opinions on straw and allergies

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NooNoo59

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My boy has always been on straw this is the first year with him but I know the previous owner. In the spring he had a respiratory issue his airways were restricted vet was called drugs given and he has been fine ever since. The vet thought it was probably an allergic reaction to something but no idea what. During the summer he had been in during the day and out at night. I think previous summers he has been out 24/7 I changed his bedding to micanthus for the summer. I would like to put him back on straw for the winter as it's much cheaper abd we get adlib straw on our yard. Has anyone gone back onto straw after something like this the vet couldn't say if it was the straw and has has been bedded on it for years. Opinions?
 
I generally bed on straw but it can be the cause of respiratory problems, if you take care to ensure he gets well soaked hay or haylage and that he is out as much as possible then you may be fine, never muck out or bed down with him inside, unless absolutely essential and see how it goes, if there are any signs of coughing then change the bedding and get him started with treatment ASAP.
I have one who had problems and was bedded on shavings for years, he is now retired so is out most of the time 24/7 only coming in at night for the worst of the winter, he has been fine on straw for the past 2 years, he seems to react more to what he eats and couldn't cope with hay however well soaked it was so is now only fed haylage, it does depend on what the trigger is and some will be fine on a good clean straw bed.
 
The only way you will know for sure is to do it. Put him back on straw and see what happens. If he gets another reaction you'll know it's the straw and will have to come off it.
 
Yes just nervous! As he has been on straw for years I can't think it is that but I suppose horses change over the years and can develop allergies over time. He is also doing more wirk than he has ever done before so maybe that has changed something. Will do the change in a couple of weeks and see how we go
 
Mine is allergic to dust and coughs her guts up over the nicest hay and straw. On vets recommendation I switched to shavings but it was so expensive and the stable is still dusty no matter how much I cleaned it, the shavings did not cure her cough so I went back to straw. I leave her out as much as possible and the stable door is always open onto yard so she can walk around. This helped a lot . I have found the ventilation is more important than the bedding tbh
 
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I think that whatever you bed on, however dust free it is deemed to be at the point of putting it in. It will break down under pressure of wear from the horse and create it's own dust content regardless. Therefore I have rubbermatted stables and bed on straw. This means I don't need too much and can turn it around frequently which ensures there is far less dust. My horse has been kept for years this way with no return to his respiratory problems, although I suspect that it would depend on the individual animal to a large degree. I also think that good quality straw is far less dusty than anything else anyway.
 
Agree with others who say try it and see! Shake the bed up well and leave for a couple of hours before putting horse in the stable. You used to be able to buy something to sprinkle over to lay the dust (Yuk Bed?).

Agree that the rubber matting with a small amount of bedding material might be best long term solution, but there is a large capital cost in buying the mats, and then there is the problem of dirty horse and moving the heavy mats to clean them.

Hopefully this year there is plenty of nice clean dry straw available, although Ihad one pony that could eat hay OK but would always cough on straw - strange.
 
Straw is much cheaper for us but will make the effort to break it up in the barn not in the stable. Going to remove mats from the back of the stable so it does not get soggy and can be left to dry during the day.
 
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