{"id":6991,"date":"2019-09-02T03:00:19","date_gmt":"2019-09-02T03:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homeopet.kloudexpert.com\/ca?p=6991"},"modified":"2025-02-14T06:54:46","modified_gmt":"2025-02-14T06:54:46","slug":"respiratory-allergies-in-horses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homeopet.kloudexpert.com\/ca\/respiratory-allergies-in-horses\/","title":{"rendered":"Respiratory Allergies in Horses"},"content":{"rendered":"\nHorse are natural athletes, and their respiratory system is pivotal to this. A healthy horse at rest takes 10 to 14 breaths per minute, inhaling upwards of 150 litres of air in that time, which increases with exercise. For our horses to thrive and perform well the respiratory system must function properly, to enable them to pump massive amounts of air in and out of the body effortlessly.\n\nBut just like us, our horses can suffer from respiratory allergies which can compromise respiratory health, making efficient performance nearly impossible. \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0However, the good news is that with the right care and support, these allergies can be well managed, so follow these\u00c2\u00a0guidelines from HomeoPet, to help maximise respiratory health in your horse:\n

What are Respiratory Allergies?<\/h2>\nRespiratory allergies and conditions in horses were generally referred to as COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder) for many years. \u00c2\u00a0More recently though, this was split into two conditions \u00e2\u20ac\u201c IAD (Inflammatory Airway Disease) and RAO (Recurrent airway Obstruction). However, Equine Asthma is now considered a more accurate description of the symptoms – IAD being mild to moderate asthma and RAO being severe Asthma \u00e2\u20ac\u201c which includes summer associated asthma. Equine asthma is a complicated respiratory disease that involves several factors, but the main cause is an allergic reaction to specific allergens within the horse\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s environment. \u00c2\u00a0These allergens are usually airborne particles such organic dust, mould and fungal spores from hay and stables, and pollens when out at pasture during summer.\n\nWhen a horse inhales these allergens, an allergic reaction can often occur, resulting in inflamed airways, increased production of mucus, and airway constriction, which restricts the amount of air getting to the horse\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lungs. \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0To compensate the horse must make an increased effort to breathe and develops a cough to clear trapped mucus along with other common symptoms:\n

Signs and Symptoms of Equine Asthma<\/h2>\n