Managing COPD

[silverbullet]

Following on from my cob having a bit of a snotty nose/mild cough for a few weeks we had the vet out yesterday who diagnosed mild COPD and gave him 2 week course of ventipulmin.

He is on soaked hay (too much of a fatty for haylage) and shavings and has daily turnout from 6am ish to 4pm ish.

Do any of you use any supplements for COPD that help - as it is only mild I would like to manage it without ventipulmin if possible.

Thanks

 

[Murphy88]

Can't really help with any supplements, but have you thought of using ventolin instead of ventipulmin, which is more effective. Also, while I'm sure you're vet has their reasons, we were taught that you shouldn't use ventipulmin/ventolin alone as they aren't actually treating the inflammation which is causing the signs.

As for general management, can you do 24hr turnout? COPD is equine asthma, so the only real way to get rid of it is turnout - as long as a horse is stabled, changes will continue happening in the lungs until they are eventually irreversible. At Leahurst they had a horse in with RAO, that when turned out was fine, but when brought in its signs recurred within 2 hours. If full turnout is not an option, you need to make sure the shavings and stable are completely dust free, and if you have neighbours, their horses need to be bedded on dust-free bed / dust free stable / ideally dust free hay as well.

Hope this helps, good luck!

 

[scallywags]

[ QUOTE ]
have you thought of using ventolin instead of ventipulmin, which is more effective. Also, while I'm sure you're vet has their reasons, we were taught that you shouldn't use ventipulmin/ventolin alone as they aren't actually treating the inflammation which is causing the signs.


[/ QUOTE ]

Ventipulmin is used like ventilin, to open the airways, nothing more. Ventipulmin is easier to get into a horse, to get the lungs open. I've used ventolin inhalers on my girl in the past, and you waste so much, and you cant guarentee how much the horse has taken. whereas with ventipaulmin if you know the feed has gone, you know your horses has the full dose

For a mild case its common to just get an airway dialator, if it perssists, the vets will prescribe something to slow your horses reactions to the allegens

[ QUOTE ]
As for general management, can you do 24hr turnout? COPD is equine asthma, so the only real way to get rid of it is turnout - as long as a horse is stabled, changes will continue happening in the lungs until they are eventually irreversible.

[/ QUOTE ]

My mare has irreversable lung damage due to a virus that caused phneumonia many yrs ago. But its not as bad as said above. And she was so ill in the vets that I nerly lost her. Mild COPD dosnt cause irreversable lung damage!
She's fully rideable, but her resp rate is naturally higher, due to the damage that was done. so if I competed her in endurance, I'd need a vet cert, to prove her breath rate is naturally higher than norm, thats it.

For mild COPD, winergy ventilate is good, as are global herbs pollen x, and equine america's Coff less.

Management is the key, esp if you dont want to be medicating. If you cant turn out 24/7, its ok just do everything you can, to protect the environment.
Soaking hay is good, shavings are ok, but can also be dusty, paper, card, or pellet bedding is less dusty in my experience.
Are you at livery ? what are the other horses bedded on ? As that was my worst problem, you can soak hay, and have dust free bedding, but if your horsy neighbour, dosnt soak hay, and uses straw, the dust spores carry over.
Are the stables well ventilated ? with a through draft ? as this helps, its better for COPD to add another rug and have good air flow.

 

[Sam22]

Ventipumin lasts 12hrs and ventolin lasts 4hours so unless you are going to treat the horse 6 times a day it is probably best to stick to ventipumin which is also the liscenced drug so should always be used first. Also they are not the same!

 

[Sam22]

Winergy ventilate is a very good herbal supplement that won't break the bank and I know quite a few people who use it.
The most common allergen that causes COPD is hay and if you have to feed it it should be religiously soaked. If possible it is better to change to haylage. Also avoid straw as a bedding, ideally your horse shouldn't share airspace with any straw or dry hay or the muck heap! Allergies are progressive and will get worse the longer the horse is exposed to the causing allergens so making management changes early and being very strict will hopefully save you alot of vet bills and prevent chronic lung damage. Turn out as much as possible is ideal unless your horse has summer pasture associated COPD and is allergic to pollens in which case it will need to be stabled during the pollen season.

 

[soulfull]

Naf respirator is fantastic!!!! start with the liquid then go on to the powder. After having it for years I gave it my horse for 4 months and it cleared it completely! Nothing else changed either

 

[GreedyGuts]

Horses will usually respond to ventipulmin for a short time, but then stop, so long term therapy isn't usually an option anyway.

As Murphy88 says reversing the inflammation is the critical thing, and the best way to do this is be changing the environment. In addition to this, inhaled steroid- beclomethasone is the best medication for reducing lung inflammation and treating RAO. Ventolin works when used before beclomethasone, because it dilates the lungs and the allows the steroid to penetrate further, so it doesn't matter that it only works for 4 hours. Beclomethasone is incredibly safe and can be used long term.

 

[CAYLA]

My pony had COPD, I used to use ventipulmin when he had bad bouts, but then it would generally be when I had to shut him in if we had strong winds(paranoid) the fencing would blow down.
I switched him to haylage, and made a gate for his stable instead of closing the door, for more ventilation, I would put fresh bedding down and leave the stable open all day for the dust to settle if there was any, he was first diagnosed whe I cleaned him and then shut him in, all the dust rose from the straw

and he was weezing like hell when I returned to him, I never did that again.
He was a 24/7 out pony with open stable with a thin layer of bedding.
Once I managed it better , he came off all meds and was fine.

 

[Donkeymad]

Our cob was on ventipulmin religously when we bought him. Since we got him he has received no medication and only once had minor problems, which was when we stabled him for a few hours. Simply by keeping him out 24/7 has proved enough for him. I appreciate this may not be an option for you.

 

[rangerover]

I am in the same boat with my mare. She is living out 24/7 and having soaked hay but still has a bit of a heave line. The vet said the soaked hay would clear it up but she has just had December, January and February off and today I took her rug off and stood and watched her, she is still doing it but with no discharge or cough at all. I am thinking of bringing her back into work slowly this week, was wondering about a supplement but which one? The vet said steroids would be the next step as ventupulmin is too expensive and shouldn't be learn long term, personally I would never take steroids unless I was desperate and am not too keen on giving them to my horse either. I did try an supplement in January which was new to the market, (can't remember the name of it but when I rang and queried the efficacy of it they suggestd I give a double dose (= double expense), so I didn't buy another tub but would be willing to try soemthing else so is it the Winnergy or Naf respirator?

 

[the watcher]

I have had a lot of success with Global herbs products, having taken on a horse with well established chronic COPD a few years back you would now not really even be able to tell she had a problem, even the vet cannot detect it unless I point it out.
Mostly it has been mangement - dust extracted bedding, haylage or very good quality damped hay and Global herbs products have done wonders

 

[TURBOBERT]

What about competing on Ventolin? Does it go into the blood stream and will it be picked up on a blood test? If so - any ideas what will be permitted. Herbal stuff doesnt work.

 

[GreedyGuts]

I advise clients to stop using steroid and ventolin inhalers 2 weeks before competition as they are both swabable.

 

[TURBOBERT]

Swabable ? Not detectable in blood then? What do they swab?