FLAIR® Equine Nasal Strips

Respiratory Health

The Horse

Winter Respiratory Health
by: Heather Smith Thomas
December 01 2004, Article # 5256

Editor’s Note: This excerpt is from Chapter 7 of Care & Management of Horses by Heather Smith Thomas. The book is available from www.ExclusivelyEquine.com .

If a horse is confined in a barn during winter, he is at risk for respiratory problems. Heaves is the most common respiratory ailment in horses that are confined indoors or fed dusty hay. Heaves is characterized by chronic cough, lack of stamina, labored breathing, weight loss, lack of response to antibiotics, and sometimes a watery discharge from the nostrils. It is most common in adult horses since prolonged exposure to respiratory irritants brings on the reaction. The breathing difficulty is due to inflammation and swelling that narrows the air passages… Read more.

Feeding Horses: Effects on Human and Equine Respiratory Health

By Dr. Bryan Waldridge · December 22, 2010

Mold spores and organic dust are an important cause and aggravator of respiratory disease in both humans and horses. Working with horses has been recognized as a potential respiratory hazard since the 1700s. Potential allergens and respiratory irritants encountered by humans in normal contact with horses include horse dander, dust, grain mites, powdered feed supplements, mold, fungal spores, and endotoxins (potent toxins produced by certain types of common gut bacteria)… read more

Horse Trust Funded Research Discovers Protein Changes Involved in Equine Respiratory Disease

Respiratory problems are common in horses, with various surveys reporting that respiratory airway inflammation occurs in between 10 and 50 percent of competition and pleasure horses. Respiratory problems not only reduce the quality of a horse’s life, but are also a common cause of exercise intolerance.

Equine respiratory problems are often associated with an accumulation of mucus in the horse’s airways and with the mucus becoming more viscous and hard to clear… read more