{"id":36126,"date":"2016-05-30T07:13:25","date_gmt":"2016-05-30T04:13:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alassalah.com\/en\/?p=36126"},"modified":"2016-05-30T07:13:25","modified_gmt":"2016-05-30T04:13:25","slug":"heat-waves-pollen-worsen-equine-asthma-signs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alassalah.com\/en\/2016\/05\/30\/heat-waves-pollen-worsen-equine-asthma-signs\/","title":{"rendered":"Heat Waves, Pollen Could Worsen Equine Asthma Signs"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/b>By Katie Navarra<\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

Recent study results suggest that heat waves and pollen\u2014not just dusty hay and surroundings\u2014could also be associated with increased asthma severity in horses.<\/span><\/h3>\n

Horse owners in many locations are counting down the days to spring and summer\u2014longer days, no snow and ice, and warmer weather to ride in! But could this change in temperatures wreak havoc on a horse with equine asthma<\/span>? Recent study results suggest that heat waves and pollen\u2014not just dusty hay and surroundings\u2014could also be associated with increased asthma severity in horses.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAsthmatic horses already experiencing mild to moderate clinical signs show a rapid worsening of clinical signs during heat waves when temperature and humidity increases suddenly,\u201d explained MichelaBullone, DMV, a PhD student under the direction of Jean-Pierre Lavoie, DMV, Dipl. ACVIM, a professor and the director of the Equine Asthma Research Laboratory at the University of Montreal, in Canada.<\/span><\/p>\n

Researchers have not yet studied the effect of acclimatization to heat and humidity. However, the team believes the threshold of temperature and humidity that triggers an equine asthma attack depends on the history of temperature and humidity the horse has previously been exposed to.<\/span><\/p>\n

The study also revealed that an increase in airborne pollen concentration on hot days could play a role, Bullone said. There is no evidence that pollen alone prompts an attack, but it might act in concert with other triggers as nonspecific irritants for the airways of asthmatic horses, she said, adding that \u201cfurther studies will need to clarify this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

An environment with good air quality and ventilation<\/span> is crucial for all horses with asthma, regardless of the severity. \u201cHorses with asthma are better managed when kept at pasture and access to hay is avoided,\u201d Lavoie said.<\/span><\/p>\n

When full-time pasture turnout is not an option, owners can take steps to prevent or reduce asthma attacks, including:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Feeding silage, haylage, and\/or pelleted hay rather than dry hay;<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Stabling asthmatic horses as far from hay or straw storage as possible;<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Minimizing environmental dust through frequent sweeping and wetting of barn and stall floors,<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Installing insulation to prevent abrupt environmental changes; and<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Using fans and\/or air conditioning to prevent sudden temperature rises.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    \u201cPreventive medicine (such as regular vaccinations and good biosecurity protocols) is currently primarily implemented for the control of infectious diseases, but we believe it could bring significant advantages in the management of noninfectious pulmonary conditions, as well,\u201d Lavoie concluded.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The study, \u201cEnvironmental heat and airborne pollen concentration are associated with increased asthma severity in horses<\/span>,\u201d was published in the Equine Veterinary Journal<\/i>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Src:\u00a0thehorse.com<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    By Katie Navarra Recent study results suggest that heat waves and pollen\u2014not just dusty hay and surroundings\u2014could also be associated with increased asthma severity in horses. Horse owners in many locations are counting down the days to spring and summer\u2014longer days, no snow and ice, and warmer weather to ride in! But could this change …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":14131,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[381],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alassalah.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36126"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alassalah.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alassalah.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alassalah.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alassalah.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36126"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.alassalah.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36126\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alassalah.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alassalah.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alassalah.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alassalah.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}