Do temp swings affect your horse with heaves?

[beau159]

I have a 9-year-old mare with “heaves”. As with anything, it’s a constant state of learning and trying to figure out what works best for the horse.

I feel that I’ve noticed another “trigger” for her over the winter: big temperature swings. Anytime we have been below zero and then jumped up for 20-30 * F in a short amount of time (usually 24 hours), she tends to have trouble breathing. I keep a diary of her symptoms in order to try to pinpoint similarities like this. Last summer, I also learned a “trigger” for her is whenever we have to overnight in a stall at a multi-day event likely from the dust exposure.

Has anyone else noticed this for their horse with breathing issues? I have not experienced a problem in the summer months with her (lets say we go from 40 * F to a 80 * F day). It’s been in the winter months only so far.

Overall, I feel like she’s doing quite well as I keep learning what works for her, as we’ve been working with this diagnosis for the past 3 years. She’s had the least amount of episodes this past year so I’m really happy about that. But gosh dang - how frustrating on the weather because I can’t control that!!

Thankfully, she responds quite well to IM Dex + ventipulmin (if it is warm enough, then I will do her nebulizer too) and her breathing is usually back to normal within a day or two.

Already doing Alpha2EQ in her nebulizer (when warm enough) along with a RRVP mix from my vet, allergy shots, kenalog every 4-6 weeks, regular vet checks, outside 24/7, etc etc. and everything else I can do to control her environment.

I’m not sure if she is just getting over-heated when we have these swings or what. I do not blanket during the winter so my horses do grow full winter coats.

I have noticed in the summer months that if her breathing rate is slightly elevated, I usually can exercise her as normal, and then cold hose her off afterward, and then her breathing rate is actually LOWERED after that.

So part of me wonders … how can I cool her off when we have temp swings? I’m not real keen on dumping water on her when it’s only 20 * F outside, but if we’re hitting nearly 40 * F (like we will today) maybe that would help keep her cooler?? I suppose the purpose of my post is more brainstorming on what else I can do for her (besides the meds) when we get these darn temp swings, or what other folks have had success with for their horses.

For the record, I do not have a barn so everything I do we are outside 24/7. But even if I did… I wouldn’t dare keep her inside it anyway due to her dust/stalling trigger. I thankfully have a ton of acerage so my horses can wander out to graze 24/7.

[LCDR]

Remember the saying “it’s not just the heat, it’s the humidity.”

Warmer air is generally moister than frigid air.
Even a brief warmer period can induce higher pollen levels and increase allergen exposure.

I have allergies myself. This morning it was 20 degrees and I was fine outside. This afternoon outside it is 60 and my nose is running and I’m sneezing and wheezing and using my inhaler.

[beau159]

@LCDR

Remember the saying “it’s not just the heat, it’s the humidity.”

Warmer air is generally moister than frigid air.
Even a brief warmer period can induce higher pollen levels and increase allergen exposure.

I have allergies myself. This morning it was 20 degrees and I was fine outside. This afternoon outside it is 60 and my nose is running and I’m sneezing and wheezing and using my inhaler.

Yes, this is true.

In general, I would say we are usually more “dry” of a climate. We can get bouts of high humidity in the summer with high heat, but usually they are short spells … following by a thunderstorm.

At this current moment, 6 PM on Sunday, it’s 48 degrees outside with 60% humidity, decently breazy 16-20 mph. Winter humidity averages 25-30%. Summer average is around 60% but that fluctuates quite a bit.

My theory last year was that she was getting into mold spores in the pasture when it finally warmed up in April, which could be true this week too, but there is still enough snow/ice out in the pasture, I’m just not seeing much under the grass yet.

[RedHorses]

“Snow mold”? I don’t know details, but have heard the term around late winter when warm days start to mean above freezing temperatures. Have you tried prevention instead of reaction? Can you give an antihistamine or breathing aid before the warm day, or in the morning of the day?

@beau159

I have noticed in the summer months that if her breathing rate is slightly elevated, I usually can exercise her as normal, and then cold hose her off afterward, and then her breathing rate is actually LOWERED after that.

I accidentally discovered this around ten years ago. Exercise naturally induces bronchdialation - opening the airways - and the effect seems to last for quite a while afterwards. I have gotten my horse from 32 breaths per minute (resting rate prior to exercise) down to 18 breaths per minute with exercise and cooling (at which point I realized I’d forgotten to give him his meds!). It’s the exercise that makes the difference. The cooling helps the horse recover and reach their resting breath rate faster. I have very deliberately used exercise as a heaves management tool since my discovery. The vets I have spoken to understand the bronchodialation response, but are surprised to hear of the lasting effects.

Maybe try taking your horse for a brisk walk, and jog if she’s willing. Then see how her breathing is after the walk/ride, and 30 minutes later. That should tell you if it helped. I’m willing to bet that it will help because exercise helps in the summer.

My horse will have occasional flare ups in winter, but it’s almost invariably due to a dusty or moldy bit of hay in his feeder. I exercise him, and medicate if necessary. Necessary being judged by what I’m hearing with my stethoscope. It’s a balancing act - I don’t want to over medicate, but I also want to keep his lungs clear as much as possible so they don’t scar.

[beau159]

@RedHorses

"Snow mold”? I don’t know details, but have heard the term around late winter when warm days start to mean above freezing temperatures. Have you tried prevention instead of reaction? Can you give an antihistamine or breathing aid before the warm day, or in the morning of the day?

I do as much prevention as I am able, or when I know for sure she may be affected.

For example, since I do know that stalling at multi-day events will bother her, I do give her “preventative” IM shots of dex, at the okay of my vet. She hasn’t had a flare-up at an event since I started doing that.

I had suspected the temp swings maybe would bother her but I don’t yet have a good handle on how much the swing needs to be, humidity, etc etc. I only give her the steroids when I absolutely have to, as to not over-use. I keep detailed notes for her on everything I do. We’re scheduled to be at the vet next week so I’ve already got some questions for her on how we can best manage this and/or what I should do when I suspect a temp swing is going to bother her. (I started this thread because I figured it might give me more questions to think of, hearing what others do.)

I do not currently have her an any anti-histamines, per my vet. We have done the allergy shot program for just about a year now.

I do nebulize as much as I can during the winter. However, I have no barn so if it is too cold, I cannot nebulize. The medication freezes and ices in the tube and I know it’s not going to reach her lungs as intended. If it’s too cold to nebulize, then I use the ventipulmin syrup. I don’t give the ventipulmin to her on a regular basis in the winter so she’s doesn’t build a tolerance to it - I save it for when needed.

@RedHorses

I accidentally discovered this around ten years ago. Exercise naturally induces bronchdialation - opening the airways - and the effect seems to last for quite a while afterwards

Maybe try taking your horse for a brisk walk, and jog if she’s willing. Then see how her breathing is after the walk/ride, and 30 minutes later. That should tell you if it helped. I’m willing to bet that it will help because exercise helps in the summer.

That’s a good thought too.

When I am able to nebulize, I always hand walk her (we do NOT walk slow ). I’ve got a few different meds but I usually use the RRVP combo med from my vet, and it takes a solid 20+ minutes to go through the nebulizer.

Trotting availability for me just depends on the ground conditions. I have no indoor (nor do I ever dare exercise her in an indoor anyway) and it just depends how icy our gravel driveway is and if it would be safe to trot, or how much snow is in the ditch. (My outdoor area will be a mud mess for a while yet as the ground thaws.) I usually start legging her back up this time of year because we have some daylight at the end of the day after work. I chose not to ride her last night and instead hopped on my young horse. Everywhere was either greasy mud or slick ice so we kept it pretty short and just at a walk.

[RedHorses]

Any exercise that challenges her breathing works. A brisk walk is often enough.

Do you have Omega Alpha products available in your area? I give my horse RespiFree almost every day. I’ve found it helpful for my horse. It’s available in tack shops.

[beau159]

@RedHorses

Do you have Omega Alpha products available in your area? I give my horse RespiFree almost every day. I’ve found it helpful for my horse. It’s available in tack shops.

I would be able to get it via shipping but I am really leery to give her something by mouth with a syringe on a regular basis. She does have some sort of jaw issues and anytime I have to give her something by mouth like that (such as the ventipulmin) she has to work to “unlock” her jaw. Sometimes she can unlock it quickly. Other times it takes a full minute or more until she quits fussing with her open mouth. Years ago, vet tried injecting her TMJ but it did not help. It doesn’t seem to both her otherwise; just when I have to sneak a syringe in her mouth.

She’s also a VERY picky eater. The one thing she does love that I keep her on is Race Today.

I have tried various other herbal supplements in the past (CEP daily lung, silver lining herbs, etc) and nothing really seemed to make a difference, and sometimes it was a struggle to get her to eat it.

[pony_baloney]

My pony’s breathing issues have been slightly worse since it’s been warming up here. He’s been on Hilton Herbs, Silver Lining Herbs, and now on Wellpride Fish Oil and Uckele Lung EQ. Although his cough has improved, the breathing has not. The vet/chiro I use trained at the Chi Institute and they use Chinese herbs by Dr. Xie that are supposed to be very effective. I just asked her to concentrate on these issues during her next visit in March so hopefully I’ll have something positive to share. Honestly I don’t mind spending the money if what he’s getting works, but I feel that he should be a bit better after trying so many things. It doesn’t help that he’s a woolly yak and has barely started shedding.

My horses have always gotten regular chiro/acupuncture visits but more for body imbalances. I’m looking forward to seeing how acupuncture works on something like respiratory problems. From what I was told in the past, you only give the herbs for a certain time, then only again when needed.

[pony_baloney]

I’ve been noticing this with my pony. When first brought inside, he’s at about 44-48 BPM. No change even after a long grooming session. Our ride is always a walk warmup, then trotting, some walking, and more trotting. Long walk cool down. A short time after untacking, he’s at 20 BPM. I was feeling guilty about riding him but now see it’s helping. When I have time I may ride a second time after he’s down to 20, just to see how laboured he gets.

[RedHorses]

What I noticed was that if his breathing was laboured in the morning, and I rode him and got his breath rate down, when I checked in the evening his breath rate was still down, or at least much lower than before the morning ride (done riding by 10am, checked again around 7pm).

The first indication that exercise helped showed on a hot morning when I hopped on without a saddle to get his PSSM exercise. We walked for while, did some trot, and then I asked him if he was up to cantering. He gave a very firm “Yes!” and then “Faster!” Half a dozen strides later he ran out of air. He didn’t stop cantering, but he did slow right down to where his breathing could keep up. I figured that was his limit for the day. We went for a while longer, alternating walk and trot, and after half an hour I asked him to canter again. “Yes! Faster!” and much to my surprise he didn’t run out of air. I had to slow him down before we got to the corner.

After that experience I deliberately used exercise to open his airways. Over time I discovered the effects lasted for hours afterwards. This knowledge served us well when his breath was audibly wheezing and I could get my meanie on and ride him because I knew it would help. It wasn’t easy the first time, but it did work. I always felt like a big meanie making him go when he was not breathing well.

[pony_baloney]

I might start something similar to Couch to 5K with him. It certainly got me from not being in any sort of cardio condition to running a few times a week. Recovery came much quicker afterwards.

Maybe I’ll also ride early in the summer to see if it helps him handle the heat and humidity later in the day.

[RedHorses]

I used to use the short period between spring mud and humid summer heat to do cardio fitness work with my guy. A good base level of fitness means less effort (and therefore less oxygen) needed to do anything, which means less strain on breathing.

How old is your pony?

[pony_baloney]

He’s about 14, I’ve had him for 5 years. He’s also very hairy which doesn’t help with the higher temps. He’ll be tested for PPID when he gets spring shots; no other symptoms but it’s not something I want to get out of control.

My previous horses were Arabians, which are always very alert. This boy is very mellow and laid back, which could be his normal personality, but I’m wondering if he’s just lethargic from lack of oxygen. Walks very slow when being led, almost dozing while grooming. Could be PPID symptoms as well. Did you notice your guy perking up when breathing was normal, or is he generally alert? I’ll have to make a point of paying attention to that.

I did have a PPE done but nothing was unusual. However, the girl who did some training on him before I bought him recently mentioned that he did get winded easily. I’m looking forward to trying out the Chinese herbs from the vet/chiro. Dr. Xie’s blends plus acupuncture seems to help a lot of horses with many issues.

[RedHorses]

Mine is a chill fellow naturally, but is less interested in things going on around him when his breathing is laboured.

I don’t know what your finances are like, but I have had phenomenal improvements using a Bemer since March 2022. There’s no noticeable, immediate improvements on the day of use. I started March 20, 2022 and didn’t have to increase his summer medication dosages in 2022 (a first in several years). In 2023 we were hit by forest fire smoke for a few days, several times and my horse’s breathing recovered much faster than I expected. Apart from the smoke periods his medication stayed the same as 2022, and he regularly reached lower base breath rates than 2021 (20bpm was the best I could get that summer). 2024 was even better. His medication dosages were lowered from 2023, and his base breath rate hit single digits regularly.

In 2022 I was pretty sure I’d be looking at euthanasia in the spring of 2024. Now I think it’s likely to be his left knee that signals his end. Yes, the Bemer was expensive, but it was worth it to get more healthier years with my horse.

[pony_baloney]

My trimmer just brought one with her this week and is offering sessions. She has a horse with severe breathing issues so I’m sure she’ll use it on him; I’ll find out how he does. It is pricey to buy. It’s amazing the difference it made for your horse.

Today was very windy and he was eating hay off the ground instead of the round bale rack. Only 16 BPM! And maybe not as dull?? We had a normal ride and he didn’t seem too winded. Just before cooling down he was 44 BPM but about 10 minutes later at 20 BPM. I’m tracking anything that will show a pattern–temps, humidity levels, wind, sun, anything and everything.

[RedHorses]

Add the pollen data to your list if it’s available. My weather site has air quality and pollen counts (in season) and tells me what the top pollen sources are plus their severity (low, medium, high, very high). That’s what let me figure out ragweed is one of my horse’s triggers after his breathing got worse the same day ragweed pollen spiked very high. I couldn’t clear the farm, but just clearing it out of his paddock made a big difference.

[beau159]

@pony_baloney

My trimmer just brought one with her this week and is offering sessions. She has a horse with severe breathing issues so I’m sure she’ll use it on him; I’ll find out how he does. It is pricey to buy. It’s amazing the difference it made for your horse.

Today was very windy and he was eating hay off the ground instead of the round bale rack. Only 16 BPM! And maybe not as dull?? We had a normal ride and he didn’t seem too winded. Just before cooling down he was 44 BPM but about 10 minutes later at 20 BPM. I’m tracking anything that will show a pattern–temps, humidity levels, wind, sun, anything and everything.

I also have my own PEMF system for my horses. I can’t really say that I have noticed it helping her heaves, one way or the other. I do believe it’s helped keep her SOUND during her barrel career and she’s one of the few barrel horses that I have not had to inject. I believe, in part due to the regular PEMF.

I don’t have a Bemer. I was steered away from them when they would not answer any of my questions when I was shopping for a system. That really turned me off. I kept getting told things are “proprietary” and they can’t say. Really? Anyway, from my own research, it seems that the Bemer frequencies are very low (under 5 Hz). With that said, I have friends who have the Bemer and love it.

I chose to go with RespondSystems myself. It can treat from 5 Hz to 60 Hz. I usually run the “scan” function which will automatically cycles through all the frequencies in a 30-minute treatment. I liked that I asked them a million questions and they answered every single one, in great detail. I also liked that I could actually treat their whole body (neck, legs, body, hocks, stifles) [whereas with Bemer I would have had to jimmy-rig things to make it work].

Super happy with my system but… really cannot say it’s made any impact on my horse’s breathing.

Of course, all are individuals!

I will say that if you are going to do PEMF, it works the best to do regular treatments. I try to treat my main horse at least twice a week; better for 3. I have 4 horses and I don’t have time to treat them all, all of the time, so my main horses get first dibs and then I do try to treat the others when I can - at least if I can be consistent for a week or two (better than nothing!).

[pony_baloney]

Thanks. I can barely track down my trimmer for his regular appointments so I doubt she’d be available for PEMF sessions. She’ll most likely try it on her guy so I’ll find out how helpful it is.