If the colder weather causes you to cough, wheeze, or struggle to breathe and exercise, you can bet that your horse’s respiratory health might be impacted in the same way. Often when the conditions shift, we also change the way we manage our horses. This might include reducing the time they spend outside in the paddock due to rainy conditions, or to help prevent skin conditions caused by changes in weather.
No matter the reason, the colder weather brings new challenges that we need to get ahead of so that our horse’s respiratory health doesn’t become impacted.
Airborne Irritants
The more we stable our horses during colder weather, the more we expose them to potential airborne irritants that can trigger airway irritation. You might find that the more you stable your horse, the more frequently they cough, wheeze, and find it more difficult to breathe.
If you need to stable your horse, always try to:
- Choose bedding that is free from contaminants and isn’t dusty
- Improve ventilation in the stable
- Take your horse out of the stable if you need to muck out
- Clean up any settled dust that is hanging around, especially near where they eat
- Frequently disinfect and clean their feed bin and water bucket as these are great places where mould can thrive and cause airway inflammation!
If these aren’t working well enough, then PulmonAID Paste will help you tackle airborne irritants when they are out of your control. PulmonAID contains key nutrients to help your horse deal with airborne irritants. We recommend introducing PulmonAID into your routine before you take your horse into an environment that you know might trigger their respiratory system!
Exercise
When cold weather hits, the cold air being inhaled by our horses can often cause their airways to be impacted. A research study found that horses being exercised in very cold air can negatively affect the function of their respiratory system. This is commonly seen in people who find that exercising in cold air can cause their asthma to flare up and the same thing can be assumed for our horses.
The problem is, during the shorter days of winter, we often need to exercise our horses when the weather conditions are colder. A longer warm-up or exercising at a warmer time of the day can help.
If the only opportunity available to train is early in the morning when it’s colder, PulmonAID Paste is going to help with oxygen uptake, stamina, dissolving any mucus build-up from exercise, and also help the airways and lungs function at their best.
Clean Hay
A key change many of us implement during the colder months is feeding supplementary hay as there is less grass, or our horses are unable to go out on pasture, or we are feeding for weight gain and warmth during the colder months. Either way, if you have a horse that is prone to respiratory issues you might not realise that hay could be triggering inflammation in their airways.
Depending on the quality of hay available, you might find that sometimes it can be a bit dusty. As we know, dust is a major airborne irritant to the airways. One of the ways you can significantly reduce the amount of dust being inhaled from hay is by steaming or soaking the hay. Do it just enough to remove dust but not too long to reduce its nutritional content or cause further issues like bacterial growth!
If you are still concerned about dusty hay, strategically using PulmonAID Paste could help safeguard your horse. The antioxidants in PulmonAID Paste help fight off any oxidative stress caused by irritants that might be occurring in the pulmonary and respiratory systems.
Infectious Causes
With colder weather comes a higher amount of infectious respiratory diseases. If your horse is significantly coughing, has discoloured nasal discharge, and is struggling significantly during exercise, it’s time to get your vet involved!
But what if you can’t make all the changes above?
Sometimes no matter how much we try, we might just not be able to make every single management change necessary to help with our horses’ respiratory health. But when you have tools such as PulmonAID Paste, you can be confident you are giving your horse the best chance of success.
If you are looking for a daily pulmonary and respiratory supplement, then PulmonAID powder works synergistically with PulmonAID Paste. Feed PulmonAID powder daily and then just substitute with PulmonAID Paste on the day you need that short-term pulmonary and respiratory support!
It’s important that if you suspect your horse is suffering from conditions like equine asthma or infectious diseases, seek veterinary treatment. Alongside your vet’s treatment plan, and implementing some of the key day-to-day management changes as mentioned above, you can give your horse the best chance to be ready and equipped to deal with the cold weather.
Want to find out more? Head to the PulmonAID Paste page, get in touch on 1800 KELATO or email technical@kelato.com.au.
