How to Manage Four Equine Respiratory Emergencies

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How to Manage Four Equine Respiratory Emergencies
Many rib fractures have little impact on the respiratory system. However, depending on their location and degree and manner of displacement, they could inflict severe damage to organs within the thoracic cavity with sometimes fatal consequences. | Photo: Courtesy Dr. Rodney Belgrave

Sometimes, a subtle sign can be an indication of a potentially serious problem. A cough here, nasal discharge and flared nostrils there. A rapid heart rate. These manifestations of respiratory distress can be the early indicators of respiratory disease, a major cause of morbidity (illness) and mortality in horses.

At the 2016 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Dec. 3-7 in Orlando, Florida, Rodney Belgrave, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, of Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center, in Ringoes, New Jersey, described how to diagnose and treat respiratory emergencies in horses.

First, he listed signs of respiratory distress, which “may or may not be obvious depending on the rate of onset of the condition and its severity.” These include nostril flare, tachypnea (increased respiratory rate), short shallow breaths, cough, nasal discharge, varying degrees of exercise intolerance, and reluctance to walk due to pleural (lung) pain

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Alexandra Beckstett, a native of Houston, Texas, is a lifelong horse owner who has shown successfully on the national hunter/jumper circuit and dabbled in hunter breeding. After graduating from Duke University, she joined Blood-Horse Publications as assistant editor of its book division, Eclipse Press, before joining The Horse. She was the managing editor of The Horse for nearly 14 years and is now editorial director of EquiManagement and My New Horse, sister publications of The Horse.

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