b'Arizona Ask the VetREAL COUNTRYBREATHE EASYthe magazineMike BarnaPublisher WILDFIRES ARE A VERY REAL THREATArizonaRealCountryMagazine@gmail.com in many parts of the country and while owners are able to remove their horses from at-risk areas in some cases, evacuation isnt always an option. If you need to Erika Smith Royal shelter in place begin by taking these steps before the Editor fire advances.erika963realcountry@gmail.com Fill every available bucket, trough, and other container with enough water to accommodate animals for between five and seven days.Misty Voitovski Horses sheltered in place should also have enough Creative Director feed to accommodate them for between five and seven days.Have metal shovels and heavy-duty metal rakes Contributing Writers on hand to extinguish cinders that might fall onto Lee AndersonBethany Braley your property. Wind can carry cinders as far as a quarter mile.Justin LeglerDakota Livesay Owners will need definitive identification to reclaim animals displaced during a wildfire event Randy MillerBetsy Nunnor other disaster from animal control or welfarealso alter the immune system and reduce the ability of Jim & Bobbi Jeen Olsonauthorities. If you are not able to trailer yourthe lungs to remove foreign materials, such as pollen horses away from your property, put identificationand bacteria, to which horses are normally exposed.Robert PiekowBill Robertsinformation on their body and set them loose so Alan RockmanBob Roloff they can run from the danger. Animals shouldHorses exposed to fire smoke can suffer respiratory also be marked with the owners name and contactinjury of varying degrees, ranging from mild irritation John SamsillJerry Sino information. Use indelible markers to writeto severe smoke inhalation-induced airway or lung Caroline WerkhovenMichele Wilson information on horses hooves, or on duct tapedamage. Knowing what is normal versus concerning placed on the horses neck or buttocks. can help to know whether a veterinarian should Place placards on your property on fences or gatesevaluate your horse.801 W. Wickenburg Way informing firefighters that the animals are being sheltered in place there. Owners should also includeNormal respiratory rate at rest should be 12-24 Wickenburg, AZ 85390 their names and contact information. breaths/minute. If you notice a respiratory rate that Horses should be relocated from barns even if thoseis consistently greater than 30 breaths/minute at (602) 254-6644 structures are equipped with sprinkler systems.rest, flaring nostrils, an obvious increased effort of Paddocks or metal-construction areas provide saferbreathing when watching the horses abdomen and ArizonaRealCountry.com shelter. Close up the barn to prevent scared horsesrib cage, repetitive or deep coughing or abnormal from running back inside and becoming trapped. nasal discharge you should have the horse examined Reduce fire-damage risks by creating so-calledby a veterinarian.defensible spaces around the property. Defensible spaces are 100-foot perimeters that surround barns,Protect Horses from Air Pollution paddocks, homes, and other structures. TheseCaused By Smokespaces are devoid of overgrown brush, flammableEven if you are not in the immediate vicinity of chemicals, or trees that could fuel cindersa wildfire smoke can travel a long distance. The Follow Arizona Realemanating from wildfires. Be sure your horses aredangerous wildfires burning in the West are affecting Country for news, events,placed within a defensible space it if you have toair quality in cities more than 1,000 miles away as the shelter in place. smoke billows and travels east. While not everyone giveaways and more! has the same sensitivity to wildfire smoke, its still a Along with risk of lacerations and other injuries, horsesgood idea to avoid breathing smoke if you can help sheltered in place run the risk of smoke inhalation andit and when smoke is heavy, such as can occur in Arizona Real Country is owned andthe risk could last up to 30 days after fires have beenclose proximity to a wildfire, its bad for everyone published by Barna Broadcastingextinguished. Left untreated, smoke inhalation canincluding animals.LLC. No person, organization or partyhave long-term consequences including lung cancer can copy or reproduce the contentin horses. Veterinarians treat smoke inhalation withSmoke is made up of a complex mixture of gases and on our website and/or magazine orantibiotics, as well as drugs that dilate airways andfine particles produced when wood and other organic steroid drugs that reduce tissue inflammation. materials burn. The biggest health threat from smoke any part of this publication withoutis from fine particles. These microscopic particles can a written consent from the editorsOwners should learn to recognize signs that theirpenetrate deep into the lungs.panel and the author of the content, ashorses have inhaled smoke. The effects of smoke on applicable. The publisher, authors andhorses are similar to effects on humans and includeLimit exercise when smoke is visible. Horses contributors reserve their rights withirritation of the eyes and respiratory tract, aggravationshould not engage in activities that increase the regards to copyright of their work. of conditions like COPD and reduced lung function.airflow in and out of the lungs. This can trigger High concentrations of particulates can cause persistentbronchoconstriction and even if they arent going to cough, increased nasal discharge, wheezing andbe ridden or otherwise worked, check on horses with increased physical effort in breathing. Particulates cancontinued on page 7ArizonaRealCountry.com September 2021 5'