Heaves, or more commonly known now as Equine asthma, can affect any horse, at any time. Heaves in horses does not affect any breed in particular and can appear (and sometimes disappear) at any time.
Watching your horse struggle to breathe is distressing for any owner. Heaves/COPD/RAO/Equine asthma are all terms used to describe a horse with breathing difficulties. Depending upon the individual horse, this may become a chronic illness needing long term management, or may simply be a one off incident that requires only a simple regime change.
Breathing difficulties in horses can be brought on by various factors, and there are many management strategies. Read on to find out how best to help your horse.
What is heaves also known as?
When a horse starts to have breathing difficulties it can be a very worrying time for the owner. One of the problems is the number of names that breathing problems are given.
Horse breathing problems can be known as:
- Heaves – A relatively old-fashioned term but still widely used
- COPD – Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
- RAO – Recurrent Airways Obstruction
- Equine asthma – Asthma in horses, similar to that affecting humans
- Broken wind – Rarely used term, but with the same meaning
So, if you’re wondering is Heaves the same as COPD, the short answer is yes. Although there are many terms, they all boil down to the same thing; breathing problems.
Causes of equine asthma
Recurrent airway obstruction, or any of the other terms that are used to denote equine breathing problems, rarely have one defined cause. Sometimes it isn’t possible to determine the exact cause but there are several likely starting places to consider:
- Dusty hay: Dusty and/or mouldy hay contains ultra small particles and spores that can irritate the lungs and cause difficulty breathing
- Dusty bedding: If you use bedding that is not dust extracted, such as some sawdust, this can inflame the airways leading to asthma like symptoms
- Round hay bales: Even if the hay is good quality, horses don’t tend to nibble around the edges, but often like to push their heads straight towards the centre of the bale. In doing so, spores, seeds, and suchlike can enter the airways and lead to irritation
- Pollen: Some horses are more affected by pollen than others, and all pollens are not made equal. Throughout the year the type of pollen will change and you may find that your horse is only affected when a certain plant comes into flower. It may be difficult to pin down which plant though as several may be in bloom at once, and/or it may take a while for the symptoms to show
- Cold: It may sound odd, but heaves can be brought on by exercise in particularly cold weather. If you take your horse out when it is very cold and ask for work that makes them breathe heavily, the cold air can dry out the lining of the respiratory tract and make it less effective at removing pathogens and making irritation more likely. Additionally, during rest periods the cold air gets a chance to be warmed up before reaching the sensitive section of the lungs. When exercised, breathing rates increase and breaths are deeper, this means that the air has less chance to be warmed before going into the lungs. This in itself can cause discomfort.
Source 1
Although basics like dampening hay and feed and using dust-extracted bedding are the first options, only time and observation will lead you to managing your horse in a way that limits the occurrences of asthma ‘attacks’.
Signs of heaves in horses – What are the symptoms of Heaves?
What does a heave line mean on a horse. A heave line in horses is often seen on horses that are struggling to breathe, whether at rest, or after exercise. It shows where the muscles in the abdomen are working extra hard to push air out of the lungs to make room for the next breath. Such continual exertion can lead to a rapid loss of condition.
Equine asthma symptoms are similar to asthma in humans. Asthma in horses can be seen with the horse overtly struggling to breathe with quick short breaths and noisy breathing as though not enough air can be taken in a great enough speed to make the horse comfortable.
Other symptoms can include:
- Flared nostrils
- Coughing
- Weight loss
- Lack of enthusiasm for exercise
- Wheezing
- Mucus
- Blue gums (cyanosis – lack of oxygenated blood) – Severe cases
If your horse shows any of these signs either in the field or after exercise then asking the vet to carry out a health check as soon as possible may be able to diagnose a problem early enough that longer term problems can be avoided. At the very least, the vet can provide medicines that will make your horse more comfortable whilst management changes are made for your horse.
If your horse is showing moderate to severe signs of COPD, the vet may take a sample of your horses mucus – this mucus can block airways. The vet may also check the amount of irreversible scar tissue that may have already formed on the horses airways (Source 1).
When diagnosing heaves, many sources state a cough as one of the sure signs. This doesn’t always have to be the case. SFB had heaves and didn’t ever cough. He was already on 24/7 grass turnout so dusty bedding and hay was not the cause in this instance.
Is there a cure for Heaves
There is no known cure for Heaves. However, putting management strategies in place can severely reduce the likelihood of a breathing episode and potentially lessen the need for medication in the long-term.
Some horses suffer to a much greater extent than others. For some horses they may only experience a one off occurrence, whilst others will show more frequent problems and need greater intervention to keep them healthy and well.
How to treat heaves in horses
Heaves/COPD treatment in horses can either be very simple, or far more involved, depending upon the severity of the condition.
Below are some of the things you can do to help your horse, especially in mild, or apparently one-off cases.
Equine asthma treatment:
- Increase turn-out: The more turn out the better for any horse with problem airways as it should lessen the amount of allergens being inhaled
- Better ventilation in stable: If your horse needs to be stabled, then the ventilation should be made as good as possible. Using a door chain, opening windows, and thorough cleaning to prevent mould spores should all be considered. If your horse is stabled in a livery barn with others, discussing the situation with the other liveries could bring benefits to all of the horses.
- Dampen or soak hay: Hosing off the hay you give with clean water is beneficial, but soaking for 30 minutes is the preferred option. This will remove the majority of dust and allergen particles
- Change bedding: Changing bedding to dust-extracted products will help your horse breathe more easily. As above, if you’re in a barn situation it will be better if all liveries change over as dust from other stalls will easily move around the barn, thereby affecting your horse
- Full face net: If you have made all of the above alterations, or your horse already lives out, try using a full face net mask with nose section that will reduce the pollen or other allergens to which your horse may have become overly sensitive
If your horse needs more intervention:
- Airway licks/feed additives: There are many licks and powder feed additives on the market that claim to help the horse’s respiratory system. Many only have anecdotal evidence, but if it can potentially help your horse and avoid the need for medication, then it’s worth the investment
- Ventipulmin (after discussion with vet): This is similar to the powder found in human inhalers, and indeed, it effectively does the same job of opening shrunken airways. Initially is should be prescribed by the vet and you should follow the dosage instructions closely. It may be that you are advised to refrain from exercising your horse whilst the ventipulmin does it’s job, and gives the airways a chance to fully recover
- Nebuliser (after discussion with vet): used to deliver medication that requires being inhaled
If your horse has very bad case of heaves your vet should be able to advise additional measures to keep your horse comfortable.
Is Heaves in horses contagious?
Thankfully, heaves is not contagious and cannot be spread between a herd or between individual horses.
Is Heaves in horses hereditary?
Although it does appear that some horses are predisposed to being affected by heaves, there is no available scientific evidence pinpointing why that is. Anecdotal evidence would suggest that it runs in families.
Source 1
Conclusion
Whilst distressing for the owner, if heaves is caught early enough there is every chance that no permanent damage will be done, and simple changes to the management of the horse can be implemented to make another attack less likely.
Working with your vet is recommended, especially is more serious cases where mucus tests are carried out and daily medication for a chronic condition may be required.
