My poor boy! Dust allergy really got him now.

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Equimo

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Hi all, i'm just looking for any advice or info that i don't already know.
My lovely kind honest horse always gets a cough around April time. I always put it down to end of stable season, too much dust last few months. It's his way of telling me it's time to chuck him out, so he goes to live out and it clears up and we are all fine.
This year it's early, too damn early.
He's had it about 5 weeks now. Jack is a fit horse, works everyday and hunts every week. He has good stamina and strength over any ground and stays out all day with a bloodhound pack.
I felt he wasn't right out hunting, he got tired early which isn't like him but i put it down to deep ground. Anyway the cough came, i spoke to vet and he had ten days on ventipulmin. He was fine while on that, seemed to clear it up so at £7 a day i stopped.
He's been coughing again this past week. Vet was out yesterday for his teeth and vaccs and we discussed management. I'm doing all the usual, soaking hay, clean stable clean shavings and out as much as possible. I told vet, 'it's ok though as he's not coughing during exercise so he's not that bad.' Rode him out today and he coughed a bit on way out. He's never done that. Had a canter and oh my lord! Poor boy was rattling after a few strides. Fast work out of the question. After the canter we must have irritated the problem as he then roared, really roared at a walk all the way home :(
So I'm waiting for a call back from the vet to get him back on some drugs. I've never known him this bad so i'm not sure if ventipulmin will cut it? I'm thinking he'll be sore too so i dropped a bute in his feed tonight but i'll ask the vet about something to soothe his throat. Apart from all the usual management changes, does anyone have any tips, remedies or recommendations for suppliments etc? Vet said a respiritory suppliment with anti oxidents might be worth a shot (when we were discussing management of the milder symptoms) Poor Jack is such a trooper, he would never complain if he felt bad but he just couldn't stop himself heaving and rattling today. I don't have a lot of experience with dust allergies this bad. Just wanna help him :(
 
I have found that changing to haylage is really the best option with horses like yours, somehow soaking the hay is just not enough and the problem will not clear up. One of mine was never right towards the end of each winter, despite doing as you have but now he has haylage he does not have a problem and can even be bedded on straw at times.
 
Are you feeding hay from the floor - this is the most important thing for us.

If he is likely to wolf his hay you could perhaps try a halleys blox - I've not used them but may give you peace of mind. That said now mine are used to eat from the floor they have stopped rushing Ther hay
 
Thanks! I didn't realise the hay could be 'the' problem. It's really good hay too, but we did notice Jack started his coughing a little after we got this new batch in. I will get him on haylage today. Does anyone use potions and powders to good effect? I was looking at the nostrilvet site, the spray which sounds a plausable treatment but i was put off by having to use it every 3 hours. He would still be coughing every morning.
 
I find that there is nothing as good as ventipulmin, you can often get away with a very reduced amount once the initial problem settles, as little as 1/2 scoop daily although vets dont tell you this. You should see a marked improvement on haylage but possibly use a few days more ventipulmin to help.
 
My boy developed a bad cough a couple of years ago. The vet checked his blood for a virus, bloods came back ok. So i changed him onto a dust free lifestyle as possible in case it was a dust allergy and it has really helped.I liertally jet washed the whole stable to get rid of any cob webs and dust around the stable. He has his stable rubber matted and literally a few shavings... i hate it, but it helps.. he has to have haylage as well. When it first happened, he was on ventipulmin (which didnt really help) and also an inhaler!
I find that the NAF product range (Resiportor boast & Kofezze) helped better than the Ventapulim.
i now very rarley hear him cough...
Good luck
 
Good advice from everyone. Have you considered changing his bedding as even shavings can be incredibly dusty? Paper or flax might be better. My lot are on paper and I love it but others hate it.

Also, are the horses next to Jack on a clean air regime? It could be dust from their hay and or bedding that is setting him off.

Another thing to try might be to leave his door open and keep him in with a slip rail to maximise air flow.

Feed everything off the floor as someone else suggested.
 
Thankyou everyone :) 24 / 7 turnout is impossible right now. I have three very wet very expose acres on top of a hill. He also suffers from heel mites and I have just got on top of these so i don't want to compromise the skin in that area.
He lives in a wooden stable block. Yesterday i took out all old bedding and got the cobwebs down. There is a small vent either side of walls into next stables, so i think i will block those. Then he won't get any dust from either side.
If he's in during the day he has a chain accross his door, but can't leave it like this at night or the weather will get in. (We are very exposed.)
I have him on haylage from today, and I'll look into cardboard bedding. I got on well with that, but i find paper gets very heavy and dirty.
Still waiting for the vet to call back, but i presume he'll be back on ventipulmin and I'll stress to the vet how much worse he is and see if there's anything else we can give him. Will def look at the NAF stuff too, do you know if it has anti oxidents?
God i'll be glad to see the back of this miserable winter!
 
I'd dispense with bedding all together if you can't turn him out 24/7.

Rubber matting with a sprinkle of shavings or cardboard to mop up the wet.
 
Can't dispense with bedding or he won't pee in the stable! He's a funny boy. During Summer he comes in for day times onto rubber mats and we have to take him out to his 'pee spot' two or three times a day as he'll hold it in rather than pee on the mats. If he tries to pee on a sprinkle of bedding, and it makes a noise or splashes he will stop peeing immediatley!

Maybe more beer could help..........
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Lovely boy!

My suggestions would be haylage, ribena (very soothing don't you know ;) ) and maximum turnout. I have my boy on Aquamax bedding when he comes in. I have to admit that the best thing I have done which has stopped his coughing stone dead is leaving him out 24/7 all this winter. Something else needed his stable more than he did. There has been no coughing at all :D.
 
Definately haylage. My oldie suffered for years, mainly the really snotty nose and occasional cough. He had soaked hay, shavings etc etc.

I moved to our current yard where good haylage is thrown in. Not had a problem since and I am even bedding him on the straw which is thrown in free at our yard :D :D
 
Brilliant thread.. didn t realise so many folk had the same problems as i do with my old lad.
Chester was on that ventipulmin but i too found it was way too exsensive to keep him on it indefinately. We ve got him out 24/7 and on haylage which i think is about the best i can do for him.. he is semi retired and really only used for light hacking now.
I would be interested to know how this condition progresses in an older horse.? Chester is around about 18 -19 and acts like a yearling!
 
I wish i could chuck him out 24/7. I know that will get rid of this damn cough. It usually gets him in April, then his routine changes from in at night to in during the day for a while so he spends far far more time out. Just not possible yet for several reasons.
He's now on haylage and ventipulmin. My mission today is to find small bales of haylage that don't cost a fortune. Paid 7.60 for small bales yesterday and one bale will do him a day. (Ventipulmin is cheaper!) Need bales that are about 50kg but thats probably a very awkward size.
Very interesting to hear what others do, thanks.
Going to look at the winergy stuff too
 
Well, what a difference already. He's only had two doses of ventipulmin and started on haylage last night. I haven't heard him cough at all this morning, and I'm sure he's feeling better coz the monkey keeps charging at poor big mare over the fence with a spin and a bronc for good measure. Now i want rid of this snow and ice so i can see how he is at exercise.
 
I'm another one with a mare that suffers like this. It's so hard to get it right. I too cannot give her 24/7 turnout but she's out as much as possible unless the weather is horrific - and then she demands to be in! She has also recently been diagnosed with Cushings.

She is on rubber matting with two buckets of shavings sprinkled in a corner, soaked hay fed from the ground and she is on a supplement called Respimin which was prescribed by my vet but I know by off the internet. I always ensure I have a tub of ventipulmin in stock and if I see any snot I stop the Respimin and chuck some ventipulmin down her for 2-3 days. Seems to do to the trick.

Good to hear your boy is feeling brighter.
 
Equimo said:
Hi all, i'm just looking for any advice or info that i don't already know.
My lovely kind honest horse always gets a cough around April time. I always put it down to end of stable season, too much dust last few months. It's his way of telling me it's time to chuck him out, so he goes to live out and it clears up and we are all fine.
This year it's early, too damn early.
He's had it about 5 weeks now. Jack is a fit horse, works everyday and hunts every week. He has good stamina and strength over any ground and stays out all day with a bloodhound pack.
I felt he wasn't right out hunting, he got tired early which isn't like him but i put it down to deep ground. Anyway the cough came, i spoke to vet and he had ten days on ventipulmin. He was fine while on that, seemed to clear it up so at £7 a day i stopped.
He's been coughing again this past week. Vet was out yesterday for his teeth and vaccs and we discussed management. I'm doing all the usual, soaking hay, clean stable clean shavings and out as much as possible. I told vet, 'it's ok though as he's not coughing during exercise so he's not that bad.' Rode him out today and he coughed a bit on way out. He's never done that. Had a canter and oh my lord! Poor boy was rattling after a few strides. Fast work out of the question. After the canter we must have irritated the problem as he then roared, really roared at a walk all the way home :(
So I'm waiting for a call back from the vet to get him back on some drugs. I've never known him this bad so i'm not sure if ventipulmin will cut it? I'm thinking he'll be sore too so i dropped a bute in his feed tonight but i'll ask the vet about something to soothe his throat. Apart from all the usual management changes, does anyone have any tips, remedies or recommendations for suppliments etc? Vet said a respiritory suppliment with anti oxidents might be worth a shot (when we were discussing management of the milder symptoms) Poor Jack is such a trooper, he would never complain if he felt bad but he just couldn't stop himself heaving and rattling today. I don't have a lot of experience with dust allergies this bad. Just wanna help him :(
Click to expand...

My mare has asthma

I bought one of these stable sprays and era mask i also use global herbs airways plus ( smells of eucalyptus ) supplement , this is what i tried and tested also a nose net in summer when pollen around,and before x country i used to give her equine america airways liquid in syringe ( different to the powder) just to open airways before fast work

all are listed here on this site.
the great thing about the mask i know expensive but brilliant for the puffer is you can put cotton wool and obias oil in bottle in between to help

http://equinecare-and-control.weebly.com/a.html
switched to comfy bed to
 
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My boy has suffered with niggly coughs in the past, but they go quickly and he's always so well in himself. But this year it was lasting longer so I decided to get it checked out. He only ever coughs when worked and very occasionally in the stable, the vet started by giving him a course of ventipulmin and anti b's (in case of infection) and that cleared up the cough, but as soon as the venti stopped he started coughing again :( so then the vet suggested scoping and a tracheal wash, this showed mucus/inflammation in his airways but no infection. So he was diagnosed with mild COPD/RAO :(

He was already on woodchips and rubber matting and soaked hay and turned out every day, but he was in an indoor stable. He is now in a big airy outdoor stable with no stable one side and the tack room on the other, so no cross contamination from straw etc. in other stables, and also away from the muckheap. I can't tell you if this has improved matters at the moment as I've not ridden for over a week due to this awful weather :(!

The vet also said to make sure he wasn't near his stable when it was mucked out, and whenever possible groom him and change rugs etc. with him outside his stable - lots of fresh air. Also to feed hay and feeds from the ground.

The vet is also getting an inhaler for him, the plan is to use it to clear up all the mucus etc. in his airways and then reduce the dose as low as possible, or maybe to nothing at all. The one suppliment my vet suggested was Equistro secreta pro, which I've not tried. I'm currently using feedmark's clarity which I think helps but it's hard to be sure.

Good luck.
 
I have tried everything with my boy but the main difference was haylage and blocking his stable off from everyone elses. I have tried an inhaler and ventipulmin. He was on ventilate and Aloe Vera - he seems to have just got better over time!! He is on cardboard and shaving and that has reduced the dust.

I still give the aloe vera as that does seem to help in the summer!
 
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