhalers and ventalin inhalers daily. Started to see an improvement and in March/April 2015 he had the all clear. MADE UP! I was able to rebreak him

When the vet came I asked about giving him the flu jab again, was it wise. She said yes and he started the course again. A few weeks after this my hayalge supplier ran out of the haylage he could eat, I tried him on some meadow haylage but this started the snots ago. The vet said soak hay for 30 mins and see how I go.

Im now at June 2015, hes started with yellow snots again. I asked the vets advice, we took him off the hay and now hes having ritepack haylage (SO EXPENSIVE!) and hes back on his steroid inhaler. I can slowly see him giving me signs and symptoms of it returning again. Im beside yself. My insurance has stopped paying out as we've maxed out a £5000 claim.

I cant turn him out full time but hes out from 7:30 - 7:30 every day.

My questions are:
1) Could it have been the flu vaccine thats kicked it off again, maybe his immune system cant take it?
2) Was it the hay thats done it?
3) Is it the time of year, high pollen etc?
4) Could it be the pestisides the farmers are spraying on the fields?

All I know is my dream baby horse is poorly again and I dont know how to fix him? Im considering trying the Equinox suppliment for his immune system.

Ive never come across anyone whos horse suffers from IAD so I have nothing to go off other than my own experiences.

ANY ADVICE OR HELP WILL BE GREATLY RECEIVED, IM DESPERATE, I DONT WANNA HAVE A SITUATION WHERE HE HAS TO BE PTS :'(

Thank you for taking the time to read this, I hope to hear from someone xxx

 

[be positive]

It is probably a slight reaction to the vaccine, sensitivity to pollen, hay and being stable half the time, if he were mine I would turn out 24/7 if it means moving yard then for the sake of the horse I would do it, he probably needs a complete break from the stress, not mental stress but the physical stresses his body is reacting to, to allow him to heal himself otherwise the problem will continue and he is unlikely to ever stand up to proper work, if he cannot breath effectively he will not cope with any degree of work and this condition tends to be degenerative unless you can totally eliminate the cause.
I would probably not give him a flu jab just keep the tet going, a friends pony had a severe reaction and is no longer vaccinated for flu, it may restrict what you can do with him but if he is reacting to the vaccine he may never be fit enough to compete anyway.

 

[karlie]

Thank you for the response. Yes Ive looked at turning him out be my one concern is hes the 'MOST' accident prone horse Ive ever come across. Hes forever slicing and dicing himself. Even in a field which is so safe. Im frightened of more injuries. I totally agree with the vaccine, Im not giving him it again. Work wise hes been doing amazing the past month. And I took him out on Sunday and he won his class. Im not pushing him, but I have been riding as the vet said thats fine. 3-4 times a week. 20mins max.

 

[m1stify]

Can you get an allergy test done my mare had the full copd/rao symptoms meds turnout etc did not make a difference last hope was allergy test. Turned out allergic to mites in grain, nothing else - changed to cereal free feed never looked back since no medications and she is back to being stabled at night.

 

[budley95]

Mine has allergic airways disease. Not sure if that's similar? It was contracted after a virus damaged his trachea and lungs (scoped as moderately allergic trachea and mildly allergic lungs, so no where near as bad as your boy).

I found that shavings were too dusty, even Hunters and Bedmax, so my horse is stabled on shredded paper. When the pollen counts high he comes in of a day and goes out of a night. He's on Clenil Modulite 250 (steroid inhaler) 6 puffs every morning, and more if it's a high pollen count day or there's going to be a lot of dust about/it's really dry. He also gets salbutamol before exercise and we can use it when he has an attack to help get his breathing under control.

I soak my hay for 4 hours as he's also allergic to haylage and comes up in hives. Mine is a bit lethargic after his vaccinations, but I give him propel plus for a week before and finish the bottle after.

The pesticides may well be irritating him, they do my horse. I find having a pollen net on at all times also helps. And NEVER feed them from a haynet, Mine always gets an attack after eating from a haynet. Soaked hay off the floor/out a dustbin/haycube at all times I've found.

I've no had any success with supplements if I'm honest but I know a lot of people swear by the Winergy ventilate. I prefer to feed a balancer with things in to help his respiration. I personally use HPD's veteran balancer as it has the vit C etc in. I think TEN do one called immunity with Echinacea in that's supposed to be very good?

It's so frustrating how they can deteriorate so quickly because of one little set back and take forever to come back. But it's not the end of the world, even though it always feels like it is. Speak to your vets about salbutamol as well as it opens the airways up as it's a reliever before the steroid inhaler as a preventer - when mine's really struggling he gets 10 puffs of salbutamol followed by 10 puffs of the steroid inhaler 15 minutes later. He gets this twice daily when he's really struggling.

My boys started April 2014 and I thought I was going to lose him in June. But he did get better. It's just finding out what the triggers are and how best to manage it. It's not easy though. I really feel for you, but I wouldn't give up yet.

I've also found inhalers are half the price of I buy them from my local pharmacy with a prescription from my vet!