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Your favorite horse has begun coughing during and after her feeding time, and it's not going away — actually, it seems to be getting worse. Breathing problems are unfortunately common in horses, but there are some things that can be done to improve or prevent them once the reason for the problem is diagnosed. One of the more common reasons for breathing problems (coughing) is often attributed to allergies, which can be caused by inhaling dust from hay or the environment, ammonia, pollen, or mold spores.[1]
Steps
Treating a Horse with Breathing Problems
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Contact your veterinarian if the problem has become an ongoing issue. Your vet will do a thorough exam, and possibly blood work to ensure that there is no long-standing infection/inflammation, and to assess internal organ health.
- If your vet suspects allergies, they may suggest allergy testing, which can be something as simple as a blood draw or skin testing. In skin testing, vets will inject small amounts of suspected allergens under the skin and observing the body's reactions. The skin testing is normally done in a specialty clinic or teaching hospital.[2]
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Begin treatment if your mare has tested positive for common molds and common allergens. Molds and allergens are commonly found in the dust, hay, and the rest of the horse's environment, so this diagnosis is by no means uncommon. Listen to your vet for recommended treatments/environmental changes that may help alleviate her condition, listed below.[3]
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Try administering a respiration supplement recommended by your vet. A respiration supplement, designed to ease breathing, can help in some cases. One such product is called "Tri-Hist", which is an antihistamine available by prescription only.[4]Advertisement
Preventing Breathing Problems in your Horse
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Turn the horse out as much as possible, especially if she is confined to her stall or a barn most of the day. A little fresh air is good for the respiration. A mare stuck in the barn all day, breathing in the same stale air, might be more prone to breathing problems.[5]
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Fully muck out the stable once or twice a week. Cleaning up after your mares and offering them a tidy living arrangement is a boon both psychologically and for health reasons.[6]
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Use dustless bedding. Rubber matting is best but usually needs a small amount of absorbent bedding on top, such as wood shavings. Another useful bedding for allergy cases is cardboard ripped into small pieces. It's very absorbent and easy to manage.[7]
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Feed haylage or soak hay for a few minutes. This helps to cut down the normal dust/pollens that are present in dried hay. Soak only long enough to get the hay thoroughly wet, as soaking any longer can actually reduce the starch and sugars that are normally present in the hay, which are needed for proper nutrition.[8]
- If you happen to have an overweight or laminitic horse, you may want to soak the hay in water for a bit longer, as reduced starch and sugar can be a good thing.
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Make sure all feed is mold free. A simple exam of the hay prior to feeding should be sufficient in determining if the hay is clean.
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Feed from the ground level. This process prevents excess dust and other irritants from being inhaled while your horse is eating.[9]
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Ensure that there is proper ventilation in the stable. You can leave the stable door open and use a stall chain instead.[10]
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Vacuum the rafters, walls, and window ledges in the stables regularly. During your vacuuming, include any room that shares the same air space as the stables (e.g. the tack room).
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Build the muck heap and hay store area downwind. Bagged bedding and haylage are safe to store near the horses.
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Water your pasture in a very dry season, to prevent it going dusty.[11]
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Use a product to reduce or absorb ammonia. There are several such products available at your local feed store.[12]
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Feed hay or alfalfa cubes instead of mixes, as they have less dust. There are also many "complete" pelleted diets available these days, and although they can get expensive, they are totally dust free. If you choose to go to a complete diet, be sure that the diet doesn't have any of the allergens that she is allergic to.[13]Advertisement
Community Q&A
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QuestionMy horse is eating but still losing weight. Also, her breathing is heavy. What should I do?
Community AnswerMake sure you're feeding her only good hay with no mold or dust in it. Don't ride or drive her, and feed her a weight builder supplement or some senior feed. Try calling your vet if you haven't already.
Tips
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There are numerous reasons as to why your horse may have respiratory problems, including COPD ("heaves"), virus or bacterial infections, pneumonia, and upper airway abnormalities, to name just a few.Thanks
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If you have decided to do the allergy testing, there are also allergy shots available for horses (just like for people!), although they are not inexpensive.Thanks
Warnings
- Don’t over feed protein, as this will increase the ammonia.Thanks
- If switching over to a new diet, such as a complete feed, do so gradually, to give her digestive tract time to get used to the new regimen.Thanks
References
- ↑ https://ker.com/equinews/heaves-breathing-problems-horses/
- ↑ https://www.avactaanimalhealth.com/equine-allergy/
- ↑ https://equusmagazine.com/management/field-guide-equine-allergies-28726
- ↑ https://horseandrider.com/horse-health-care/horse-heaves-symptoms-and-treatment
- ↑ https://aaep.org/horsehealth/managing-summer-pasture-associated-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-asthma-disease-horses
- ↑ https://aaep.org/horsehealth/managing-summer-pasture-associated-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-asthma-disease-horses
- ↑ https://horseandrider.com/horse-health-care/horse-heaves-symptoms-and-treatment
- ↑ https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/id/id-444-w.pdf
- ↑ https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/id/id-444-w.pdf
- ↑ https://horseandrider.com/horse-health-care/horse-heaves-symptoms-and-treatment
- ↑ https://horseandrider.com/horse-health-care/horse-heaves-symptoms-and-treatment
- ↑ https://thehorse.com/129872/ammonia-is-the-enemy/
- ↑ https://aaep.org/horsehealth/managing-summer-pasture-associated-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-asthma-disease-horses
About this article
If you have a horse with breathing problems, you should contact your vet to see if the issue is allergies or something else like an infection. It’s common for horses to get allergies from molds and allergens in their environment, and if that’s the case with your horse, your vet can recommend a respiration supplement to give your horse or let you know what changes you should make to its environment. While you follow your vet’s treatment plan, try to let your horse out as much as possible to give it some fresh air. You should also clean out its stable once or twice a week, vacuuming any areas that share the same air space as the stables, too. For more advice, including what to feed your horse to help it avoid breathing problems, read on!
