RAO/Pollen allergy? Experiences and recommendations for supplements?

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mickey

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Hello

My horse has been producing a strange noise upon exercise for a few weeks (even gentle walking on hacks). Reduced energy, and he is quite fit normally. Sounds like forced exhalation or inhalation (not sure which) of air. The vet has tried a course of ventipulmin (no joy), anti-histamines for a week (seemed to get worse), and now I am reducing his 'in' hours by bringing him in for 6/7 hrs only during the day as he loves coming in and sleeping- We will see if that makes a difference. I am growing increasingly concerned about this. What do you think the next course of veterinary action should be?

He has been stabled in a nastily dusty barn, (straw horrible), next to straw container - with poor ventilation. I know this is of course far less than ideal. He is on shavings now (for a month), and only small baled haylage - shop bought. I have little say in choice of stable but hope to move yards imminently.

Any advice?? Also I was thinking of trying Winergy Ventilate? Would love to know which supps have produced good results for you. I expect the next course will be bronchodilators and steroids - But I'd be really keen to avoid these and the mask..........

Thank you.
 
mickey said:
Hello

My horse has been producing a strange noise upon exercise for a few weeks (even gentle walking on hacks). Reduced energy, and he is quite fit normally. Sounds like forced exhalation or inhalation (not sure which) of air. The vet has tried a course of ventipulmin (no joy), anti-histamines for a week (seemed to get worse), and now I am reducing his 'in' hours by bringing him in for 6/7 hrs only during the day as he loves coming in and sleeping- We will see if that makes a difference. I am growing increasingly concerned about this. What do you think the next course of veterinary action should be?

He has been stabled in a nastily dusty barn, (straw horrible), next to straw container - with poor ventilation. I know this is of course far less than ideal. He is on shavings now (for a month), and only small baled haylage - shop bought. I have little say in choice of stable but hope to move yards imminently.

Any advice?? Also I was thinking of trying Winergy Ventilate? Would love to know which supps have produced good results for you. I expect the next course will be bronchodilators and steroids - But I'd be really keen to avoid these and the mask..........

Thank you.
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Firstly you need to get the horse away from all of the things you mention which you will hopefully by moving. You may even get an improvement if it is allergy related by moving yards if it is something in the environment (outdoor or in) at current yard.
I have tried quite a few and clarity is fairly good and on offer but I have found the best so far is allergallay liquid off horse health.
Unfortunately while the horse is subject to all the things you mention I think unlikely many supplements will make much difference
 
My horse has the same symptoms as yours. We tries antihistamins and cortison with no luck. It also seems to get worse in cold weather (which doesn't help during the cold winters in Norway). I have had him tested for allergies and he reacted to loads of different things :( We also took a test from his lungs, the vet had a tube down in his lungs and poured water down and took it all out again and sent this for testing. The answers came back with a high number of mastcells, which should not be so high. I don't know what this test is called in english but I can check that for you if you want.
He was then medicated on Flutide (Flutikason, a corticosteroide(? right spelling)) and Lomudal inhalation. The flutide treatment lasted for 2 weeks and I use Lomudal before each hard workout, but not always when we go hacking. I feel this really works, I can feel the difference in him with or without drugs.
I feed him on haylage and oats and he does not get any bread or that sort of thing. He is also stabled in a stable with good ventilation. I also give him Equistro SecretaPro and EquinaVet Immunopro.
On the days that I feel that he works hard to breath I give him an light workout.
It is just somthing we have learnt to live with.
I hope this has helped a bit.
Good luck
 
Hi Catherine

Thanks for your message - It sounds like you have found a solution that manages the problem which is great for you both.

I think the procedure you mention is a Bronchiolar lavage -

I have put him on shavings, fed on vacuum packed small-baled haylage, very wet hi-fi chaff.... Only in for 5 hrs day (to sleep!), vaseline on nostrils, I've ordered some NAF respirator boost and respirator powder. He is moving soon to a very well ventilated building - High roof with vents in roof and massive double doors both ends of huge barn. We will probably have to try steroids and bronchodilators if the increased turnout and new supplements do not help!

It is encouraging to know that you have found something that helps.
 
Mickey - it 100% depends on what the allergen is. If he only started coughing a few weeks ago the allergen is more likely to be pollen. And if it is, giving him max hrs turnout won't help at all. Sadly, nor will bringing him IN more hrs unless you have a hermetically sealed cabin you can keep him in. From now until the September, every breath your horse takes will be laden with pollen. It can be a nightmare to manage. The likelihood is that, if it is a pollen allergy, you will struggle to manage it and the horse will get worse and worse year on year.

Major thing to try would be to move to a windy seaside but even that might not work. Drug assistance includes oral Ventipulmin (relaxes the airways), oral Sputolosin (breaks up the thick sticky mucus in the lungs). When this doesn't work, you can try inhaled Ventipulmin and inhaled steroids (safer than oral or injected). There are a zillion over the counter supplements out there purporting to be for respiratory disease but read the labels carefully and not one of them offers a cure for the underlying allergy, but only offers to maximise the fitness of the horse's body. Whilst the occasional improvement may be reported, the sad truth is that over the counter products don't have pharmaceutical strength ingredients or they wouldn't be over the counter in the 1st place. But maybe they have their place as placebos. My vets have told me that Nostrilvet is a total waste of time and money and that antihistamines don't work for horses. Hmmmmm to that last one. At some stage your horse may need to be endoscoped to make sure no other lung conditions have been missed eg tumou0rs. However, you may very well arrive at a point a few years ahead where the horse is increasingly exercise intolerant and may be quite ill because he's unable to get enough oxygen into his body.

My veteran horse has been through all the above but the only thing that has ever "worked" for him has been the onset of winter. He's got worse every year. So bad by last autumn that he couldn't even be sedated for a 2nd endoscopy as the vets feared he'd go blue and stop breathing altogether. It was likely that I would have had to pts this summer due to quality of life issues.

Here's the good news. There's a product out called Cavalesse, made by Fidavet. It's sold exclusively through vets and is advertised 100% as for sweet itch. However, my wonderful equine vets went to a talk on it and the rep explained that it would have the same effect on summer pasture associated RAO, pollen allergy. I'm no vet but I understand it stops the action of the mast cells that produce the histamines that then trigger the action of the mucus producing cells that line the airways. End result? A massively reduced allergic response, at least 95% reduction with my horse SO FAR. The bad news is that you have to start giving it a minimum of 3 weeks BEFORE the allergen is expected. If you do a search on all my posts, you'll find a mass of info on it. I don't dare officially declare it a miracle drug for another week or so because I've been caught out early in the summer in previous years. Good luck.
 
Have found "Forever Bee Pollen" to be a great supplement for helping with relieving symptoms of allergies http://bit.ly/irPaBw (Is suitable for people & animals!).

But source of problem does need to be fixed, sounds like moving to a yard with better stabling/ventilation is going to your best bet from what you've said.
 
Hi Mickey,

My horse has also an allergy...he coughs sometimes, but it makes a great difference when feeded with Winergy Ventilate.

The best thing you can do is to observe...everything...when he coughs and when not...youll find what makes him coughing and take it out of his life as soon as possible.
 
Thank you so much box of frogs for your informative message - Even though it is rather scary!!
All - He doesn't have a cough at all, but performance is limited and wheezing whilst walking out on even gentle 1/2 hr hacks. It is not like him at all.
 
Best of luck with it all. I'm test driving winergy ventilate at the mo. Hope your horse improves when you move, I do know people who have had success with Morrisons anti histamines but not sure whether this is a good idea!
 
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