# Equine hayfever?



## Saxon_Jasmine (25 March 2011)

Is it possible for horses to get hayfever? My mare had her back done and the lady noticed that she had very blocked synases. She massaged and unblocked these, and my mare has seemed happier since.

She very mildly headshakes occasionally in the summer (not really enough to be noted), and seems lethargic in the field and when working. 

Is it possible she could have an allergy to something? And if so, what is the best thing for it?

Thank you.


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## Dizzle (25 March 2011)

No help, but I was just about to post exactly the same question. Despite being on soaked hay over the last week or so my boy has started wheezing. Going to give it a few weeks for ME to investigate and if nothing helps I'll be getting the vet out.


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## Box_Of_Frogs (26 March 2011)

This is exactly the time of year (maybe a little early due to glorious weather) that horses with SPAOD start to exhibit symptoms. Summer Pasture Associated Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is exactly the same as bog standard COPD/RAO except the allergen is pollen. So yes, horses do get the equivalent of hay fever. It can be difficult to treat. An allergy to dust and the spores in hay can easily be treated by keeping the horse outside as much as possible and soaking the hay. But if the allergen is pollen, it's everywhere from now through to September. You'd know if your horse had SPAOD because they develop a very bad cough, cough up awful muck from their lungs and can be extremely exercise intolerant due to their inability to get enough oxygen into their bodies. Watch this space as I've just started a trial of a product called Cavalesse on my very severely affected veteran, Sunny. Will post on progress because if it works it would be almost a miracle. Certainly Sunny has no more options left.


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## Noodlebug (26 March 2011)

Keep me updated. My horse suffers from hay fever and although he doesn't cough alot it makes yawn on certain rides. I used to think he didn't like the heat but he probably just feels tired all the time. Aloe vera from holland and barrett seems to help.


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## lazybee (26 March 2011)

We had a mare with a pollen allergy. It would start as early as February when the willow and hazel pollen started and get much worse when the Rape flowered. Then would be on and off as the different grass and tree pollens where peaking and finally finish in Oct/Nov when the Ivy stopped flowering. Each year it got steadily worse as she became more sensitive. Believe me we tried EVERYTHING. She ended up on a Trudell mask with a wet nebuliser. There's nothing worse then seeing a horse having an attack in the field struggling for breath. I hope you find a suitable medication. We were treating with the nebuliser twice a day in the end and it still wasn't enough. We decided this was no life for a horse and did what we had to do. Good luck


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## Shilasdair (26 March 2011)

My old girl gets allergic rhinitis, either to some tree pollen, or oil seed rape pollen (can't tell which as both out at the same time).
She snorts, headshakes, rubs her nose on her front legs, and her eyes/nostrils run with a little fluid.
I haven't found an effective treatment, the best being Beconase nasal spray (2 in each nostril twice a day).  I'm lucky in that her lungs aren't affected so she doesn't have breathing difficulties, and she behaves relatively normally aside from the snortiness.  I'm also lucky in that her allergy only lasts for approx 8 weeks of the year.
This year, I may try Atarax (an antihistamine) to see if that helps her.  And Nostrilvet.
S


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## Noodlebug (26 March 2011)

Shilasdair said:



			My old girl gets allergic rhinitis, either to some tree pollen, or oil seed rape pollen (can't tell which as both out at the same time).
She snorts, headshakes, rubs her nose on her front legs, and her eyes/nostrils run with a little fluid.
I haven't found an effective treatment, the best being Beconase nasal spray (2 in each nostril twice a day).  I'm lucky in that her lungs aren't affected so she doesn't have breathing difficulties, and she behaves relatively normally aside from the snortiness.  I'm also lucky in that her allergy only lasts for approx 8 weeks of the year.
This year, I may try Atarax (an antihistamine) to see if that helps her.  And Nostrilvet.
S 

Click to expand...

Does she yawn a lot with it?? Just my boy doesn't have a probem breathing but he looks like is nose is itcy and his throat. But he does yawn when he goes pass certain bushes!! I can't use a spray on him as he is an irish twit who freaks out at any hissing or sprays!!! Does Beconase make a noise.


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## Saxon_Jasmine (26 March 2011)

Thank you for all the replies.

My mare doesn't cough or appear to have great difficulty breathing, just mild symptoms of what I origionally posted. 

I think I'll try a herbal treatment and possibly a nose net and see how it goes.


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## hairycob (26 March 2011)

HP had problems with pollen last summer, especially rape - guess what the yard is totally surrounded by this year! I s[poke to my Vet who suggested trying Ventilate as a first option. He's not been on it 2 weeks yet so I can't say whether it has had an effect yet.


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## Shilasdair (26 March 2011)

Sam100 said:



			Does she yawn a lot with it?? Just my boy doesn't have a probem breathing but he looks like is nose is itcy and his throat. But he does yawn when he goes pass certain bushes!! I can't use a spray on him as he is an irish twit who freaks out at any hissing or sprays!!! Does Beconase make a noise.
		
Click to expand...

She stretches her head out forward, and curls her upper lip (Flehmen gesture) at the same time as opening her mouth, if that's what you mean.
The Beconase is a human hayfever spray - you have to spray twice into each nostril as they inhale, and it does make a slight noise.  If you give your boy a treat at the same time, he'll probably be ok with it.  I don't even need a headcollar to spray my girl - the deal is I 'pay' her with a treat afterwards.  
Nostrilvet doesn't make a noise - it is just a cellulose powder which you puff up the nose in much the same way, and which coats the nostrils to prevent the allergen triggering the nasal lining.  Worth a try - as cellulose is pretty harmless stuff.
S


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## Box_Of_Frogs (27 March 2011)

Sunny's been on just about everything and was a gem about the baby nebuliser spray for his steroid + ventolin inhalers. Didn't help him at all though. I thought this would be his last winter because of quality of life issues this spring/summer so Cavalesse is his last hope. Shils, my specialist equine vets said Nostrilvet is a nice idea for life forms that have teensy nostrils but is a total waste of money for a horse, given the enormous volume of air they inhale at every breath. Only a microscopic amount of that air would brush against the small area of nostril made sticky by Nostrilvet. Ho hum.


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## Ella19 (27 March 2011)

Indie gets it mildly at present. I find a nose net when ridden works well. NAF respiritor was ok but i've heard good things about clarity from feedmark so i'm going to try that this year


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