COPD is the current term for Heaves, Broken Wind, Hay/Straw allergy and emphysema. It’s a disease which bears many similarities to asthma in humans. Unlike asthma though, COPD can arise suddenly and without warning in an otherwise healthy animal. COPD is also found in other animals, including humans, and is a somewhat misleading term since “Chronic” does not mean severe as many people think, but merely “of long duration” or “developing slowly”. COPD usually effects older horses, and can be fatal if untreated or unmanaged.
As with many diseases, it ranges in severity. With the mildest cases the only symptom may be a reduction on the fitness of the horse; inability to exercise for long periods, unable to achieve muscle tone as quickly as it could and general lethargy. In its more severe state, COPD can lead to the horse being in distress, coughing, wheezing, and general difficulty in breathing freely, especially in expiration.
All horses breathe out in a two-phase way. In a healthy horse this is difficult to see, but in a horse with a breathing disorder like COPD it becomes much more pronounced. Because the work of expiration is done mostly by the abdominal muscles, over a long time these can become enlarged as they adjust to the extra load.
COPD can often be found to be caused by spores found in a stable, in the hay, food or bedding although it can also be caused by pollen such as Oil Seed Rape. Lack of good stable ventilation is sometimes thought to be a contributing factor. These cause an allergic reaction in affected horses of the airway walls making them inflamed, narrowing these airways and restricting the free flow of air. Sometimes heavy mucus is produced as a way of trying to get rid of the irritation.
Treatment and management of COPD is best dealt with by removing them from the source of the allergy. This normally means keeping them permanently out of doors, feeding low-dust products such as horse-hage instead of Hay or complete-feed nuts. If hay is to be fed, it should be heavily soaked in water to reduce the dust content before feeding. Low dust bedding is very important also, if you’re unable to keep the horse outside permanently; this means shredded paper or woodchip, never straw and never deep-litter.
Some drugs also help the problem and may be prescribed by your vet.
