Is your horse sensitive to pollen or dust? Does he cough at work? Is its performance reduced? What if your horse was asthmatic ? Today we’re talking to you about the diagnosis and management of equine asthma, with Audevard.
Moderate or severe equine asthma, the importance of the diagnosis.
In order to make a complete diagnosis, we advise you to contact your veterinarian.
To establish a diagnosis, your veterinarian will generally start with a general examination. He will ask you about the symptoms your horse is presenting but may also ask you about your horse’s lifestyle. In addition to this, he will carry out a complete clinical examination which will allow him to listen to possible breathing sounds, to look at the nostrils in order to see possible discharge.
To conclude the general examination, the veterinarian could also do the “bag test”. This involves putting a plastic bag over the horse’s nose to “force its breathing” and increase the intensity of the noises. This then makes it easier to hear possible anomalies such as whistling noises. It is also a test that allows you to evaluate the horse’s ability to recover.
To clarify the diagnosis, your veterinarian may also use more in-depth tests: fibroscopy (allows you to see the inside of the bronchi), broncho-alveolar washing (to examine the cells of the lungs and bronchi)…
Once all the necessary examinations have been carried out, your veterinarian will be able to make a final diagnosis and thus offer you treatment adapted to your horse.
Environmental management, an essential element
Taking care of the horse’s environment is essential in the management of equine asthma.
First of all, the horse’s lifestyle will have to be adapted. The idea is to minimize the horse’s exposure to different allergens such as dust, pollen or mold. For horses living outdoors, try to favor pastures with relatively few trees that produce pollen. For horses that tend to live in stables, good ventilation in stables as well as management of bedding and feed to limit dust are essential.
Of course, at work it is also important to limit exposure to dust, be careful of very dry quarries in summer or very dusty walking paths, especially if you are going with several horses.
Drug treatments
In asthmatic horses, it happens that the attacks are too severe and that the horses require medicinal support to limit the inflammation and allow the horse to breathe better.
There are many drug treatments that can be used. Here are the main types:
– Bronchodilators: helps limit the reduction in the diameter of the bronchi linked to inflammation caused by allergens
– Anti-inflammatories: these are generally corticosteroids which will help limit inflammation
– Mucolytics: they will be used in horses which have a significant production of mucus
Supportive food supplements
As part of the management of asthma in horses, the use of dietary supplements can be useful. It is possible to use two types of complements.
Syrup-type supplements like Balsamic Air will provide rapid comfort for horses thanks to essential oils (eucalyptus, rosemary, niaouli and pine).
For long-term support during more risky periods, we recommend the Balsamic Control which provides lasting comfort on deeper airways. It is also a supplement which will be suitable for horses exposed to the risk of asthma and which can be used for prevention.
If you have any doubts about the most suitable supplement for your horse, do not hesitate to contact the Audevard laboratories on their networks Instagram And Facebook, they will be able to advise you best.
Audevard products are available from your veterinarian, do not hesitate to talk to them about them.
