Remedy for Horse Allergies

Horse allergies are difficult to diagnose because they can take years to develop. Healthy horses can be afflicted with allergies without warning. Symptoms of horse allergies include tearing eyes, coughing, lumps on shoulders and chest, and acting lethargic. Horses with these symptoms should be seen by a veterinarian immediately to determine the cause and severity of the allergy.

  1. Causes

    • Like humans, most horses develop allergies to an environmental trigger. The everyday life of a horse exposes him to many potential triggers, such as mold spores, dust and proteins found in grass. Hay also can trigger equine allergies.

    Prevention and Treatment

    • Before beginning any treatment for a horse's allergies, consult a veterinarian. Sometimes allergies develop into life-threatening situations such as heaves. A trained veterinarian helps determine the cause of your horse's allergy.

      After talking to the veterinarian, it should be easier to determine what environmental triggers cause your horse's allergic reactions. Remove triggers from the stable and sleeping quarters. Some triggers such as dust are impossible to remove, but lessening the horse's exposure can greatly reduce the risk of an allergy attack.

      Bedding commonly triggers allergies, especially those that consistently occur in the stable. Replace traditional bedding with shredded paper or shavings. If the problem persists, use rubber mats for bedding. Increasing the amount of time horses spend outdoors and exposing them to more fresh air also helps lessen stable-induced allergies.

      Hay causes food allergies in some horses. Hay commonly is stored in large bales, making it easy for organisms to live among the hay. Often, horses are allergic to these organisms rather than to the hay itself. Washing hay before feeding horses helps remove these organisms. If this does not help, substitute a pellet food for hay in a horse's diet.

    Severe Cases

    • In severe cases of respiratory allergies, a horse may develop a condition called heaves. Heaves causes inflammation of a horse's airway, much like asthma in humans. Horses often wheeze and develop visible labored breathing. When a horse develops heaves, seek emergency veterinary care.

      Heaves responds to corticosteroids, which usually are injected by a veterinarian. Sometimes, a hyposensitization injection may be prescribed to help prevent future heaves episodes. Once the horse's condition has stabilized, continue with a normal course of allergy treatment. Determine what triggered the episode, and remove the trigger whenever possible.