Inhaled Human Medication Helpful For Asthmatic Horses

News — Sun, 04 Apr 2021 16:17:04 +0000

The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) has reported that inhaled ciclesonide can assist in controlling severe asthma in horses. Horses with severe asthma often cough, have a runny nose and have difficulty forcing air into their lungs.

Corticosteroids have been shown to calm inflammation in the respiratory tract. These medications can be administered multiple ways, but inhaled therapy is considered ideal as it gets the drug directly into the lungs. Ciclesonide is used in human medicine and has been shown to be effective in horses that become asthmatic when exposed to certain conditions like moldy hay. The drug had not been studied in the field.

Researchers used 220 severely asthmatic horses from 24 clinics in Germany, France and Switzerland for a study to test inhaled ciclesonide efficacy. The horses either received an inhalation solution containing ciclesonide or a placebo inhalation.

To test their hypothesis, the horses were given ciclesonide through an equine inhaler at eight actuations twice daily and then 12 actuations once daily for five days. The horses receiving the placebo received the same number of treatments, but they did not contain ciclesonide.

The study team found that 73 percent of the horses receiving ciclesonide showed improvement in their asthma after the 10-day study. Horses with more severe asthma showed the most improvement. Horse owners reported an improved quality of life in nearly 70 percent of the ciclesonide-treated horses.

Read the full article here.

When Is A Cough Just A Cough?

News — Sun, 07 Mar 2021 18:52:39 +0000

Almost everyone knows that one horse who coughs when his rider first gets on. His cough may sound like he's clearing his lungs or the horse may stop moving, throw his head down and cough from deep in his lungs. Most of these horses then go right back to work, happy to do their job, with no more coughing episodes.

A horse who coughs a few times at the beginning of a ride may be clearing mucus from behind his larynx. Some horses create more mucus than others, so a cough for them is normal. If the horse has no other trouble breathing and isn't ill, his coughing may be a natural reaction to beginning work, when he breathes deeper.

A horse coughs when his esophagus is irritated by something, whether that's dust, pollen or cold air. The horse rapidly expels air in an effort to remove irritants from the respiratory tract; this is the cough that is heard.

Prolonged coughing or coughs that become more frequent, a call to the veterinarian is warranted.

respiratory tract | Horse Racing Free Tips

Inhaled Human Medication Helpful For Asthmatic Horses

When Is A Cough Just A Cough?