Horse with Heaves

[Kipcha]

So, we have a 20 something year old horse named Buzz that we have had for 2 and a half years now, and we're sort of at a dead end on what to do for the poor guy.

We originally got him as a second horse after we got Ben, my Arabian. He came from a close relative of a friend so we did not get him vet checked (Our first mistake, I know) and wound up buying him. Turned out, this was a bad move.

Buzz had something called Heaves, which is pretty much asthma for horses. It's caused by being fed mouldy hay, which causes the particles to enter the lungs and cause inflammation and laboured breathing. However, it can be managed with good feed and overall, just good care. There were more issues, but that's getting into it too much. Point is, we bought him, brought him home, realised something was a little off and asked for the owner to take him back only to have him refuse. Our 12 year old horse turned out to be over 20. It was then we realised he had been dumped on us.

However, we know that he has his limits and while riding, we allow him to set the pace and we're very aware of him. Until recently, he's been perfectly happy despite his misfortunes. His not his fault that he was dealt such a cruddy hand earlier in life and we just loved him with all we got.

But now, we're in a rut. Buzz's breathing has started becoming more laboured and he seems to be less and less willing to run around and play like he used to. And yet, he doesn't seem to be giving up, if you know what I mean. He still seems happy enough on normal days, when the temperature is cooler. But on hot days, his nostrils are flared and his breathing is extremely prounounced.

I'm just wondering if anyone on here has experience with heaves? We've tried the syrup, which didn't work and normally ended with us and Buzz frustrated after giving it. The vet suggested a steroid treatment, but said it's temporary and with his age, lowering his immune system would probably not be the best idea. Is there something, perhaps, that we haven't found yet? Because we're at our wits end. But I do not think it's time for euthanasia, because on his good days, he still seems just as happy as ever. So we need to just find something for those bad days.

I know this is a long stretch, but I thought it was worth a shot.

 

[iShiznitch]

So sweet.

I actually do have experience, our oldest horse got heaves years and years ago, and we put him on dexamethasone once a day for 10 days, and then every other day until he had an attack (repeat cycle). Medicine was purchased from Moore's co. in Balzac - not sure if you go there.

It IS a steroid, but we had no problems with it - the horse was on it for, almost 5-7years? He recently passed away at 32 with a tumour in his throat, which we believe to be unrelated to the heaves, but they certainly didn't help

I wish you the best of luck!

 

[Kipcha]

Perhaps that would be a better course of action then. I have heard of Moore's and have driven past it before, just never stopped there so perhaps we'll try that. Thank you for the advice, I'm hoping to find something that works because so far, he's just been getting progressively worse.

 

[iShiznitch]

I hope he gets better! If nothing else, there is always the second opinion?

I wish you the best!

 

[Kipcha]

We've techinically gotten 4 opinions, all from different vets.

The first one said that we should just keep up with the good hay and let things go as they will (Mind you, this was earlier on and not as bad as it is now).

The second didn't seem to be all to concerned (Although I wasn't too sure on this guy).

The third thought there was a lot of hope for him and mentioned steroid injections but she had originally come out because there was an ulcer in his eye from poking it on something and steroids were not an option at the time as it would have made it worse.

The fourth said to put him down, although this one is a long story. We were boarding with one of those ladies who figured that you paid to keep your horse there, but they were hers anyways. She actually walked away with the vet to talk with her on Buzz's situation and when I went to join in, they actually turned away from me and went a further distance so I could not hear what was being said. I think the one we boarded with had her own opinion and perhaps pressured the vet into saying certain things because at the time, we were at a large stable and she provided that vet in particular with a lot of buisiness. But that was while he had the ulcer in his eye and he was forced to stay in a paddock where she continiously fed him dusty hay. He was coughing terribly at the time and really did look like he needed to be pts, but when we finally decided to let things go as they may and we put him back out in the pasture, he RAN the full length of the pasture (And keep in mind, that was a fair distance to run) to the other horses and vastly improved on the grass, so we decided that it wasn't his time yet.

Really, opinions on him are very varied, but I think the third vet was the one who knew the best and took the most time to explain what the situation was. I think now that the ulcer in his eye is dealed with, we'll consider steroid injections, although the silly guy just went and hurt his eye again the other day so we'll hold off for a bit longer. It seems to be a pretty common thing for him to go poking his eye on stuff and having it cloud up for a week or two while we apply medication... We wondered if there was some underlying problems, but vet 3 and 4 could find nothing.

 

[iShiznitch]

Oh wow haha. Crazy boarder lady.

There are always a few animals that come into your life that are more accident prone than others. Keeps you on your toes!

 

[~*sAbRiNa*~]

I worked at a barn that maintained two horses with heaves for many years and my horse had scar tissue on his lungs from have pneumonia as a foal. I found that the best thing to help on a day-to-day basis was soaking their hay. I know that it is a HUGE pain in the butt but I cannot tell you how much better Solo's breathing was when his hay was soaked. When the attacks got bad we did medicate. I forget the name of what we used but it was from the vet. Since then a new natural product has come out that is supposed to work very well. It will definitely help you avoid steroids i that is something that you are worried about. Here is a link http://equine.healthboosters.com/airwaves.html

I wish you the best of luck. Its hard to see your baby suffer!

 

[luvthempigs]

Buzz is beautiful, Appaloosa horses are my favorite.

Managing the environment your horse lives in can help a lot. As already mentioned wetting down hay prior to feeding is a good idea. If you cant wet the hay atleast try to pull each flake apart and shake it out before feeding. Try to keep him out of the barn in the fresh air as much as possible. If you can put him in a stall that has a dutch door so the top half can be left open for better ventilation.

Dont ride him in a dry dusty arena. Its better for you both if you can wet the arena down before riding. Ofcourse if your boarding make sure its okay with the owner before pulling the hose out

Lastly I would say dont ride him on hot humid days or on days he appears to be having breathing issues.

I hope this helps and you have many more happy years to enjoy Buzz. BTW, He doesnt look like a twenty year old horse in yor photo. He looks great!

 

[Little Cow]

Great suggestions about wetting down hay, etc... If he is on a drylot, would 24/7 pasture be an option? I think the steroid is the best option. We are down here in The Land of Bugs and have to put one horse on steroids every summer because she's allergic. We manage the flies very well but it just isn't enough. A single fly will make her itch. You do need to keep a close eye on them while on steroids however. Any nasal discharge, goopy eye, cut or scrape that seems slow to heal warrants a call to the vet for advice when they're on steroids. Best of luck with him! He's beautiful!

 

[Alice-Bea-Goode]

If Buzz is still having trouble and wetting the hay is becoming a pain (or even if it's not) another option is dengie. Also known as hi fiber hay, around the tri-state area Lucerne Farms is the most popular brand. They have several different types, the most popular being a mixed hay with added molasses. It's a chopped hay so there is no fear of dust. It comes in a bag, so it's a bit easier to store&handle than regular hay. I worked for an equestrian college with more than 100 horses and we had a few on dengie because of their breathing issues.

Other management practices we used were to bed the stalls down with straw instead of shavings to reduce dust and had them on 24hr turnout whenever possible.

I know you want to stay away from steroids, but ask your vet about an albuterol inhaler for his worst days. Works the same in horses as it does in humans.

There's also a product called Air Power. It's made by a company called Finish Line. It's an all natural broncho-dilator. It has eucalyptus oil to help open airways. It's almost like Vick's vapo-rub, except it tastes a lot better lol. We'd use it just before a ride.

I hope this helps. As always, consult with your vet before starting anything new. Good luck!

 

[OreoTheBunny]

I don't know what to tell you, but good luck. Let us know how he is!

 

[Kipcha]

Sorry for the late reply.

Buzz is on 24 hour pasture right now, having him in a barn setting is completely out of the question. We had him, at one point, in a barn when he had an abcessed hoof and his breathing had been terrible, we would never have him in a stall or paddock unless it was necessary.

We were wetting his hay when it was possible, but the temperature is dropping and it just isn't possible when the temps get down to -20 - -40 degrees. So during the winter months, our boarding facility will be taking round bales and unrolling them using a bobcat, so it should not be dusty and there also won't be fighting over the hay.

Luckily, we're entering his good monthes, his breathing is ALWAYS better during winter, so I think we're out of the bad zone for a while. We've talked to a few vets about him, but opinions really vary and it's hard to come to a decision when one vet is saying this would be perfect for him, but another is saying that it would just make it harder on him. So we'll wait till Spring until we consider injections or anything, but for these months, you can barely tell his breathing is different.

We never ride him when he's uncomfortable, or even on days where we think he could get uncomfortable.

I'm going to look into Air Power for sure, it sounds great!