My older gelding has always had a sensitive respiratory track. I’m thinking about changing his bedding (currently pine shavings) to help him.
Any suggestions?
We have one in the barn that came in with COPD/ Heaves. Started him on shavings, switched him to peat, then plain dirt… the cough persisted. Finally BO changed his bedding to this:
We also changed him to wet dengi within a few days of changing his bedding. I’d say he’s at least 60% improved since, but can’t attribute it to one or the other since both changes happened in the same week.
I will say that the Sani Care bedding is super clean, economical (you throw practically none of it out), and virtually dust free. Spend-y? Yes. But worth it, IMHO.
I have an Icelandic with allergy and dust related coughing. She had problems with shavings, pelleted bedding and straw.This past summer I switched her to rice hulls and it made a huge difference! They aren’t dusty and it’s keeping their coats nice and shiny.
The downside is they aren’t very absorbent. This isn’t a problem for me because my horses aren’t locked in their stalls and I have Stall Savers which drain really well.
My local feed store has to order them in since it isn’t something any of the stores around here carry.
We had a mare that we purchased as a two year old. She started to exhibit signs of COPD when she was six or seven. At first her symptoms were only present during certain times of the year but eventually her symptomatic periods became longer and longer. We tried everything. Changed the type of bedding multiple times. Pulled up the mats and treated for mold. Changed her hay. Wetted her hay. Changed her diet countless times. We tried steroids, customized serums, etc.
Eventually we put her outside to live 24/7. That made all the difference for us. After decades of horse ownership and sales, she was the only COPD horse we had. Glad we resolved the situation, but boy, I hope we don’t have another.
I use hemp bedding – no dust at all, ever. Ridiculously absorbant too.
Does it work if only one stall has special bedding? My other horses are fine.
I wasn’t involved in the initial bedding of the stall, but I muck it 4 days a week and add as needed.
The stall is I’m guessing 12x12’, give or take. I’ve added 3 bags since we swapped to this 3+ weeks ago.
Based upon how it spreads, I’m again guessing, it’s 10 bags a stall to start. That gives a base that’s around 8 - 10" deep in spots. I know it’s about $10/ bag.
The horse is kept between 2 others that are bed with bulk shavings… which can be pretty dusty. It’s a 3 stall barn and is closed up in the pm what with the CT weather. I can’t be 100% certain, but I’m fairly sure horse is not receiving any other medication for the respiratory issue.
His coughing has dramatically reduced since switching to this bedding. Granted, I’m not there to see him while he’s being worked, but simply walking out and back from the paddocks, it’s made an 80 - 90% improvement. Further, mucking that stall is a breeze now.
i recenntly switched my bedding to chopped straw (goldfields is the brand), and it says that the dust has been extracted on the bag. I haven’t noticed any dust when i’ve bedded the stalls. i don’t have experience with heaves tho
Had a jumper with COPD. Card board bedding was wonderful. No dust.
