Weezy Laboured & Double Lift Breathing - Help/advice/tips Greatly appreciated!

[lisreno]

Hi All,

I have an old mare (about 23ish) on my yard which I treat as my own. The poor old girl has had a bit of a rough time recently. To start she had Laminitus back in January, due to the snow and frosty grass. We had just about got her right when I noticed her breathing was a little weezy and coughing, no doubt from being stabled for so long throughout winter. Having Spoke to Global Herbs we tried her on their Airways Plus, with full soaked hay & haylage, thankfully her stable has always been nice and ventilated and bedding dust kept to a minimum.

She really did improve on this, but as the weather got warmer she became weezy again and this time began suffering from double lifting and laboured breathing She had the vet who put her on ventipulmin, bute and gave her a antibiotics shot. She improved again but recently went downhill - Ive also now put her on Globals PollenX instead of airways but shes only been on it since Saturday?

Shes her usual self otherwise, bright as a button, is now completely sound and is enjoying growing old disgracefully!!

Just such a shame shes right in all other aspects and also seems a coincidence to me as the pollen count is higher she gets worse, plus the added pain in the chuff we had a oilseed rape field in full bloom nearby til recently which I dont think helped.

Ive turned to you guys, see if anyone has had or going through similar experience? Or perhaps any advise or tips of coping with and managing.

I think i have covered everything so far - Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Many thanks in advance!

 

[Smurphy]

Sounds like cushing to me, has she every been tested

 

[KatB]

The pollen-X can take up to 3 weeks to work so I've been advised... stick with it, maybe alongside the airways plus? Hope she gets better soon!

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

The laminitis bout could be a sign of early cushings - just worth keeping an eye on and watch for other symptoms. The wheeziness will be COPD/RAO caused by an allergy that gives the same symptoms as asthma in humans. The most common allergens are dust, the spores in hay, and pollen. You may find that supplements help, though (sorry) I doubt it. The allergic response causes permanent changes in the lungs and at the height of an episode the horse will be unable to take in enough oxygen for his body's needs. You may also find the horse coughs either at the start of exercise or eg going up hills when the demand for oxygen is high. The extra effort to breathe out is because the lungs get so tight that the normal effortless exhale cannot happen and the horse has to use its abdominal muscles to force air out of the lungs ready for the next breath in. This effort will eventually cause a "heaves line" to form around the abdomen.

If your horse has got noticeably worse, it's almost certain that she has a pollen allergy. This week is normally the time of year when grass pollen is at its highest. Ventipulmin will relax the airways in the lungs although you often need very much higher doses than normal to produce any effect. Sputolosin (also from the vet) will help to break up the sticky mucus that gathers in the lungs and makes everything a whole lot worse. Your horse may need antibx to clear up any opportunistic secondary bacterial infections. You can ask your vets about a steroid inhaler which provides immediate, though only temporary, relief. Don't fork out £200 odd for the "equine" inhaler - buy a £25 one for children from the chemist. You may need to stop riding your horse for the rest of the summer as the lung changes will be permanent and dramatic things can happen if you were riding and your horse was suddenly unable to draw in enough oxygen. She could collapse or panic or worse. Discuss all options with your vet. She may need an endoscope to investigate the state of her airways. If all else fails, steroid tablets will help though of course they bring their own side effects. If you google COPD or RAO in horses and look for reputable veterinary sites you should find a wealth of information. My veteran is 24 and suffers pollen allergy every summer. It's a careful balancing game to keep him active and so using his lungs, but not to overdo it and risk making him worse or giving him a heart attack! Good luck.