Equine Heaves or Equine COPD is an asthma-like condition that affects 25 to 80 percent of stabled horses. That is a truly staggering statistic. For a condition that is just so prevalent in our four-legged friends, all horse owners should be aware of this condition, and the potential solutions.

In this blog, you will find relevant information about Equine COPD, and how a daily dose of thyroid powder, can help treat this condition.

Equine COPD (Equine Heaves):

Equine COPD or equine heaves has a large variety of names. Equine Recurrent Airway Obstruction, Equine Asthma, Equine Asthmatic Airway, or broken wind, just to name a few. All of these names encompass one condition; an asthmatic condition that causes horses to breathe at twice the normal rate, an abundance of mucus buildup in the nasal cavities, coughing, weight loss, low oxygen levels, and more. Equine COPD can cause a once healthy and vigorous horse, to be gasping for air after a ride or a race which they once breezed through.

There are two major forms of Equine COPD. Year-round COPD, where the horse struggles with asthmatic problems all year long, seeing spikes in the severity of symptoms during the winter and spring months. Then, there is also summer COPD, which is also known as pasture associated-heaves, where the horse sees a rise in asthmatic symptoms due to the allergens inherent in trees, grass, and the flora and fauna.

Equine COPD has two stages. The early stages, when the horse owner may notice the initial signs and symptoms. If these symptoms go unnoticed or untreated, this condition will deteriorate and cause serious chronic health complications.

During the early stages, the horses will show signs of increased lethargy after running, coughing, and increase or difficulty in breathing. If left untreated, the horse will suffer from chronic health problems such as low oxygen levels in the blood that can lead to muscle failure, an ever-persistent cough, and even lung infections, due to a buildup of bacteria in the nose and mouth.

Even though Equine COPD can be quite a prevalent condition in horses, the health complications are serious, lending loving horse owners to ask the question, “How do I treat this condition”?

Steroid Inhalers to Help Treat Equine COPD:

A common solution to Equine COPD is to provide horses with inhalers, big bulky inhalers that fit over the mouth and nose of the horse. These inhalers are filled with steroids, stabilizers, and other forms of medication to help ward off and eradicate the symptoms of COPD. However, there are many issues with this form of medication.

Not only are these steroid inhalers bulky and difficult to manage with a sick and frightened horse, they are extremely costly, tallying up to over $2500 a year! In addition, for an effective dose by way of an inhaler, your horse needs up to 8-12 puffs of the steroids, per day! It’s not only a costly form of medication, it is extremely difficult and time-sensitive form of medication.

Luckily, there is another solution.

Thyroid Powder to Help Treat Equine COPD:

COPD can help to create thyroid gland problems, producing more COPD health complications! So, in turn, helping our horse to maintain a healthy thyroid gland, can go a long way in treating the symptoms of COPD.

Low thyroid function causes a number of complications that exacerbate the problems of COPD. These complications include damaging and deterioration of the muscles required to breathe, a decrease in lung volume and capacity, and lower oxygen levels in the blood.

Getting on track to helping your horse recover from the damages of COPD, requires careful attention and maintenance of the thyroid gland. Luckily, thyroid medication like Heave Ho is an easy and effective form of medication. Heave Ho comes in a powder form, so there is no fussing with a bulky and cumbersome inhaler. In addition, a tub of Heave Ho is markedly cheaper than the expensive steroid inhalers.

Both you and horse can breathe easier knowing that the symptoms of COPD are now manageable.

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