allergies

["Beth Gunn" <happyhoofprints@hotmail.com>]

Shellie,

"Talitha", my mahogony bay mare, was 19 yrs old when the symptoms began.  Lightly ridden pleasure (retired western show mare) and momma to my gelding Danny.  A little history.  She was born and raised here in the lowcountry.  On lowcountry grasses, lowcountry coastal bermuda hay, oak trees.  Fed Omelene foodstuffs, at least that was not of locally grown stuff.  Same 'ol, same 'ol thru out her entire life.  This is what we figure brought on allergic rxns.

Symptoms were very different from your young gelding (I do think 6 is young:))

She had a hard time breathing!  Began as a little difficult during and after riding in the spring/summer aka heat/humid/pollen/mold spores.  Vet misdiagnosed it as heaves.  So we "wet" everything...made it worse!  Was Not dust triggered but allergic rxn to, what Susan will say (thanks Susan!), are certain proteins in these grasses/pollens.  She had just been exposed to the same thing for so many years, her body rebelled.  Same with me and Pacific coast oysters and crab.  Although mine is probably metals related.

We put Talitha on steroids, Azium, but don't really know if that helped at all.  Unfortunately, when vet diagnosed as heaves, we pasture boarded her with friend just down the road.  She has bahai pasture, so that was different for Talitha, But!  I was taking bermuda hay (locally grown) to her.  That was the winter of the second year of going thru this so she has been sick for 1 1/2 yrs with the symptoms getting soooo bad.  When she was here the first year of this, We could hear her ,in the barn, from our bedroom across the yard, at night, Trying! to Draw a Breath!  Crying myself  to sleep:((

My regular vet, not the one who mis-diag'd, put several horses down for this.  Told me Talitha was on the list, and would not, Not, make it thru another season.  This was not a seasonal thing!  As we were feeding locally grown hays during the non-pollinating season, we were unknowingly perpetuating the problem.

The only alternative was to move her away from the lowcountry.

Found a really good home for her in Athens, GA.  Very different terrain, foods, similar but different trees.  Anyway, happy ending to a long story.  A year almost to the date, new vet sent me a report indicating complete recovery and weight gain...no more breathing probs as all.  So, per agreement, I sent new owners her registraion papers and a big thankyou not!  They were not going to breed her...just to have.

My advice is (and I mentioned this on posts to Susan G.) is to vary feedstuffs, region to region as much as possible, bring in hays from out of state, research the probs with those hays as well, and vary concentrates too.

Talitha's symptoms did begin as coughing, progressed to wheezing,and then to complete asthma.  What has your vet said about this case?

Beth Gunn

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Bean2591@aol.com

To: happyhoofprints@hotmail.com

Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2001 8:10 PM

Subject: Re: RC: psyllium and bermuda hay

Hi Beth,
I am having an allergy 'issue' with my 6 yr. old Paint gelding. This is the
second summer I have had him and both summers in August he begins coughing
and has rapid breathing. This seems to last August and September then stops.  
(His previous owner is a friend and lives about 1 hour + NE of here and they
have never had this problem)   We have been training for LD and he has been
doing so well. I train with friends who ride LD and Endurance on their Arabs
and we have been able to keep up just fine - after a year of training...
however, we have this health problem that has us side lined right now and
ride season is starting... I'm just sick about my buddy and really itching to
ride!!
When his problem started last year, I treated him with Tri-hist,  no change.
Then one vet told me he had heaves. We switched his food to sweet feed with
beet pulp. No change. Started giving him Cough Free, no change, MSM, no
change, then a course of antibiotics. It was the end of Sept. by now and he
cleared up. He had no health problems again until August this year... I had
also switched vets.  This year at the first notice I started him on
Tri-hist... no change, then the course of antibiotics (i have kept him on MSM
and cough free and same feed) and no change.  We've had a bronchial scope
done and all it shows is slight mucus... Last summer when i got the second
opinion my dr. said he didn't think it was a case of heaves but either
allergy or respitory infection. This year we did try Ventpulium after the
antibiotics with no change... Now because it returned at the same time of
year I am more inclined to think it is due to the allergy. Your post
mentioned something about low country mold spores... how did you figure that
out?  My vet has suggested that he may have Anhydrosis. Which would explain
the rapid breathing... trying to cool down. We're in Central Florida - very
hot of late.  He suggested electrolites and one beer a day!! (For the horse)  
So far that has not made any difference.  Do you have any suggestions?  As a
newbie I am anxious to talk to anyone who may have had a similar experience.  
By the way, I do wet his hay which is T&A - light on the A.  Thank you... for
any thoughts or suggestions.  Sorry this is so lengthy.
Shellie Brassler
On the 7th day God created horses, on the 8th he painted the good ones.