Copd

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LesleyR

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Jul 15, 2000
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My pony has just been diagnosed as having COPD. The vet has prescribed steroid treatment through an inhaler twice a day (really looking forward to trying that not!)

Does anyone have any advice on managing this condition?

He's stabled on shavings and we're soaking his hay and trying to keep his environment as dust free as poss - including turfing him out in the field all day - is there anything else we could be doing to help him?
 
hi lesley

My horse was diagnosed with COPD 4yrs ago,i have had absolute hell trying to control his condition .He is 30yrs old and has probably had this condition from an early age,so as you can guess his symptons were severe.This is the first winter i have managed to control it.main rules to stick to! turnout ,turnout and more turnout ;) if hes out side he is not inhaling dust/mould spores ,All feeds should be wetted down.Hay should be soaked and in freezing weather steamed .Most importantly exercise will help keep the airways clear (but only once the condition has been treated)! My horse is currently kept on rubber mats with shavings and haylage .Out by day in by night and lives out in the summer.Hes has a herbal mixture for respiratory.
Also if he seems slightly congested i get a bucket of hot water (not to hot though)!add a few drops of eucalyptus (essential oil) and a towel.stick the towel in the water and rub round the horses head ,lung and wind pipes this seems to help.Feed all food on the floor (even hay) with thier head low down to the ground the mucous can't build up.If you want anymore tips on COPD pm me (or e-mail)
good luck!:D
 
It sounds like most of what you are doing is brilliant. I'd also suggest that you feed your horse his soaked hay from the floor, so later, when it has dired a bit there's less dust flying about. Also if you can (or think you need to) try pressure washing his stable out, so you get rid of any cobwebs and dust on the walls.

If he's in a block where he shares the same airspace with other horses (like a barn) it's important that they too are on shavings, and if possible soaked hay or haylage for them too. I know that's difficult if you're on a livery yard, but you could suggest to other people that their own horses are less likely to get COPD if they are on shavings, and certainly where I am, it's cheaper to use shavings on a deep litter system than it is to use straw.

Make sure that you pay close attention to your vet on how to use the inhaler. There are a few different designs so I can't give you any specific tips unless you tell me which one you've got, but they are all very effective if used properly. I have seen people make mistakes with theirs which means the horse ends up getting no benefit at all.

Horses tend to tolerate inhalers well so after the first few tries you shouldn't have many problems.

I assume you've also been given ventipulmin for his feed too.
 
I'd like to say straight away that this is NOT a comment about the horses mentioned in the previous posts (whose owners seem to be doing all they can to alleviate the problem) but I've known two or three horses with COPD-like symptoms, and what they seem to have had in common is that their owners don't bother to exercise them at all. I say "COPD-like" because I don't know whether what they have or had is actually COPD. I know it stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, but whether that's a general cover-all term I'm not sure - Ponyvet?

The horses I've known have displayed shortness of breath and coughing during exercise, and very "snotty" noses at rest. The owners in each case have bedded them on shavings, but didn't or don't bother to soak their hay.

The conclusion I've drawn is that COPD can be triggered in some cases on by lack of exercise - if a horse never gets to "blow off the cobwebs" his lungs don't get proper exercise. Am I right?
 
whichever way suits you best skye, I couldn'e reach the corners of my stables with a vacuum cleaner, but I'm too lazy to use a ladder as well!! :D

COPD is a specific disease, it's the equine equivalent of asthma. However, like asthmatic people, horses do benefit from exercise so a fit horse with COPD will generally do better than an unfit one. Sometimes though that's irrelevant especially with older horses.

I suspect ros, that the owners of the horses you describe either say their horse haaas COPD because it coughs occasionally, and have not had a vet check it out, or their vet has simply been lazy (or not a good equine vet - quite likely) and has diagnosed COPD out of unwilingness to tell an owner they are not looking after their horse very well. Horses which cough occasionally and have a runny nose actually are not usually COPD, since nasal discharge is not usually a feature.

It is difficult as a vet to tell owners when they are doing something wrong (incidentally it's the same with farmers too). Everyone likes to think they are doing the best for their horse, and it's a challenge to advise people to change their ways without being too blunt. Especially if you are going to send them a bill later!!

We all get a bit wheezy and cough if we're unfit (I AM) and try and do some exercise, people forget that horses are really more like us than we realise. To be fit and active they need lots of regular exercise, you can't just hop on every weekend and expect them to gallop about, no questions asked, if they've been sitting around all week.
 
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Is this something that has come on recently, or has the pony been showing symptoms for a while? I ask because I have two with COPD, it came on 5 years ago, for both of them, in spring, and gradually cleared up over the summer (with management).
Took me three years to realise it got worse after the horses had had their annual Prevac.
When I asked the vet the next year, all he said was the booster he was using now didn't cause a reaction. So it did not get any worse that summer, and I would say we have had few symptoms since, although we still keep a low dust environment.
Paper is even better than shavings, most shavings have quite a lot of dust when they are put down at first.
 
Garlic???

i haven't got my own horse, but my fave horse at my old riding school had COPD and she seemed to cope well, living outdoors (she was a cob needless to say!!!)), with haylage, and had rubber mats if she was indoors.

Another thought i just had was the use of garlic???? only, i thought it had properties known to aid keeping the airways clear or something??? just a thought

hope you find a good management scheme to cope with their condition:0)

oh i just found something else - from one of the tonnes of supplement magazines i hoard: Try not to muck out stable while your horse is there - i know how a horse would feel - i have dust allergies and when dust gets flacked about, i always feel my breathing begin to tighten - also - leave your horse out for about half about hour before you let him back in, to let dust to settle. Also, lok for products deigned to absorb or reduce ammonia levels. ahh - a wealth of info all these mags:0)
 
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Thanks for everyone's advice - we're already feeding hay from the floor - I'd prefer to try haylage but it's a bit expensive where we are. We are now de-cobwebbing every week and mucking out when the pony isn't there but thanks for the ideas about using a pressure hose or a vacuum - I hadn't thought of that one!

We are considering using rubber matting. Unfortunately he's stabled next one of the few horses on the yard that is still on straw so I'm not sure how much benefit he'll get from changing bedding.

I'm just looking at the rain beating down on my windows and wondering how I explain to the boy that going out in all weathers is good for him - he's not convinced at the moment!
 
intouch, I should explain to you why your horse got worse after the vaccination, this will actually apply to a lot of horses with COPD too. :D

The flu vaccination is designed to stimulate the immune system against flu (obviously) so that means as well as producing systemic antibodies it will also stimulate local immune responses in the respiratory system. In most healthy normal horses that should not show up, as the response is mild, however a horse with respiratory problems will have a more exaggerated response, hence a COPD horse will be worse for a short time after vaccination.

Of course the degree to which this happens depends upon the type of vaccine used, as there are several different ones on the market. I believe that recently the formulation of most of them has changed, and they are all generally supposed to be less reactive. The formulation of vaccines is constantly changing, especially for flu, as the vaccine each year must be appropriate to the most widespread type of flu around at the time. This also means that a horse may react to vaccine brand "X" one year, but not to the same brand the next year. ;)
 
On a brighter not, my old Haflinger was diagnosed with really bad COPD. He was at full livery somewhere and they were being fed mouldy (and I mean mouldy) hay. He was in a terrible state, the vet who examined him was furious. (I moved him when I saw the state of him)

He couldn't walk across the yard without gasping for air.

With a change to hay soaking and good quality stuff too, paper bedding and as much turnout as I could manage, (not easy with a stallion on a normal, DIY livery yard) he made a complete recovery and was back in work within 6 weeks. He has suffered no further attacks, not even a cough in 18 years. He did endurance rides and driving competitions.

COPD if managed well need not be too much of a problem.
 
Ponyvet, thanks I appreciate your explanation. Both ponies who reacted to the vacine were quite young, (5) and had never shown any evidence of a problem previous to the vaccine. I just mention it so others can check out the possibilities with their own vet, I agree with Wally that it is not always a big problem, and you get used to managing it - you just need to be careful if you are away from home, and some kind person slips your horse a leaf of dry hay..... Our pony nearly collapsed on a XC course because of that!
 
Hi Everyone

Ponyvet

Can you please clarify one thing about exersizing with COPD

A pony I know has had COPD for some years now and coughs almost all the time. i.e every five to ten minutes every day. Sometimes becomes very stressed and paws the ground. Wheezing can be heard all the time when breathing and sometimes straining grunting noises too can be heard when it eats.

I know sometimes you can see heaves lines on the stomach with this condition but I noticed for the first time today as pony had its rug off for a while that it appears to have what I would describe as overdeveloped loin muscles. i.e musles are bulging beyond the hips. I noticed it uses these muscles when coughing.

Anyway to get to the point. In my opinion this pony should not be exersized at all in this condition. (IF the condition was managed and she wasn't coughing then yes )

Am I right????????????????


I would like to point out that this is not my pony and the owners are not doing all the sensible things they should be doing despite being advised to do so. This pony is also on an inhaler twice a day but obviously isn't doing any good. The vet prescribed ventapulmin some months ago but the owners said it didn't help so the pony is not on this anymore either.

When this pony is exersised it gets lunged for and hour and a half or ridden for the same on average 5-6 times a week.

Pony still receives dry hay is on cheap dusty shavings an usually doesn't get turned out untill midday. Owners also muck out when pony is in stable or just standing outside.

Pony looks depressed and coat is dull and doesn't lie flat.
 
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Obviously the pony MUST not be given dry hay, and should not be on dusty shavings. If it was then of course ventipulmin would not work, since it's action is to dilate the airways to help get more clean air into damaged lungs. In this case it would just have the effect of helping more dust and crud get into the airways. And as mentioned above, it needs lots of fresh air.

On the subject of heave lines, these are normal in COPD horses, and go away when the horse starts to find breathing easier.

In other circumstances I'd tell you that exercise is very important for these horses. The fitter they are, the more efficient their heart is at pumping oxygen round the body. That means they cope better with less than efficient breathing. If the heart is not fit it pumps more slowly, and the horse needs to breath in more oxygen to compensate. Obviously a COPD horse will find that more difficult.

However in this case the pony will be finding exercise a trauma, but I don't suggest that it should be rested., as then it'd probably spend more time in the stable. It's a tough one. I'd provisionally answer your question with a conditional yes - but only if it was rested and given a lot of turnout whilst they sorted themselves out.

Ideally they need to start managing it properly, good shavings, wet hay, long turnout, ventipulmin (maybe some sputylosin - which is a mucolytic - dries up the mucus in the airways) and steady exercise.

I suspect that you'll get nowhere trying to suggest they change their way of doing things. I'm a vet and nobody ever changes things because I say so! They'd be better off selling it to someone who cares more about a pony than just as a riding machine.

(it makes me cross to hear stories like this)
 
I noticed the comment about the 'flu vacc making some horses worse.
My friend has a horse with COPD and he is competing successfully at Med /Adv Med affiliated dressage. He has only needed Ventipulmin twice in the 7 years she has had him (he is 21 years young this year) and that was in the early days before she got his management finely tuned. He is vaccinated regularly not only for 'flu but for the equine herpesvirus as well. Some horses can be carriers for this and it does have an adverse effect in horse with COPD. He has now been vaccinated against EHV for about 5 years, for the first couple of years he would start coughing shortly before his booster was due - on investigating this apparently it can take this long to eliminate carrier status.

His day to day management consists of shavings bed + rubber matting ( both his neighbours are on shavings), an airy box, turn out as much as possible and a herbal supplement called 'Clarity' in his feed. If he shows signs of being 'snotty' or coughing or his turn out is restricted due to weather she also gives him some homeopathic remedies - Rhus Tox, Bryonia and Arsen Alb.

Good luck with your horse - COPD is not much fun but it can be managed.
 
Management of COPD

I agree with what has been said above but for my horse a few years back I tried everything, and he was never 100% better but then I bought this hay that is packed in plastic with the air removed (it cost more than regular hay) it is richer also and has a different smell and the horse can take a day or two to get used to it but since having this he has been really well and not the slightest symptom. He is on shavings and is out as much as possible. He has not had any drugs now for several years. So the net of all this is that for my horse, obviously they can all be differnet on this, the wetting of the hay was not sufficient it was only on changing over the type of hay that I found success. I hope you do too.
 
it sounds like you mean haylage alexa. which is a slightly fermented hay, and is wetter than normal hay, but not wet like soaked hay.

Horses with COPD can be managed well without drugs, but usually they need to be started off on them as a kick-start to the body. With good management though I like to see them taken off ventipulmin, but it really depends on the horse. Some need it forever, some only need it occasionally. Theyre all different.
 
Okay he started on the inhaler today (not Ventopulmin which, as I understand it merely opens up the airways, but a steroid treatment to try to stablise the condition). Anyway he did NOT appreciate it. It took two of use dancing around the yard with him for half an hour on the end of a bridle to try to get it down him.

Does anyone have any experience of using these inhaler/spacer devices? I want to make it as pleasant for him as possible cos I can't stand upsetting him like this twice a day for the rest of his life!
 
Oh great!

Will he let you put a bag over his nose? Colin might've done this to check his breathing when he first diagnosed it. Use a carrier bag and (away from him) hold it open so it's full of air, and see if he'll then let you put it around his nose and hold it on whilst he breathes a few times.

If he'll let you do this, then spray the inhaler into the bag before you put it over his nose.

You have a mask inhaler don't you? Try asking colin if he can get you an equine haler as honestly they are a lot better to use. He probably still won't like it much, but it's less scary.

If he really won't take the inhaler it's ok, because the steroids are only to reduce the inflammation, and so you probably wouldn't need him to have it forever anyway. colin may well want you to go onto ventipulmin eventually, so perhaps you'll just have to start with it a bit earlier.
 
inhaler

we had to use an equine mask to nebulise my old chap with COPD a few years ago. He's much better now so hasn't needed it for quite a while ! (Move to Scotland :) )

However, our vet at the time said it was quite difficult. So either ponyvet has a different experience or perhaps the masks have changed ?

He was ok for the first few times, but then really started to object. I could not get the mask anywhere near him. I think the spray was making his nose sore. So he associated the mask with pain and there was NO WAY he was on for that.

You do the most ridiculous things... the way I got around it was to use a T-shirt. Put his nose through the neck hole, then put my hand through one the arm holes. I fed the nebuliser end with the outside hand, and controlled it near his nose with the inside hand. Then I could hold him, and hold the spray close enough to his nose to have an effect, but I could control it much better.

Its sounds crazy (and is not so easy to explain) but it did work, and he did seem to find it easier to take. I think by getting the nebuliser to the right place, rather than just at the bottom of the mask, I could reduce the bad effect and optimise the good effect.

Must have done something right 'cos he doesn't need it anymore. Still has COPD but with plenty of air, soaked hay, and rubber matting, he's fine.

We tried Horsehage/haylage - he turned it down. Seems he doesn't read the vet books .:D

What bedding is next door seems to be very important. By the way, we also tried hemp bedding and it seemed to be a problem for him - don't know why.
 
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