COPD- to buy or not-+-+

[vixis]

Hi
Went to see a horse at the weekend that had a "dust allergy". She is a 13 yr old, 15.3 hand mare. I want something really quiet as I had to sell my last horse after he continually bucked me off. Anyway, didn't get much of a ride of her, but the mare seemed really quiet. The price is reasonable too, at 1200 pounds. She would be kept out (on a moorland farm) 24/7.
I managed to negotiate a months trial before buying, during whicdh I'd have her vetted etc.
Phoned the vet today and he said to be very careful in case she also had pollen allergy in which case, she would be useless.
What d'all think? Should I cancel the whole thing or try for a longer loan into the summer?
All advice welcome,
Vixis

[Wally]

How much damage has the COPD already done?

I'd be very, very cautious.

[horsefeather]

it really depends on how bad the copd is and what you plan to do with the horse. at 13, i would only expect to get about 5-10 useful years out of her and then you will be stuck with a useless horse bc no one would want to buy her.

my 25 year old was diagnosed with very mild copd last november after 10 years of a work induced cough. he is now and has been since he started coughing, strictly a trial horse but he still trots and canters and does everything although it is slightly limited by the cough. anything can trigger heaves. pollen, dust, moldy hay, or in my case a reaction to vaccinations.

is the horse stabled now or out all the time. being outside as much as possible is the absolute best thing for heavy horses. also no hay it can carry dust spores which will aggrevate. its possible that being kept outside will dramatically reduce or even stop the coughing.

the coughing can be really hard on both horse and rider and eventually the lungs will be compromised and the heart will give out.

personaly i say walk away. you will always be worred about the horses health and it really hinders the fun of owning and enjoying a horse.

there are alot of websites that talk about copd in horses.
just go to www.alltheweb.com and type in horse copd or horse heaves and you will get tons of useful information.

[Mehitabel]

echo wally, be careful. mild copd is manageable, with the right management, bit is it of course another complication, and severe copd is a lot more than just a complication. some can be managed just on dust-free bedding and wet hay, others need to be kept out (so difficult if you need boxrest for lameness), others need drugs, (pre-existing condition, so no insurance if you buy her now) others need time off in hot or dusty conditions, others need all of the above! one of our liveries has to have an inhaler every day over summer, which is a lot of hard work and expense.

[eventerbabe]

how bad is the COPD? my welshie developed COPD when she was only 5 due to some dusty bedding and hay. to be honest, it causes her very little problems now, and thats after being on box rest for 3-4YEARS intermitantly. she's never needed a second course of ventapulmin, we just have to make sure she's on dust free bedding (hemcore) and gets excellent quality hay. she sometimes has a little cough when warming up for a schooling session but i made up and aloe-vera gel balm with essential oils in it that i put round her nostrils to help.

i'd not discount this mare if its only mild, and particularly if she is going to be living out.

[vjoy23]

I would say follow what your head is saying and not your heart!!!

At the end of the day you may or may not be able to find out how bad her condition may be until your trial is over and the weather gets better.

There are plenty of quiet horses out there you just have to persivere and keep your eyes pealed. So if you deep down think that this mare might not be right just walk away you will find the right horse.

[Big Ears]

my mare was fully vetted before purchase and developed copd.

she is kept on rubber mats and I used to soak her hay but don't bother now as she has no problems with it. she was fully investigated and once she got over the initial problem which I think was mainly caused by straw bedding) she has had no other issues with it.

the other mare i have on loan has not had copd before but when she moved to sussex from kent (urban kent) she did show signs of head shaking due to pollen - hadn't had it before. she has had it mildly and seems ok but i did use a nose net initially when i rode her to try to keep her more comfortable.

copd can be a real problem or it can be pretty minor and easily managed - you need to find out which it is going to be.

[LinzCos]

My old TB was 19 when I got him and was said to have COPD. We keep him out 24/7 and although we soaked his hay for a while we have now stopped (after putting more horses in his field) and he is showing no symptoms at all.

As others have said, it might be a small problem but you might get unlucky too. Sounds like you need much more detail on his diagnosis and possible prognosis.