COPD

[angelsdream]

Sorry to hear that Amanda. I know our summers are awful down here and its hard for some horses to adjust. So far my 2 have been fine. I havent been thru this before, so have no advice to give but Id say just pay attention to what you feed him. Try changing up the hay or different lot wheres he's at and see if that helps, maybe something in there is bothering him. keep us updated

[MustangsInNC]

So I bought him some "Cough Free" supplement from the feed store. He won't touch it. He won't even eat his grain when I mix it in. Grrr. Hopefully will get him to the vet this week. He sounds awful... Coughing and wheezing all the time.

[lindad]

Give him Spirulina. You can get it on line or at health food stores. Equus reported that 1/3 of horses that were given it improved. It boosts the immune system and aids in the absorption of nutrients from what I have read. It is a super food.No side effects, it can be given to birds and infants. Then of course get him to the vet.

[DianneC]

Did you check his temperature? Horses that are congested like that can get an upper respiratory infection too.

[dunbnwild]

Well, we're now treating Cat as if she has COPD- it might be seasonal allergies, but I believe it is more chronic. So for the summer's we're now going to be keeping her up (luckily my mom has a barn with airconditioning, and then she'll get turned out at night. That's mostly to help her lungs just not have to work so hard to cool her. Of course this week it's been over 100 every day, ugh!! Soaking the hay right now, but might look into a steamer. They aren't cheap, but the vet says it does a better job.

She's on the pred-something or other drug right now, but our goal is to wean down to using just herbals in a couple of months- currently she's on something called Lily Complex as well. She's doing really good, but she did have a steroid shot on Thursday that worked instantly.

As for your horse not eating the meds- might try mixing them in apple sauce and blending that with his grain- or just orally injecting them with the apple sauce. I'm using some papaya blend right now, and Cat's finishing her meal. Usually with powdered meds they end up at the bottom of the bucket and don't get used. So something wet or sticky is needed.

Last month when Cat had her intitial bad episode (she's had a cough for awhile, but not the heaves and rasping until this first episode a month ago) she did get an infection- they thought bronchitus - so be sure and get things under control as soon as possible, so that he doesn't get an infection. It was very costly and I can't even begin to go into how bad the treatment was- tons of big scary shots. So absolutely start managing his environment as quickly as possible. Also, one of my other mares, Mari, ultimately had a heart attack because the constant extra work on her body.

This episode I got her in that day and she didn't have a temp or the extra rattle in her lungs- so we didn't have to do all the antibiotics or shots.

[dunbnwild]

This is an excellent price for a hay steamer- it is better than soaking, so IMO worth the $$$, everything else I've seen is much more expensive and this one is even on sale.

www.smartpakequine.com/happy-horse-traveller-hay-steamersale-7876p.aspx?cm_vc=Search

[mystickiger]

Great advice dunbnwild! Amanda, please do not fool around with supplements and such. Get him to a vet - now. While he may have indeed developed an allergy, respiratory infections can quickly develop into bronchitis and pneumonia which can be life changing and costly to treat. As in humans, increased oxygen restriction causes undue strain on organs, especially the heart. Heart failure is something you don't want to deal with.

[dunbnwild]

groups.yahoo.com/group/COPD_HEAVES

I just found this group as well. Am looking into the best type of shavings to use.

Side note- my brother, who is not a horse person, has been misting down the dirt outside the barn Cat is in to help control any dust. He also wants her to have a misting fan. Haha. She's hard not to dote on and I think we will have a certifiable princess on our hands very soon!

[dunbnwild]

www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=10472

Another good article on heaves/ copd - you will need to register to read it, but it's free.

Also- on the Yahoo loop mentioned earlier- they had a tip on hay soaking- large old igloo cooler- put hay in, water in, soak- then use the drain to drain water.

[kigercat]

when I need to soak hay I put my flakes in a laundry basket...add some additional holes to the very bottom for drainage there. they fit inside the big 20 gal Muck buckets...
so fill the muck bucket about 1/2 to 3/4 full of water, hay in basket and shove the basket in.

Additional tips are to put hay strings on the handles to pull back out easier, and the hay likes to float so something to hold it down in the muck bucket.

Works real slick...pull it out after soaking for the desired length of time let it drain (either hold it, balance on the side of the bucket or set on the ground) and dump for feeding.

Last summer I was soakiing to reduce sugar content so this was great for leaving for several hours then set on the ground to drain...and it would still be slightly damp when they ate it.

[dunbnwild]

Cat's been doing great- been about 2 months now and ZERO coughing, she looks great and feels great. She is off round bales and eating soaked hay. She is up during the heat of the day and turned out all night. Very lucky in that we have a building/bar with some old, but working AC window units. She is up with our elderly (34?) black gelding, who is also enjoying the luxury.

I have her on a maintenance dose of Predesone (sp?) and a regular dose of an herbal supplement called "Lily Combination" -

here's a link to a smaller version:

www.euroherbsshop.nl/lily-combination-200g-powder-p-1874.html

I get it through my vet and it's about $100 a month. Would like to find it cheaper somewhere...

Anyway- this formula has been working great for Cat and she's very happy getting star treatment, haha.

[stlkigers]

Cindy:

SO glad that Cat is doing great and enjoying the diva treatment!!! I hope Amanda gets some good news and avoids the COPD diagnosis.....

Angela

[DianneC]

thehorse.com did mention that round bales were a major cause of heaves. They have a higher moisture content and so much more mold spores so it makes sense. The horses tend to stick their noses in and leave them there too so they are inhaling the spores. It may not be the total answer but certainly could be a major contributor to the troubles.

[mystickiger]

Aug 2, 2011 20:14:55 GMT -5 stlkigers said:

Cindy:

SO glad that Cat is doing great and enjoying the diva treatment!!! I hope Amanda gets some good news and avoids the COPD diagnosis.....

Angela

Come to think of it Amanda hasn't updated us since June. Amanda, how's Tesaro doing? What was the vet's finding?

Ronund bales are a huge cause of heaves and respitory problems with domestic horses in my area. Not hard to figure, given the high humidity; mold flourishes. I am not a fan of round bales and have never fed them here for that reason. They can be used if they are dust free to begin with and are consumed quickly. Round bales with only a couple of horses feeding off of them in the East is a recipe for heaves for sure. Couple that with the fact that several Kigers have showned COPD once located in the humid East, I for one would never allow a Kiger to be on a roundbale unless I knew the grower's quality. Dust in round bales is always a problem when you get them from local farmers around here.

[MustangsInNC]

Sorry, I've been updating on facebook and hadn't done it here. Poor Tesoro isn't doing much better. I'm a little upset with my vet too.... so after this second round of antibiotics if he isn't MUCH better I'm probably going somewhere else. She hasn't even done any bloodwork yet. So right now he's on his second round of injectable meds, banamine, and a liquid poured in his food that is supposed to be similar to albuterol. Can't rememeber the name of it off hand. And I'm going to try Chaga as a natural remedy. Poor Tman, he's being a trooper, but his breathing just isn't good. I'll try to do better with updating here!