Effect of a set stabled environmental control on pulmonary function and airway reactivity of COPD affected horses.

This study explores how a controlled stable environment affects the respiratory health and lung function of horses with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), particularly when the horses are kept in a barn with wood shavings and fed grass silage over a six-week period. The findings showed that horses with COPD had similar bronchial reactivity to healthy horses when they were kept in pastures.

Research Purpose and Methodology

• The primary goal was to evaluate the effects of a controlled environment on horses suffering from COPD by monitoring their respiratory function in specific conditions. The horses were kept in a barn with wood shavings and fed on grass silage for six weeks.
• Various tests were conducted, including analysis of their mechanics of breathing, blood gas analysis, and examination of bronchial reactivity. The horses’ results from this controlled setting (known as Period B) were then compared with their previous results from both a 2-month period on a pasture (Period A) and a period where they displayed acute clinical signs of COPD, referred to as Period C.

Findings

• The research discovered that both the COPD-affected horses living in a barn and healthy horses had similar clinical and functional parameters when housed in the stable environment as when they were on pasture.
• Interestingly, the bronchial reactivity of COPD-affected horses when in the pasture setting was identical to the bronchial reactivity in healthy horses.
• However, when COPD-affected horses were fed grass silage their bronchial reactivity was found to be between those measured after Period A (time on pasture) and Period C (time of acute COPD symptoms). This suggested an increased susceptibility to bronchoconstriction (a narrowing of the airways in the lungs) when exposed to inhaled irritants.

Conclusion

• The research suggests that the COPD-affected horses could benefit from a controlled environment in a barn, given it showed similar characteristics to a healthy horse when placed in such conditions. The study indicates that diet (specifically ingestion of grass silage) may play a role in the horses’ bronchial reactivity and influence their response to inhaled irritants.