Equine Respiratory System

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The horse’s respiratory tract is a highly specialized organ system that can move extremely large volumes of air in and out of the lungs each minute. When things go wrong they go very wrong, making respiratory disfunction one of the leading causes of performance problems in equines.

In this fact sheet, you’ll learn about:

  • How the respiratory system works;
  • Common respiratory infections, including equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1), strangles, and equine influenza (EI, flu);
  • Laryngeal hemiplegia (roaring);
  • Exercise-iinduced pulmonary hemorrhage (EOPH);
  • Recurrent airway obstruction (RAO, heaves, formerly COPD));
  • Respiratory diagnostics; and
  • Treatment options.

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Written by:

Stacey Oke, MSc, DVM, is a practicing veterinarian and freelance medical writer and editor. She is interested in both large and small animals, as well as complementary and alternative medicine. Since 2005, she’s worked as a research consultant for nutritional supplement companies, assisted physicians and veterinarians in publishing research articles and textbooks, and written for a number of educational magazines and websites.

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