Horses with asthma

[RedHorses]

I’m not ignoring you, @sascha - I just haven’t had time to write a proper answer.

The Bemer is a PEMF device. The specific Bemer frequency pattern prompts dialation of the micro blood vessels in the body. So I thought, lungs are masses of blood vessels, maybe keeping everything moving could be helpful.

As I talked to people about the Bemer I learned that the Bemer frequency induces a response in the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps the body go from a stress state to a relaxed state where healing can occur. Regular use allows horses to recover from stressors (hard works competition, shipping) faster and more easily. I talked to people who had gotten their afflicted horses off all medications (after several years, and with continued environmental and daily routine management). The Bemer allows the body to do what it should naturally be doing.

Bemer has a 30 day money back guarantee, which I didn’t think would be long enough to decide if I was seeing any benefit. I rented one for four weeks, then purchased my own to get an 8 week trial period.

As I have been using the stethoscope and counting my horse’s breath rate for several years, I have a baseline to work from that is more than just “seems to be” or “I think there’s” some improvement. I developed my own lung sounds scale in 2022 in order to be able to graph the data.

The breath rate tells the tale. The previous four years had base breath rates of 16-20bpm. Base breath rate was the lowest rate I could get with all my management, including medication and exercise. If his breath rate was any higher I felt I had to take him out for some exercise even if it was only 20 minutes. If I didn’t exercise him I could pretty much count on his breathing being worse the next day.

2022 had a wider variation in breath rate and I even see a 7bpm for August 8th. Single digit breath rates didn’t happen between mid June and late August in the previous few years. I wasn’t able to exercise him as much - something I couldn’t have skipped in previous years. I regularly saw base breath rates in the 12-14bpm range.

As far as medication went, in 2021 he was on 15cc of Prednisolone and 2-4 hydroxyzine capsules per day. I used Ventipulmin as an emergency support for flare ups and went through five bottles that year. After discussion with the vet in the fall, she recommended going with a higher dose of Prednisolone right from the beginning of his season in 2022 (10cc twice a day) to try and stay ahead of breathing issues.

I opted to see what the Bemer could do and started with 10cc once a day when his breathing issues started early in April. On June 1st I increased his Prednisolone to 15cc once a day. I used less than two bottles of Ventipulmin,. and I was able to taper off the Prednisolone earlier than in any of the previous three years.

I also noted some very good recoveries. The most significant being back to back trail rides in distant locations. Day one had 4 hours in the trailer and 2 hours on trail (after which he was pulling me back towards the trail head). Day two had 3 1/2 hours in the trailer, more than two hours on trail (and after a drink he was pulling towards the trail again). Both days were hot and humid, and the second was in the hills. That was August, so he’d had about five months with the Bemer at that point.

Test group of one.

But if you asked me if I would pay 7K for an extra couple of years with this horse, the answer would be a resounding YES!

[sascha]

Thank you SO MUCH for your detailed reply Great information that I will be referring back to and taking ideas from - I’ve thought about a resp rate log, but have only ever done it when mine is in obvious distress and then cease daily counts when she’s back to what I believe is her normal. I will definitely get better about a proper year-round log!

And this, omg, smiling tears. Seriously.

@RedHorses

The most significant being back to back trail rides in distant locations. Day one had 4 hours in the trailer and 2 hours on trail (after which he was pulling me back towards the trail head). Day two had 3 1/2 hours in the trailer, more than two hours on trail (and after a drink he was pulling towards the trail again). Both days were hot and humid, and the second was in the hills. That was August, so he’d had about five months with the Bemer at that point.

That is wonderful. There were days last summer when mine couldn’t go up a small hill without hacking up a lung at the top. I’d really like to prevent her getting to that point again this summer.

Thanks again!

[moonlitoaksranch]

Thank you for posting that information.

[ladipus]

I have 2 horses with asthma …my mare seems to be more affected in cold weather…she will cough at the beginning of our rides for the first lap or 2 around while trotting …she also had been starting to have some exercise intolerance…hard to keep going forward and just easily fatigued /lack of energy…my other gelding is similar as well …both have gotten bloodwork for serum allergy testing and immunotherapy shots which does seem to help …Zyrtec helps my gelding but not my mare …they get steamed hay , cardboard bedding and both are getting Smartbreathe Ultra …I’ve tried Aleira …didn’t help much to justify the high price for me …I also give them additional Spirulina and Jiagulon along with flax …my mare got triggered and had a flare up when she was trailered to the vet clinic for her initial work up when she got diagnosed with Asthma back in November…she was put in a stall with straw bedding and fed hay that wasn’t steamed or soaked and she’s been coughing ever since prior to trailering to the clinic she didn’t cough at all and only was experiencing mild exercise intolerance and would have some nasal discharge after being ridden….I’m considering trying Horsetech Respire or Uckele Lung Eq or even Omega Alpha Respifree

[RedHorses]

Mine has had nasal discharge after exercise in winter since he was quite young (5ish). He’d drip 1-2 tablespoons of white mucus, usually from one nostril, only occasionally both. Eventually he did it year round. Exercise really seems to loosen the mucus and I’d get him head down in a ground level feed pan shortly after riding to get it drained out. Omega Alpha’s RespiFree seems to help the drainage effect. Mine gets it pretty much every day.

[RedHorses]

I didn’t track breath rate or listen to his lungs in the off season (unless he was having a flare up) until this winter. I didn’t know he’s got a less than 6bpm resting rate in the winter. Think about that for a second - his normal resting breath rate is around 6bpm, and two years ago in the summer I was doing well to get him down to 20bpm!

I use exercise as a significant part of my management strategy after accidentally discovering the effect on his breathing. My horse also has PSSM and a big part of managing that is daily exercise to limit the build up of stored glycogen.

One day he was labouring to breathe so I put his hackamore and saddle blanket on to go for a walk. He was quite happy to be going out and after a bit I asked him if he was interested in a trot. Yes, he was, and off we went.

A little further on I asked if he was interested in a canter, got an enthusiastic Yes! Faster! and a dozen strides later he was going faster than he could breathe. He slowed down his canter, and I thought we’d found his limit for the day.

We continued to walk and trot until later in the ride when I invited him to canter again - Yes! Faster! - and he didn’t have to slow down! I had to slow him down before he took the corner too fast.

The worse his struggles for breath, the more he. needs exercise. It’s hard to do when his whole body jerks, or when he’s audibly wheezing. I have been doing it long enough now to know how much benefit he gets. I can tell how well he’s responding too.

I try to push him just hard enough to provoke a single cough at a time. Multiple coughs mean I asked for too much effort. Pushing him might be walking a bit faster or up a slope, or doing a little trot. It’s rewarding to hear the wheezing disappear from the walk, and trot. He is visibly more comfortable after recovering from the ride, and the effects last through much of the day.

I know it’s not going to work for every situation, but I mention it because it has been so effective for my horse, and because every vet I’ve talked to about it has been surprised. They advise exercise to keep the horse fit so that less effort is required for the horse to do his day to day activities, which means less stress on his lungs. They weren’t aware of the immediate, direct. benefit.

[PaddockWood]

I’ve got my mare’s trigger figured out. It’s decayed hay - wet and any temp over freezing. You’d be surprised where that sh*t can get trapped. Under the corner of a mat, anything sitting anywhere that’s covered. Hay not cleaned up. That dusty, blackish crap that forms in time.

She keeps me on my toes but by GOD I’m down to maybe once/twice a year where I need dex and ventipulmin. AND if I notice any mild breathing distress I use Respire. Use that on average every three months?

[moonlitoaksranch]

I heard Bitsey cough yesterday, so she’s on generic Zyrtec for now. Hopefully, that keeps it at bay.