How To Help A Horse With Heaves
Heaves is a chronic, non-infectious airway condition that is also known as RAO and is a result of an allergic reaction to inhaled particles.
Heaves occur in older horses that are usually 6 or older. The allergens are things like mold and dust and the biggest culprit is from round bales but it can also be caused by the bedding you use.
Once the allergens are inhaled it causes the small airways in the lung tissue to narrow and become constricted. The first sign you’ll notice is an occasional cough and it eventually progresses to be more frequent.
If heaves is left untreated it can cause non-reversible damage to the lung tissue and result in permanent loss of lung function.
Horses with heaves try the following:
- Keep them on pasture with grass
- Feed pelleted hay
- If your horse is stalled make sure they have a clean environment and feed a dust-free diet. Make sure there is good ventilation
- You can soak the hay prior to feeding it but be careful as this may make it worse for some horses.
When my Welsh pony mare developed heaves I pulled her off of the round bale and started feeding her timothy hay pellets. I also added an herbal product called Mo Lung. Within 5 days my mare was breathing normally. I also give her Allergy Herbal along with the Mo Lung because she has allergies.
Mo Lung (Pelleted) is a natural blend of Chinese herbs which may assist oxygen to flow more freely into the lungs. Mo Lung comes in 3lbs, 5lbs, and 10lbs. If you would like to order or you have other questions please contact me.
Is this product available in Canada?
Yes, Tammy, it can be shipped to Canada but it probably won’t be cheap. If you’d like more information let me know.
We bought some Molung for my wife’s horse.she is a 14 yr quarter horse. We given it to her for 4 days & her labor breathing is a little better. Will it get even better with a few more doses?
We reside in central Texas we’re keeping her in the barn on these triple digits days! Also any ideas on to get her to eat it cuz it doesn’t smell too good to her & she pushes it out of the feed lol
It took about 7 days before I saw a lot of improvement plus I also took my pony off of the round bale. Are you feeding round or square bales? Your mare should get better with more doses. Have you ever put apple cider vinegar on her grain? If so and she was okay with it you might want to put some on the grain with the mo lung. I’m happy to talk to you by phone if you want just let me know. ~ Kim