Horse Emphysema

Horse Emphysema is a lung disease that troubles horses and is very much similar to asthma in human beings. It is also identified as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), recurrent airway obstruction, heaves, broken wind, small airway disease or chronic bronchitis. Horse Emphysema is commonly found in countries having cold climates, where horses are kept in barns for long and where hay is often having mould. A good deal of information about horse emphysema is well elaborated in the following piece of writing.

Symptoms of Horse Emphysema

The sounds and visual symptoms of the breathing of the affected horse are the most apparent symptoms of this disease. But more understated symptoms include the horse’s disability to endure hard exercise, coughing and breathing very often and becoming more demanding, loss of weight, often having persistent nasal discharge and loss of energy. If you notice any of these symptoms in your horse, immediately take him to a good veterinarian.

Treatment of Horse Emphysema

The very first step against horse emphysema is the change in the lifestyle of your horse. If this does not work, the professional may suggest a treatment for your horse emphysema with drugs. Other than medications, bronchodilators are also recommended that open the airways. The drugs prescribed in this case aid in decreasing leveled muscle contraction and reducing production of mucus. Inflammation is suppressed which gives quick relief to your horse. These drugs can be administered by mouth, by inhalation or by injection. Steroids that are inhaled give a high dose within the airways and negligible side effects but a special mask is essential for administration.

The use of bronchodilators lightens up the smooth muscle of the airways. Rigorously affected horses can be treated safely by combining anti-inflammatory drugs with bronchodilators. Inhalation therapy works wonders for relieving airway obstruction. Just as in case of anti-inflammatory therapy, bronchodilators are also administered with use of a special mask.

Preventive Measures of Horse Emphysema

• Lessen the dust in the stable by removing bedding like straw or shavings. as an alternative, use shredded paper or rubber matting.
• Take care to minimize the exposure of your horse to the allergens
• Be careful; to keep hay far from your horse and see that if there is hay in the surrounding area, it is kept dry.
• Give your horse draught free ventilation in its stable. Keep your horse warm but take good care of the ventilation.
• Keep turning out your horse frequently.
• Whenever you are mucking out take your horse out of the stable, so that its exposure to the dust is removed.
• Make use of lifestyle supplements as they help in curbing the fabrication of histamines in the tissues.
• Feed your horse with alfalfa cubes and pellets as they are low in dust.

With proper management practices, the menace for contracting horse emphysema can be noticeably abridged. The most important factors involve the environment of horse. You have to remove the dust or moulds which are responsible for allergy in your horse. Horses suffering from emphysema are usually allergic to mould particles which are present in hay dust. Other allergens like microbes, pollens, chemicals, medications, environment and substances found in foods can also trigger the circumstances. Take help of the above account and help your horse fight and beat this disease.