Yeah, needless to say, I’m pretty disappointed. All my horses seem to be a mess this year! (she wasn’t the only one I took the vet last week…)
I’ve never had a horse with breathing issues and I don’t like it one bit. I feel kind of helpless to help her so I really hope that getting the inflammation under control and getting her back to a baseline will be helpful. I hope I don’t discover any other triggers. If I can just eliminate her time in indoor arenas, that’s a doable thing.
Well we returned from the vet today, after doing allergy testing and a BAL. Of course, will need to wait for results, but with the scope she saw what looked like inflammatory allergy-type bumps in her air way, and LOTS of mucus discharge. I’m real curious what she’s going to turn out to be allergic to, and/or if she will be detected as a bleeder.
I’m not entirely sure how “under control” her breathing has been. She can for sure do one or two runs (such as if I run barrels and poles, or if it is a double header [two barrel runs]) but it has been questionable on if she can do more. I don’t run them all day, but sometimes we go to a playday that has 4 events, barrels, poles, keyhole, and spur race. The latter two are quite short, so it’s not like they are being exerted for long, but it is still a speed event nonetheless. I will say we did that Friday night last week and her breathing was fine, so that’s good. I did do the nebulizer with dex and albuterol about 2 hours before the first run so maybe that’s a good routine for her.
I am still nebulizing with either dex, albuterol, or ipratropium during the week.
Whether this is related or not, but 3 weeks ago, she came down with a serious case of salmonella! It caused a colitis that spread into her blood stream. I’m thankful she turned around in a couple days but her legs were swollen and she was lethargic, and breathing hard at the start of it. So we had to deal with that on top of everything else. She lost a little bit of weight again from that ordeal, but not as bad as this spring.
When she completed her meds at the vet for the salmonella, I started her on Forco digestive pellets. I’m unsure if these things are magic, but she has ATE the BEST since I started her on it. A lot of times at shows, she will turn her nose up at her hay or at her grain, but she scarfed away all weekend. So either she was just that hungry or it makes her tummy feel good. Time will tell I guess.
I’ll update when I get the allergy results! I’m curious what my vet will change when we have the results. She did offer an allergy shot program if we need.
I’m planning to go to a barrel race tomorrow night and then a play day (with the 4 events) the next night, so we will see how she does with her breathing.
Well, updates after the gaming show last night and not a good one. 
It was quite hot and humid, which we do not get all that often in North Dakota. She seemed to do fine but I noticed she was breathing faster than usual, but it wasn’t the same type of breathing she had done with her episodes, so I thought it was just from it being more humid. My mom’s horse was breathing a little different too. So I chaulked it up to the weather. She wasn’t struggling or anything, and making good runs (she won FIRST place in all 4 events, that rockstar…) But I did NOT like that she was coughing after some of her runs, which she had not been doing before.
Well, this morning I go out to catch her to do the showing events today and she’s absolutely having another heaves episode. 
I’m mad at myself for thinking it was the humidity last night (but it was a bit different than before).
I gave her an IM shot of dex right way, did her nebulizer with dex/albuterol, did PEMF (this was all at about 6 AM) and then waited until a more reasonable hour to contact my vet. Of course, no lab results yet but she does know that it showed she is a bleeder (not shocked) and that she might have a fungal component!!! but need to wait for final results.
I’m about to go out and check on her again and see how her breathing is.
I just feel so defeated with this. I have a feeling in my stomach our year might be done. The time and energy I have put into the horses this year (all 3 of them) has just been exhausting. It’s just one of those years. Ugg. Small vent…
@beau159 I recommend taking her to a clinic for a respiratory work up with a BAL (this will get cells from her airways to determine if there’s a bacterial or different component)get her scoped as well as checking her heart /lungs and bloodwork…I’ve had all this done to my mare who started having exercise intolerance…turns out she has mild asthma as well as having a narrowing on the left side of her larynx …she also has pssm2, MFM and VEM ….what has helped my mare the most is STEAMING the hay …which means no round bales anymore and even just wetting the hay …steaming is the gold standard ….bloodwork for serum allergy testing and immunotherapy shots…helps in the long run …I used Aliera by Arenus initially for 90 days at vets recommendation but didn’t feel it helped enough to justify the high cost …I switched to Smartbreathe Ultra and added additional Jiagulon and Spirulina…I also give KER EO3 oil and have removed soy from her diet.
Be very careful with steroids-not only can they cause laminitis but they will also further compromise her immune system. I would stop working her all together if it’s at all very hot/humid …not sure if you saw my other comments but steaming her hay will be the best thing you can do for her as well as giving her Jiagulon, Spirulina, flax& msm , EO3 oil…Smartbreathe Ultra
Given that she’s just recovering from a serious illness on top of the respiratory issues, I’d back way the hell off in terms of competing.
Give the poor mare time to recover.
Per my recent responses, the BAL has already been done as of last week. (It took me a month to get in!! 
) My vet uses the scope to do the BAL so she is scoping airways at the same time. There were some “bumps” which indicate an allergy response and mucus discharge but nothing else noted as far as abnormalities.
Got final results back from the lab on the BAL and there isn’t actually a fungal component (thank goodness!), and the only thing slightly elevated was eosinophils (which can happen “normally” in a young horse so my vet wasn’t real worried about that) but she did have some RBCs which indicates she has bled at some point. Not shocking to me as that’s quite common in barrel horses, especially with respiratory issues. Although I myself have never had an official bleeder diagnosed before so this will be new territory for me. Likely will have to run her on LASIX which I am not a fan of but we’ll wait and see what my vet tells me when we get to the point where we are ready to make a run again.
Still waiting for final results on the allergy testing, which was also done last week.
Yes, vet offered the allergy shots, pending when we get the allergy results.
Next step is we are going to try Alpha-2 in the nebulizer, so I’m set up next week for a blood draw so we can get that spun up.
I know things get old but yes I see you did comment earlier on my thread (even though I did not respond directly) and the hay steaming “discussion” is also earlier in the thread. 
Yes, of course, steroids have side effects but they also have their place. I’ve only given her the IM when she has absolutely needed it and I’ve been giving it in the nebulizer per my vet’s instructions.
She is on pasture 24/7 right now. The only hay she’s gotten in the last 5 months is when she’s tied at the trailer at a show/race. And the bag I use for her, she can’t bury her face or nose in it. She won’t eat it if it’s wet (tried that).
She is already on MVP Air-Way EQ (which does have spirulina in it) along with CEP Daily Lung and a daily omega-3 supplement (that has flax in it).
Also added a Forco digestive pellet after the tummy issues. I just think she should be on something digestive for a bit right now. Not to mention my vet has me doing antibiotics again (for 7 days) since we now know she’s a bleeder.
I’m going to refrain from responding as I don’t need your negatively to return to the thread a second time.
Then I’ll just toss this out there in the hopes that it may reach someone else–
your horse doesn’t care about winning a barrel race or any other gymkhana event.
(or a jmper class, or a hunter round or a dressage test or cross-country course, etc.)
That’s your ego.
If you place your ego above the needs of your horse, you are not a horseman.
And it will eventually end badly for either you, your horse, or the both of you.
Have you ever tried the nasal strips during exercise?
My ego?
Thanks for bringing a smile to my face in light of your egotistical attitude.
Have a good day belitting others.
I haven’t for her. I did use them on my gelding a few years ago (didn’t seem to make a difference for him).
They were kind of tricky to get to stick, and also quite spendy.
I would like to look into the nose clips that you can get that accomplish the same thing and are re-usable. I don’t remember who makes them or what they are called. I need to ask around and look into it.
May not do anything for the heaves part of it but could help with the EIPH.
Dh was positive for the
this is so true. my own best and favorite gelding struggles with RAO and I wouldn’t dream of working him hard in pursuit of a trail ride much less a competition.
be super mindful of overdoing the dex.
I feel for you- managing these horses is a full time job. Where I am, the air is filthy due to a lack of rain and we’re having uncharacteristically dry weather (typically humidity is above 85%, it’s been sitting at 40 for a few weeks. So yeah it’s nice that the air is dry so there’s no mold and mildew on the ground and grass… instead it’s just airborn dirt and crud blowing around.
have you considered the silva-dene for the nebulizer? I have used it some as a ‘lung health’ thing between episodes but I can’t say I’m fully bought in to its usefulness.
Got the allergy results back the other day
and… already made a bunch of changes to the grain I give her. 
I’m thankful she’s not allergic to any grasses around here (pretty sure we do not have Johnson Grass up here) but goodness we have ragweed everywhere. Definately will be doing the allergy shot program because there is no way I could totally eliminate ragweed. I can spray/maintain in my own pastures but it’s still going to be in the neighbors pasture 40 feet across the road with the wind blowing the seeds into mine.
The little omega-3 cookie I have been feeding her has flax in it. So stopped that and already have a different fish oil omega-3 on the way (KER EO-3) for her. I take a high quality fish oil for myself so I suppose it would make sense it would be useful for an animal as well.
The Purina Outlast and the alfalfa pellets I have been giving her are safe, but not the Purina Outlast cookies (which are oddly different than the bag) or the Purina Ultium Gastric Support, which is a bummer because she gobbles that stuff up and I use it to top dress her supplements and alfalfa pellets.
She really doesn’t like eating the alfalfa pellets plain but she has been eating them painstakingly slowly. (She’s probably wondering WTH is her Ultium …) I’m hoping she’ll like the fish oil supplement I ordered and as least that I can pour over the alfalfa pellets, if she doesn’t mind it. We’ll see. She does NOT like her pellets moist or wet. She won’t eat them. I don’t like feeding them dry but it’s the only way she does eat them.
Her CEP and MVP and Forco supplements are good so we’ll continue those.
It might. I listened to a really, really good podcast a few weeks ago from a very well-respected vet from Littleton Equine and the bottom line is there really is no way to prevent the bleeding because it’s just how the blood volume of a horse is and the amount of pressure/exertion they create during the bursts of speed or running (like also in racehorses), it’s going to pop those tiny capillaries deep inside the lungs. I suppose she very much is an advocate for LASIX but in terms of how it’s really the only thing that can prevent the bleeding at an anatomic level, just because of how the horse’s body is designed. It was a really good conversation.
But like we horse owners do, we try lots of other things anyway! Flair strips, supplements, nebulizers, etc etc etc.
Honestly, my vet is kinda against any of those silva things for the nebulizers. I think mainly because there are so many unregulated products out there and you have to be really careful that you are putting STERILE things into the lungs via the nebulizer. Yes, I understand that silver is supposed to be anti-microbial but I don’t think the research takes a stance one way or the other specifically on the true effects. And I think it just mainly lacks the science background and that’s probably the main reason why she doesn’t like it.
I know people that use it and say it works. I’m going to go the Alpha-2 route with my vet first and we’ll see how she responds to that.
Yeah me too. Would kill for those kinds of numbers for my asthma horse!
Ugh I think I’m getting ready to embark on the asthma adventure and not looking forward to it. I’ve been following this thread since it got updated and have no idea what’s going on, as I’ve never dealt with asthma before. I fear what future allergy test results will look like……
It’s much better to have the knowledge than not, if that is your horse’s issue. Before I had gathered enough information, my horse was basically unrideable despite being previously very supple and amateur friendly, he was miserable, spooky, muscle sore all over, and not sweating. This year has been tackling the itching, hives, and sweet itch component. But he is sweating like a champ and I’ve hardly used the nebulizer since winter!!
It’s very helpful to know that oats are an allergen, for example. I have chip mostly well managed, though I was overwhelmed at first.
I’ll be coming here for advice when we do get things narrowed down, for sure. We thought he had a bug of sorts, then thought allergies, then a huge fever after trailering assumed it was in fact viral or bacterial, but test results indicate no such thing. So back to thinking it’s allergies/asthma. Will have the vet out very shortly to open that can of worms. The horse was born with pneumonia so I’m assuming he has some damage that predisposes him to lung problems 
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