January 2018 12 Arizona REAL COUNTRY the magazine Mike Barna Publisher mbarna@963realcountry.com (602) 622-3695 Erika Smith Royal Editor erika963realcountry@gmail.com Misty Voitovski Creative Director Contributing Writers Desiree’Byrne, Kimmie Dillon, Charlie LeSueur, Jim Olson, Haydee Pardee, Liz Potof, Bob Roloff, Buddy Uldrikson, Cody Will, Michele Wilson, JolynYoung 801 W. Wickenburg Way Wickenburg, AZ 85390 (602) 622-3695 ArizonaRealCountry.com Arizona Real Country is owned and published by Barna Broadcasting LLC. No person, organization or party can copy or reproduce the content on our website and/or magazine or any part of this publication without a written consent from the editor’s panel and the author of the content, as applicable. The publisher, authors and contributors reserve their rights with regards to copyright of their work. /ArizonaRealCountry @arizonarealcountry /arizonarealcountry Ask the Vet COPD Q: My horse was just diagnosed with COPD and he was in quite a state when the vet came out. I have spent hours and hours educating myself on the topic as this is something I do not have experience with. While I understand the condition can be managed and dealt with my concern is more of a humane one. I have my horse to enjoy and ride. While he is feeling better is it humane to ride him? He can’t tell me how he’s feeling and the thought of him not being able to breath breaks my heart and I can’t stand the thought of making him do something he’s not able to. I am doing everything possible to keep him happy but is it fair? I know this is partially a personal question but in all the reading I have done there is no mention of exercise or what physically is good for horses with COPD. A: COPD is a gradually progressive respiratory condition that occurs when exposure to environmental irritants and allergens triggers inflammation in the lungs, causing thickening of the air passages and increased mucus secretions. Over time, oxygen exchange gets less efficient and the horse has to make an increased effort to breathe because of the excess mucus and loss of airway elasticity. Some horses are more susceptible to this condition and acute attacks of wheezing and coughing can be triggered by exposure to an allergen that they are particularly sensitive to. It sounds like this is what happened to your guy. While we cannot reverse or cure the effects of COPD, the good news is that we can significantly help horses suffering this condition through environmental management and judicious medication. Although COPD is a chronic condition, the good news is that a horse can usually continue to enjoy their regular activities once the acute attack has resolved and an appropriate management plan has been instituted. As long as those small airways are protected from irritation, mild to moderately affected horses generally perform quite comfortably. One of my own COPD affected horses was still able to compete at the advanced level in three-day eventing once we had successfully identified and controlled his triggers and the associated inflammation. In that case, we gave him as much turnout as possible, changed to dust-free bedding, provided soaked hay and hay cubes, and treated him with inhaled medication which directly treats the irritated airways with a relatively tiny dose of the drug. The best plan for you is to talk to your vet about the stable management and medication strategy that best suits his environment and routine. Once he’s past the acute event, start riding again and monitor his performance carefully. Signs that he’s not coping well would include increased recovery time after exertion, coughing, lack of desire to go forward, and increased respiratory effort with flaring nostrils. You will probably find he has great days and some off days, usually when the heat or environmental conditions hit extremes. But please don’t think it is cruel to continue enjoying your time together on the trail or schooling ring. It’s overall much healthier for a horse to have some exercise and it should not trouble him as long as you have adequately addressed the underlying condition. Steroids for Airway Disease Q: I was wondering if the various steroids used to treat allergies/airway disease in horses have differences among them. Does Dex work in the same way as Pred etc. or can one be more effective for a particular horse/issue than another? If an inhaled steroid does not ease the symptoms is it worth it to try an oral or injectable one, or if one type doesn’t work well can it be assumed that none will? A: Steroidal anti-inflammatories all act on the same basic pathway, just like all non-steroidal drugs, but there are some differences between them in potency and duration of effect. Dexamethasone is a very effective medication and can powerfully suppress inflammation especially in emergency cases, but not one that we would want to use for weeks on end to treat chronic conditions such as heaves. Dex is usually the vet’s “go to” drug for rapid relief of various swellings, reactions, and allergic flare-ups. It also has a very short withdrawal time, making it a good choice for competitive horses. In general though, if we want to treat a long-term condition, we typically choose a milder form of steroid, which can be injectable (such as predef) or oral (such as prednisolone). As with all medications, we want to find the lowest dose of the mildest form of the drug that will still be effective, so some trial and error may have to occur in the initial stages. When treating respiratory conditions, my preference is to use inhaled medications as this significantly reduces the overall dosages necessary. If a horse is severely affected with heaves or reactive airway syndrome, inhaled medications may not reach the inflamed bronchioles due to mucus accumulation and a course or oral or injectable versions might be necessary to get the horse started on the road to recovery before switching to aerosolized drugs. If you are not getting good results from the steroid treatment alone, your horse may need to be on a bronchodilator or antihistamine as well, depending on the nature of his condition. In this case, a BAL might be a useful diagnostic to determine why his response to medication has been poor.