Managing Equine Asthma: Expert Tips and Best Practices for Horse Owners

2023-08-23 08:12:09

Each month, the IFCE offers several webconferences, on a wide variety of subjects such as diet, well-being, genetics, horse work, etc. This week, The Spur returns to the web conference proposed by Eric Richard, veterinarian, regarding a problem that affects many horses: equine asthma.

It’s a must for any stable: dust. Tirelessly hunted for questions of cleanliness, it is also sometimes hunted for health reasons. In particular because it is the number one enemy of asthmatic people and horses. According to the IFCE, equine asthma (a term which includes chronic inflammation of the deep airways as well as recurrent obstruction of these), in its moderate form, affects 20% of equines, generally young ones, and is a cause frequent underperformance. ” It is characterized by occasional coughing, which often improves spontaneously or with treatment, moderate exercise intolerance, and mucus discharge. It generally affects horses being in a closed environment on a daily basis “, specifies Eric Richard, veterinarian. The severe form of equine asthma, which is just as common, affects horses over the age of seven years, causing frequent coughing, exercise intolerance and signs of breathing difficulties at rest. ” Severe equine asthma cannot be completely cured. Its clinical signs and their severity may vary but can only really regress with strict environmental control and/or treatment. “, adds Eric Richard. However, as the IFCE points out« there is no direct link established between these two forms: a horse having had episodes of moderate equine asthma at a young age will not necessarily develop a severe form later. And to diagnose equine asthma, it is necessary to carry out clinical examinations, endoscopy and respiratory samples.

Dust… But not only

Although it is commonly accepted that equine asthma is linked to exposure to dust, the latter is not the only explanatory factor. As Eric Richard points out, Equine asthma is a multifactorial syndrome. The reasons for its appearance can therefore be environmental, but also allergic, infectious or even genetic. Nevertheless, the main cause remains exposure to dust, mites, molds – very often present in litter and fodder – as well as certain particles present in the air, endotoxins and certain toxic or irritating gases. , “ especially ammonia released from urine, in horses confined indoors », stresses the IFCE, also specifying that « some of its molecules can have a synergistic effect. Two associated molecules have an effect greater than the sum of their effects taken separately. »

A short guide to good practices

If it is almost impossible to eliminate all traces of dust or any other particle, certain habits can reduce them significantly and thus relieve the horse suffering from asthma. Regarding the place of accommodation, it is therefore recommended to put your horse in the meadow rather than in the box. ” A study showed that the concentration of endotoxin was fifteen times higher in the ambient air of a box than in the meadow. “says Eric Richard. And if it is impossible for you to make your horse live in the meadow, it is better, in this case, to favor a box open to the outside (with a window for example), composed of a litter made of wood shavings, linen or rice rather than straw, which is much dustier. The IFCE also recommends “ to increase the amount of bedding in places more frequently soiled by the horse » as well as to move it during the cleaning of the box so that it does not inhale certain dusts and gases. For this same reason, it is strongly discouraged to use a blower in the stables.

Regarding fodder, it is better to prefer haylage, or a quality soaked or steamed hay, which is less loaded with dust “says Eric Richard. And be careful, if your horse lives in the meadow, “ it is best not to leave a roundballer available to him. He may spend a good part of the day in it and breathe in all the dust that is there. “. In order to avoid this, the mode of fodder distribution is also important. Eric Richard and the IFCE recommend giving hay on the ground rather than in nets, in order to promote drainage of the airways, as well as to split the distribution. “ In the meadow, it is better to favor small boots than large roundballers, which multiply by four the risk of inflammation », assures the veterinarian. Finally, regarding the place of fodder storage, it is recommended that it be outside the stable, in a place protected from humidity and not in contact with the ground. While some of these measures may prove to be restrictive, they are nevertheless necessary from both a curative and preventive point of view.

Photo credit: Pixabay.

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