even more breathing woes-exercise related

[notpoodle]

pony is on her inhalers, pony now lives out and pony does no longer heave when stood on the yard. good :)
but ... i have been riding pretty much every day for the past 3 weeks (sometimes half an hour, sometimes an hour, by no means strenuous ie mainly walk and a bit of trot and maybe a very brief little canter), and i would have thought she would have gotten a little bit fitter :confused:

albeit, she doesn't seem to be. half a lap of canter in the (quite small!) sand school and she's huffing and puffing as if she just ran a marathon. same with trotting for any more than one measly lap :o

she isnt overly fat (slight grass belly but thats about it ...) and imnot asking much of her at all ...

i'm worried that her general breathing problem (vet was unsure, possibly pollen ...) is causing this :o
have started her on local honey (yes, i found local honey in london!) today, hoping it might help ...

i'm confused s to why it's exercise related, to be honest. it's worse in the school which is a bit dusty at the moment, do you think one of those nose-nets would help? (she's no headshaker though!) any other ideas?

she's never been super fit but could normally do a couple of laps of canter in the school without any problems ...


julia
x

[connieD]

i know where your coming from. i have had ongoing breathing problems with my mare for over a year. we have rulled out copd - she eats dry unsoaked hay and it makes no difference.

she has been to the the royal veterinary college and had scope, x-rays, ultrasound, lung washes and had no joy - they did try and put her on the treadmill but we wont talk about that uhem!!!!!!!!

anyway after over £2000 fees which i have had to pay (another uhem!!) they still have no idea what it is.

im going to be starting my mare on a supplement on the vets advice. will be picking it up on monday. its only available on prescription. will mark this thread and give you the name if you fancy trying it. i am at the end of my teather. this is the only thing left to try.

i have the same problem. anthing more than trot and we are huffing and puffing!!

[notpoodle]

yep, we had the RVC out also. she's had lun washes, scopes, steroids ... the lot! like you, we still havent got a clue what exactly it is :o

has yours had the inhalers yet? they seem to work quite well overall!

are you riding your horse at the moment with the breathing problems?

Julia
x

[connieD]

yes, had the steriod tablets and inhailers. they helped a bit but wouldnt say a total cure. it managed it but as soon as she came off them we were back to square one.

i am riding her but not jumping or doing any fast work at the moment

[Mareish]

Lily is the same in the school, huffing and puffing, she is always worse when the pollen starts (as i am)

Poor ponies :(

[notpoodle]

rode her today, hoping she'd be better cos it had rained and it was very windy ... not really any difference :o a lap of trot, she was huffing and puffing and desperate to stretch out and get some air (she seems to find it easier to breathe properly with her head down ...) :o

i might ring the vet again for advice i think!

Julia
x

[MrDCBags]

If its a pollen problem you could try vaseline. i am allergic to dust and pollen. My friend recommended that I smear a small amount of vaseline around my nostrils to trap the dust/pollen. It does help when out hacking across fields. perhaps it might work on horses?

[connieD]

finally got the supplement from the vet its called equestro secreta pro.

' a concentrate of 20 physiologically valuable herbs and vitamins which help to replace the wide variety of herbs which used to be found in less intensively managed pastures. esp will effectively replace these missing herbs which are known to be essential to a healthy respiratory system'

the rvc seem to rate it, we will see, ill let you know how we get on - you never know - tried everything else - maybe she is minus a vitamin!

[notpoodle]

thanks for the info :)

she had bloods done last year and vet didnt say anything about her lacking stuff (though i think sweet itch ponies do lack a couple of things like zinc etc). the supplement sounds interesting, is it really expensive (i cant afford a £60 a month supplement habit unfortunately and anything allergic is now excluded from her insurance ...)? have you found it makes a difference? does your horse like eating it? is she still on inhalers as well?

(sorry, lots of questions but your horse sounds so much like mine ...)

Julia
:)

[notpoodle]

is it this stuff?

http://www.equistro.co.uk/Products/Secretapro.htm

you can get it over the counter as well, it seems.

i'm dying to know if it works for your mare :)

mind you, description sounds similar to eg Global Herbs Pollen-Ex or the German herbal stuff I had my mare on last summer.

Julia
x

[connieD]

yes that is the stuff - the vet says its the most concentrated stuff you can buy and it has certain things in that no other supplements do:confused:

am starting to feed it to my mare tonight so will let you know if she will eat it - shes a real fuss pot!!:rolleyes:

i got it from the vet and suprisingly it was only £30 from the dosage recommendations it looks like it will last well over a month :D

shes not on her inhailers anymore - have stopped them to see if this works as we dont really want to have to use inhailers long term

watch this space .. will update you tonight!!:D

i also have allergies excluded from the insurance!! parallel horsie lives!!

[notpoodle]

i think its £25 from mile end equestrian, so a bit cheaper :)

fingers crossed your mare (angel sends her a big wheezy hug!) will eat it. i take it it's probably a foultasting powder :D

Julia
x

ps: if you like, pm me your email address for more comparing of notes on wheezy middle-aged mares! im still fascinated by the fact yours seems to have exactly the same troubles as mine!!

[Gay]

NO :eek: please don't talk about it via pm (unless you include me) as i'm also interested to hear of anything that may be beneficial.

[connieD]

ok - i opened the pot and......it smells like my OH dirty socks!!:eek: :eek:

put it in feed, she spent 20 mins puffing and huffing at it, now you may think shes not going to eat it but she always does this if i put anything different in her feed (even polos) so all may not be lost yet!!:rolleyes:

she normally eats it during the night when she has got used to the new smell

we will see in the morning - i need a gas mask making the feed!!:D

dont worry gay - will keep it on here for now until everyone gets bored and them notpoddle and 1 can privately bore each other:D

[Ptaty70]

NO :eek: please don't talk about it via pm (unless you include me) as i'm also interested to hear of anything that may be beneficial.

exactly! please ladies, don't go offline - I want to hear everything! mine is a huffer/puffer! He's on a supplement from Hilton Herbs, has soaked hay and for this time of year is doing well (obviously has a different allergy as his flared up mid summer last year, when the hay was being brought in)

Neighbour has just got me a human inhaler that my vet told me is just the same as equine ones but less expensive so going to give him a squirt before exercising.

We are surrounded by hills and he is 'fit' i.e. used to it, but still blows like billy-o. I am hoping the inhaler will help but am interested in this supplement Connie spoke about. Is there a list of the ingredients at all?

Am sitting with all things crossed, hoping that we are going to avoid the breathing, coughing, snotting nightmare of last summer, but want to be prepared. Don't like seeing his nostrils blow up to the size of balloons once we stop any hard work on the hills...:rolleyes:

[Gay]

Thanks connieD. I was googling last night and another horse owner had recommended something called Super Solvax respiration formula has anyone tried this?

[notpoodle]

why do supplements always smell so repulsive? eg everything global herbs do reeks of paintstripper :o

ive found an ingredient list of the equistro stuff in german and lo and behold! it reads VERY similar to the german herb stuff i got for angel last summer (www.kraeuterwiese.de ... called Ismovit ... not very helpful, the site is in german!!), a lot of the ingrdients are the same :) (only that the german stuff comes in sweet smelling pellets horse LOVE to eat!).

let me know if and when she decides to eat it!! angel is a bit fussy as well when it comes to foulsmelling powdery things ... but you could always try lacing it with a dash of applejuice or peppermint tea to make it more appealing.

on the breathing front ... rode last night (galeforce wind ... felt like a martyr to the cause!), angel keeps doing the pigrooting thing wherer she yanks her head down out of my hands. oddly, she hardly does it on hacks so im not sure whether she really has struggle breathing (in a wet school!) or if she's just being naughty/evading ...

Julia
x

ps: we should all meet up with our horses one day for a very slow and wheezy hack :D

[sozzie]

I now have an update on my mare's breathing condition following her scoping - she has an allergy (fungal spores present in the wash) and no bacterial infection. She starts having the inhaler on Monday and it will be really interesting to see the difference it makes. Unfortuantely the scope showed some paralysis of her left vocal cord but we only saw that when she was sedated so the vet can't be sure it's always like that and needs further investigation. Maybe the allergy and the larynx problem are related? who knows:confused:
I'll be interested to know how you get on with the supplement the vet prescribed.

[notpoodle]

yes, ConnieD, do tell :) did she eat it in the end?

Jlulia
x

[connieD]

its a sucess:D , this morning she had eaten the lot and tucked straight in tonight - she is really fussy so if she eats it i think most would, now i suppose the proof is in the pudding - ill give it a couple of weeks and then update this thread fingers crossed (and toes):D

eta - sozzie - glad you have found out what it is, at least now you can treat it, all the scopes, washes etc came back normal for my girl so we still dont know what the problem is !

[connieD]

gay - tried the super solvitax - no use to my girl and very messy (oily type stuff);)

notpoddle - you make me laugh, we could all hack out, the three wheezemegos :D

im really holding out on this stinky stuff - vets recon they have had results in race horses where nothing else has worked and they are now back racing (so hopefully my girl will manage a little dressage!):) :)

[Ptaty70]

If its a pollen problem you could try vaseline. i am allergic to dust and pollen. My friend recommended that I smear a small amount of vaseline around my nostrils to trap the dust/pollen. It does help when out hacking across fields. perhaps it might work on horses?

hmmm think I may try that as I don't know what the allergy is, as I have managed to keep it under control until now... but we haven't yet hit the time of year when he became wheezy last year.. will give you feedback!

[Gay]

Would love to be a part of the wheezemegos but my boy is only 2yrs & is already showing problems. If I don't manage to sort something he may not get around to being backed :eek: His breathing appears to be a bit slower now we've had a bit of rain but you can still see his sides moving - i'm hoping a bit more rain will sort it for the moment but I need to find something that'll help long term. So i'm hooked to this thread. :)

[connieD]

no excuses gay - you can lead him with us:D :D :D :D :D :D - my girl has now decided she loves this stinky smelling supplement so fingers crossed x

this is not a long term help of anything but when my girl is really bad i get a small bucket and put a handfully of hay in the bottom, i them put about 10 drops of eucaliptus oil on the hay and put boiling water just so its dampening the hay.

i then put a large towel over her head (this takes time and training:p ) or you can do it without but is less effective.

i put the bucket under her nose and the towel around it making a steam tent. i do that for about 10 mins - she loves it (she was not too keen intitially, and believe me they will only try to eat the hay once - yuck:eek: )

it really seems to help and her breathing is noticably better for about 24 hours after:D

its not dealing with the problem but it can help make them comfortable if they are having a bad day, i usually do it for about 20mins (even better if you put your head under with them - i have to make sure i dont fall asleep!)

[Ptaty70]

crikey connieD, that is indeed a good method for the short term if you can get them to have a towel over their heads! she obviously realises it helps her breathing! will see if i can train CW at this stage before it gets bad in the summer! inventive!!

[connieD]

cant remember how i found out about it - think i had a cold and good old mother did it for me and it really felt like it 'opened up' my air ways.

the best thing is to get them used to the bucket first - you will be amazed my normally nervous wreck of a mare falls asleep and i have to keep her nose from going onto the hot hay!! - eyes go ears go the whole lot!!

i then just put the towl on her neck and gradually brought it up - she almost smiles at me now when she sees her towl come out - might try and get some pics if i can find a photographer!!

[Ptaty70]

right, sold! am going to try it!

[notpoodle]

since riding wasnt going so well (see the headshaking thread), i decided to lunge her (just in a headcollar, nothing else) today to see how she would go ie. how out of breath and/or uncooperative.

did ten mins on each rein, mostly in trot (angel prefers to trot on the lunge ... you don't even have to ask for it, ahem), even two rounds of canter on one rein.

afterwards i walked her round some tracks for about 15 mins so she could wind down. them she got her little feed ... took her back to the field and noticed she had started huffing and puffing. she was fine after the exercise, fine when she ws eating, fine when i walked her round ... then suddenly she's almost heaving again :confused: i don't get it! help!

Julia
x

[Gay]

Could it be dust related - what's the surface like where you were lunging her? If it were the dust then I suppose it could take a little while before she reacted to it?

[connieD]

sounds like mine - no rhyme or reason!!

waiting to see if this supplement works

not sure if i have asked you this before but do you have any oil seed rape fields near you?:)

[notpoodle]

not that i know of, its a fairly urban area, with a couple of farms dotted round the commone, but they either have dairy cows, beef cows or they grow maze and have fields to make their own hay. there may be rapeseed further out in hertfordshire, but that'd be over ten miles away ...

cant decide if i should get the vet out again ... especially since last year's malarky came up with nothing but these inhalers she is on, anyway ...

keep me updated on the supplement front :)

Julia
x

@ gay: the sandschool is an outdoor one and was rather wet and soggy, no dust to speak of (it's been raining a lot here), so i dont think its that.

and ...

just saw the bucket post - sounds useful! i can see angel trying to eat the eucalyptus flavoured hay and scolding her nose though, ahem ... how do you stop them from eating the stuff?

[Gay]

Just to update you Mason's breathing is about normal now following all the rain - don't know what will happen when we have the next dry spell.:rolleyes:

Thought you might like to see a piccie I took of him with my son last Saturday.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e356/ggMason/PIC00192.jpg

[notpoodle]

aww he's lovely :)

[KarinUS]

Poor little Angel Pony. I am sorry she's had breathing problems. Hopefully the stuff from Kräuterwiese helps her lots. :)

[notpoodle]

it seemed to help her last year! ju7st a bit weird because i get that stuff sent to work and its quite err fragrant and i keep getting funny looks at reception - they probably think im growing err weed or something :p

Julia
x

[KarinUS]

You could sell some of it on and maybe make a little profit! ;)

[connieD]

better than my mouldy sock one !!

eta - re the hay in the bucket, shouldnt scould as it cools mixed with the hay - dont worry of she eats it - mine did and she has not tried since - yuck!!

[Gay]

ConnieD how are you getting on with the new supplement please update us!

[connieD]

well, not sure at the moment, doesnt seem to be heaving as much but that may be me beeing hopefull.:p

tomorrow is the proper test. my instructor is coming to ride her and really put her through her paces so i can watch and see what happens and how her breathing is.:o

shes been on it a couple of weeks so should think there would be some improvement by now - fingers crossed, will update tomorrow

OH keeps telling me i stink of the stuff when i return from the yard!:eek:

[notpoodle]

yes, id be interested to hear as well :)

mine has now been put on ventilin inhalers (not sure why ... i use them myself and know they're for attacks and not a preventative ...), along with Atarax antihistamines ... no improvement as yet :o

Julia
x

[Bronya]

Don't know if this would help anyone but....

Was on another forum recently, and someone on there has been using piriton with their horse. 20 tablets a day (5 tablets 4x a day) and it seems to have acted just like it does for humans. Now obviously giving it that many times a day isn't ideal, but it might be worth asking if any of the 24hr ones would be ok to give to horses. I think this person's vet said to give it a go, and it worked wonders.

I think I'll give it a go with bf's pony who gets a snotty nose and mild breathing problems when exercised in the summer, and see what happens. She said if you buy in bulk they work out at about £20 per month.

[notpoodle]

i did ask the vet for 'over the counter' alternatives, but he said to be careful as it might make them drowsy. mind you, the Atarax ones are the variety that saiy 'do not drive or operate machinery' and 'causes drowsiness' all over the packet :confused:

Julia
x

ps: although i cant see an improvement in the breathing as yet, she does seem to be a lot less itchy!!!! could be because she is stabled, but could be the tablets!!

[mayoguinness]

Ever thought of trying equine breathing notpoodle. Its not very well known at the moment due to lack of advertising but is very good:) http://www.equinebreathing.com/

[notpoodle]

since i am not made of money, no i havent :o

to be honest, i dont like the look of the website, it reads a bit like a shopping channel ad :rolleyes:

Julia
x

[connieD]

ok, the supplement gets the family fortunes uh orr:mad:

she has suddenly become worse again:( , during lesson today coughing spluttering heaving and evening doing it standing in the stable - give up:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

its worse no blo**y better. ill finish the tub just incase it becomes a miracle cure when you have used it for a month or something but not holding my breath:mad:

soooooo...... back to the drawing board - my vet at rvc has told me that antihistamoines have very little affect on horses due to there size and the dose needed and the fact they do not uptake it well or something so not going to worry trying again.

dont want to go back on steroids due to abundance of lami at the moment:rolleyes:

so, on goes the thinking cap - i will be back to you shortly with the next course of action......I WILL NOT GIVE UP:D

[Bronya]

Hmm, maybe the spray in the nose ones would work - if any horse on earth would stand still for it!

Hope she gets better soon, does she like the respiratory horselyx thingy? I think they do stable sized ones, and it helps our pony a lot - not a cure, but a help maybe.

I don't know if I believe it works or not, but homeopathy might be a route to try if conventional meds fail - I've read of people saying it works...

[notpoodle]

@ connieD: interestingly, that was exactly what i had been told by the RVC about antihistamines last year! and this year the chap produced antihistamines and lots of it. ah well, even if it won't help for breathing, if it helps with the sweet itch even a little bit (angel has rather severe sweet itch), i'll keep her on it, because .. every little helps!

@ bronya: since i got my pony used to an asthma inhaler up her nose, i'm fairly certain anything is possible with a bit of patience , so squirting hayfever spray up a horses nose doesnt seem so crazy now ;)

Julia
x

[Gay]

ConnieD do you think four weeks is sufficient time for it to work? I know it's not the same by any means but my husband takes a joint supplement and he was told to allow three months for it to work. You would hope it would work a lot quicker but is there anything that tells you how long to allow?

[notpoodle]

update!! hav doublechecked with vet about the antihistamines today! turns out he gave them to her for the sweet itch and not the breathing after all! i must have gotten confused (or he did!).

but! he checked her breathing and said it had improved significantly since last week. she's been on ventilin twice a day since tuesday (ie not long at all) but has also been on my marvellous german breathing supplement thing (is about £12 for a kilo incl. postage from germany so cheaper than most UK ones!!). he said to 'keep doing whatever i was doing' and that something was obnviously helping :D im very pleased!!

Julia
x

[Gay]

Notpoodle is that the same supplement that ConnieD is using or something different? I did see your link earlier but like you said it was in German so I didn't have a clue!!!

[notpoodle]

no, not the one ConnieD is using. mine is called 'ismovit' and is from www.kraeuterwiese.de . i'd try to translate the ingredients but unfortunately i have no idea what these herbs are called in english :o they are a wellknown and reputable company over there though, and i am also using their 'Ismo Super B' for angel's sweet itch.

i had been using the stuff on her last year (along with the becloforte inhaler which she is no longer allowed because its steroidal) and it seemed to help.

Julia
x

[mayoguinness]

since i am not made of money, no i havent :o

to be honest, i dont like the look of the website, it reads a bit like a shopping channel ad :rolleyes:

Julia
x

True, its not the best website but however a friend of mine does equine breathing and swears that her horses would of have to been pts without it;)

[demonbug]

Good luck with your girl, I hope you have it "nipped in the bud" now. I have had a simular problem. I used an all natural product called PulmonEZ by Total Health Enhancement. It's 100% guranteed as with all their products so that why I first tried it. It may be worth looking into if she isn't better soon. :D
http://www.totalhealthenhance.com/index.htm

[Gay]

Two things that may/may not be of use: Your Horse reckons that the best remedy for hay fever is the essential oil Great Mugwort - a natural anti-histamine. Another oil is called Hay but it suggests you contact someone qualified in essential oils re their use. Web site www.geota.co.uk.
Also heard on the news this morning that apple juice can help prevent asthma. Apparently apples are no good as they are not concentrated enough - I may try damping Mason's feeds with apple juice over winter as it can't hurt. :)

[notpoodle]

we have applejuice at the moment anyway, to get the bute into the pony!

i had heart of great mugwort oil before, but will investigate further.

mine seems to be doing better at the moment on the Ventilin and the german herb stuff.

she coughed this morning though. eeek! never coughs normally! cant breathe but never coughs! hopefully it was just a quick throatclearing and nothing else!!

Julia
x

[Gay]

I would think the cough could possibly be something to do with the mucus breaking down. Ventipulmin is supposed to open the airways and break down the mucus according to my vet - shame it doesn't do anything about the cause!

[notpoodle]

mucus breaking down - a good thing i suppose!

not keen on ventipulmin though. costs a fortune and did nothing at all for my pony :o

Julia
x

[connieD]

im confused, about a month ago my girl coughed up mucus for about a week. big bits about 2 x 1 inches that i found on the stable floor in the mornings. it looked like and was the same consitisancy as melted cheese.:eek:

after that she was better for about a month and now she is really going down hill again. coughing and wheezing badly, had to stop riding her - going to call the vet college again tomorrow and see if there is anything else they can suggest. im going to keep going with the supplement although im not convinced

notpoodle what is the mucus like and when do you see it - not being gross just trying to see if its similar :o

feel really cr*p, cant believe its getting worse again:(

[Gay]

ConnieD - what is she kept on in the stable? The horse kept next door to Mason gets like that every year when he comes in on a night for winter. When he is turned out 24/7 for summer it goes away. He was on dust extracted bedding for a while and did improve slightly which points to copd. Though as he is 24 and not being ridden anymore she is not overly concerned.

Mason was coughing and had thick snot coming from his nose over winter until we changed to rubber mats and equilage

[connieD]

shes in at night all year round (has sweetitch too) and on rubber matting and aquamax (dust free) we have rulled out allergic reaction to dusts, spores and bedding as when she had the lung fluid flush they found the abnormal cells were inflamatory cells but not allergen cells!!

this has been going on a year now - if the rvc cant sort her dont know what will - going to strat feeding apple juice - long shot but ill try anything.

tesco value here i come!!

[notpoodle]

@ connieD: angel is rarely snotty. she produced a bit of snot that got stuck to the side of the feedbowl when she first started the red inhalers. and whatever she coughed up this morning flew past so i couldnt really see it (what a lovely conversation this is!). she has white discharge on the inside of he nostrils quite often though.

in the winter, angel gets a stable cough (mild) when she gets unsoaked hay (doesnt happen often!). shes on mats with shavings and hay is usually soaked. BUT the horses left and right are on straw, which does not help (cant move her as most the yard's on straw!).

ive been with the RVC all along ... they tried lots of stuff last year, but aren't quite sure what it is either. it seems those breathing woes have moved on from bog standard dust allergies to something far more sinister :o

i hope your horse gets better soon! you could try that german stuff maybe. its quite cheap for a supplement and seems to help my pony. if you have trouble with the german web site, pm me, i am happy to translate or email them onm your behalf - theyre very helpful when you email them i found, and they do know their stuff :)

Julia
x

[Gay]

ConnieD is there any way you could try her out 24/7. A change in environment may make some difference?

[connieD]

she cant stay out in summer as she suffers from really bad sweetitch and even with a rug would rub herself to pieces.

in the winter she drops off badly anyway so wintering her out would not really be an option.

to be honest leaving her out more has not made any difference, she has been out 14hrs since the weather got better rather than the 6 hours she went out in the winter and its actually got worse:(

its not seasonal as she has it all year round and there appears no rhyme or reason as to why it gets better or worse.

am interested about this mucus that came out as it seems quite significant.

she has been tried with dry hay, wet hay and hayledge and there is no difference (which just prove what the tests said anyway about it not being an allergy:o )

notpoodle - will give the supplement im using a bit longer and then will definatly require your help to try some of the german stuff!! will pm nearer the time if thats ok!!

[Gay]

Do any of the essential oils work for her sweet itch? www.essentialanimals.com tells you how to administer them to horses. It seems a bit like a no win situation - I know how frustrating it is at least my boy is ok at the moment, we'll have to see how he goes.

[connieD]

have ordered a homeopathy book, and going to give it a go, anything is worth a try. she is so bad now she cant be ridden and is not comfortable. her breathing is laboured again and she heaves when she coughs.

going to start the applejuice tommorrow and also going to call rvc again and beg them to give me something else that might work!!

so upsetting, shes only 15. shes not the kind of horse that would retire easily as shes very highly strung and her breathing is bad sometimes even at rest.

the vets are like, we have done all the tests and dont know - try this supplement, you never know, it may work!

well......it does not appear to!!

anyone got a magic wond!!!

[notpoodle]

let us know what the RVC come up with this time! i have them coming out tomorrow for ponio's laminitis but will have breathing checked as well.

oddly, when i gave her the inhaler this morning, breathing sounded 'wet' ie sort of rattly, so i am hoping any mucus stuff will dislodge itself and come out soon!

i'll also check with vet if she could have a slight infection, which she had last year (on top of the usual breathing woes!) ...

connieD, i hope your horse gets better. 15 isnt old and somebody somewhere must know something that works for your mare!!

Julia
x

[connieD]

thanks julia, im just worried they are going to prescribe more anitbiotics and more steriods. not that i begrudge her them but they cost a bomb and do nothing to help her.

i swear they think im mad as they last time she went to them by the time i got an appointment she was in a better phase and not half as bad as she had been.

i just dont like the wait for it to get worse then we may have more of an idea chain of thought which seems to be the only route left that they can suggest at the moment

[notpoodle]

i know what you mean! with mine i sometimes feel they just try things on her at random (the vet that treated her last year and now again has a bit of a reputation for going a bit crazy on the chemicals he prescribes ... ), in a carpetbombing sort of way. sometimes it works. sometimes it doesnt. and im paying :o

Julia
x

[connieD]

exactly how i feel, thats why she went in for the test and stayed in at rvc so they could actually find out what was wrong rather than playing inie minie mineie mo when perscribing drugs!!

well that didnt work as still no further on - quite happy to spend the money if there is some hope it will help her but nothing they have suggested so far has.

its breaking my heart x

[notpoodle]

please dont break your heart! who am i going to talk to about wheezy horses if you do :)

vet's been again (different one this time! one i err have a bit more faith in!). he listened to her breathing and said it didnt sound too bad at all.

then he announced angel had mild asthma but that it seems to be under control with the inhalers. he also said it could flare up at any time, at which point she needed inhalers again ... i feel a bit less panicked now, because at least he was happy to say it was chronic but managable. fingers crossed those inhalers continue to work.

i now have a pony with 3 more or less chronic ailments ... sweet itch, ashtma and she's prone to laminitis :o poor little blighter! hardy, robust native, my ar*e!

Julia
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[Gay]

Notpoodle are you allowed to ride her now then? If you were not riding her and her breathing flared up would you still need to treat her? I've come to the conclusion it's very hit & miss and there seems to be no experts in this area. Which I suppose goes to prove there is not a lot the vets can do other than treat the symptoms.

[notpoodle]

i cant ride at the moment anyway with the laminitis. but yes, if it flares up and i dont ride, i still have to give her the inhaler. it seems to help her, but doesnt cure the problem as all it does is keep the airways open artificially i think.

Julia
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