July 2004

Feeding Horses With Respiratory Problems

It’s more than just shaking out and wetting down the hay.

Shaking out hay to minimize dust is a COPD management basic.

Horses with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, usually called COPD or “heaves,” require strict management to control the disease to a level in which the horse is still useful and comfortable.

A variety of inhaled potential allergens and irritants are found in dusty feeds and hays. These allergy triggers can include proteins or complex carbohydrates in specific types/species of hay or grains, other feed ingredients, molds/fungi, bacterial products, pollens, insect droppings and tiny insect body parts.

Anyone who has one of these horses knows to avoid these noticeably irritating feeds—even whole oats can be too dusty—but even low levels of allergens and irritants can irritate a horse with sensitive airways and lungs.…