How To Treat A Horse With Heaves
Introduction
Heaves, or recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), is a chronic respiratory disease in horses. It is similar to asthma in humans and can be caused by hay dust, mold, insect bites and other irritants. Heaves is a progressive disease and the horse’s airways may become significantly inflamed, blocking their ability to breathe. If not treated properly, heaves will get worse, causing the horse to cough more and reduce his stamina.
Heaves, or recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), is a chronic respiratory disease in horses. It is similar to asthma in humans and can be caused by hay dust, mold, insect bites and other irritants. Heaves is a progressive disease and the horse’s airways may become significantly inflamed, blocking their ability to breathe. If not treated properly, heaves will get worse, causing the horse to cough more and reduce his stamina.
Heaves, or recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), is a chronic respiratory disease in horses. It is similar to asthma in humans and can be caused by hay dust, mold, insect bites and other irritants. Heaves is a progressive disease and the horse’s airways may become significantly inflamed, blocking their ability to breathe. If not treated properly, heaves will get worse, causing the horse to cough more and reduce his stamina.
The symptoms of heaves include coughing after exercise and during feeding time, poor performance on the track or pasture while being ridden; heaving while lying down; mucous production around nostrils; labored breathing; excessive panting with exertion or heat stress; reduced respiratory rate at rest; weight loss despite good appetite
See Your Veterinarian
Once you’ve made sure you know what to look for, it’s time to head to the veterinarian. The vet will ask you about any symptoms your horse has been experiencing and will make sure they are aware of any other medications your horse takes. They may also try a home remedy instead of using an expensive prescription medication. For example, if your horse is having trouble breathing at night or when he/she eats alfalfa hay (a common cause of Heaves in horses), some vets might recommend that you switch to timothy or grass hay instead.
The most important thing for owners to remember is that no matter how much their vet recommends one kind of treatment over another, the choice ultimately lies with them—and it’s sometimes easier said than done!
Your veterinarian will give you prescription corticosteroids and bronchodilators to help open your horse’s airways. You will have to give these medications regularly for six months or longer to let the lining of your horse’s airways regenerate and recover from damage caused by constant swelling from heaves.
Your veterinarian will give you prescription corticosteroids and bronchodilators to help open your horse’s airways. You will have to give these medications regularly for six months or longer to let the lining of your horse’s airways regenerate and recover from damage caused by constant swelling from heaves.
Corticosteroids are steroid medications that suppress immune system responses in order to reduce inflammation and swelling in your horse’s respiratory tract. They do this by reducing the production of inflammatory cells such as white blood cells, which would normally produce antibodies meant to fight off infection-causing agents like bacteria or viruses. However, this also means that corticosteroid drugs can increase your horse’s risk for developing infections if given with antibiotics because they prevent his own immune system from fighting back against invading pathogens (bacterial infections).
Conclusion
After all is said and done, you should always be aware that heaves is a chronic condition. You may need to continue supplementing your horse’s treatment indefinitely. While the disease can be serious, with proper care heaves shouldn’t have too much of an effect on your horse’s quality of life. Just make sure that your animal has plenty of clean air, a healthy diet, and regular exercise.