Steamed hay and alfalfa pellets for the management of severe equine asthma.
Abstract: Steaming hay significantly reduces respirable particles and provides a palatable alternative to dry hay for horses with asthma, but there are few prospective studies demonstrating the clinical efficacy of steamed hay. Objective: To compare the efficacy of alfalfa pellets and steamed hay in improving lung function and inflammation of horses with severe asthma (SEA). Methods: Controlled crossover study. Methods: Ten horses with SEA were enrolled and nine completed the study. Horses were housed indoors and fed hay. Once in exacerbation, they were fed pellets and steamed hay for 4 weeks, in a crossover design. Weighted clinical scores and lung function were recorded weekly. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cytology and mucus scores were recorded before and after each diet. Results: Based on linear mixed model (LMM) analysis, weighted clinical scores significantly improved over time (p < 0.001, no diet effect or time-diet interactions). With pellets, weighted clinical scores decreased from (median (interquartile range)) 13 (5.5) to 2 (1.5), while with steamed hay, they decreased from 10 (9.5) to 6 (8.5). With pellets, lung resistance decreased significantly from a baseline of (mean (SD)) 2.62 (0.77) cmHO/L/s to 1.17 (0.66), 0.79 (0.54), 0.70 (0.20), 0.62 (0.18) on Weeks 1-4, respectively (LMM with post hoc tests, p < 0.001). With steamed hay, the resistance decreased significantly from a baseline of 2.34 (0.93) cmHO/L/s to 1.38 (0.49) and 1.51 (0.66) on Weeks 1 and 2, respectively (p < 0.03). Neutrophils BALF decreased significantly with both diets (pellets: 40.2 (24.4) to 20.1 (11.0) %; steamed hay 30.9 (20.2) to 25.7 (17.6) %; LMM, p = 0.006). Conclusions: A small number of horses in a research setting. Dust was not measured in the stalls. Conclusions: Clinical scores, lung function and BALF inflammation of horses with SEA improved with steamed hay and pellets, but the effect on lung function was more pronounced with pellets.
© 2024 The Author(s). Equine Veterinary Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of EVJ Ltd.
Publication Date: 2024-08-20 PubMed ID: 39164027DOI: 10.1111/evj.14209Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research investigates the impact of feeding steamed hay and alfalfa pellets to horses suffering from severe equine asthma, concluding that both feed options led to overall improvements in the horses’ asthma conditions, with pellets showing a more pronounced effect on lung function.
Objective and Methodology
- The primary objective of the study was to analyze and compare the effectiveness of steamed hay and alfalfa pellets in improving lung function and reducing inflammation in horses suffering from severe equine asthma (SEA).
- A controlled crossover study was conducted on ten horses diagnosed with SEA. They were housed indoors and fed usually hay in the first half of the study. Once their symptoms exacerbated, their diet was shifted to include pellets and steamed hay for four weeks.
- The researchers kept track of weighted clinical scores and lung function on a weekly basis. Additionally, Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cytology and mucus scores were recorded before and after each diet.
Results
- Based on linear mixed model (LMM) analysis, the researchers found that weighted clinical scores improved significantly in horses over time, regardless of the diet (p < 0.001).
- The study recorded a decrease in weighted clinical scores from 13 to 2 with pellets and from 10 to 6 with steamed hay. The lung resistance also decreased with both diets, showing more significant improvement with pellets.
- The percentage of neutrophils in BALF also showed a noteworthy drop in horses fed both the diets, indicating a reduction in inflammation. However, the drop was greater when horses were fed pellets.
Conclusions and Limitations
- The study concluded that improvement in clinical scores, lung function, and BALF inflammation in horses with SEA was noticeable when fed with both steamed hay and pellets. However, pellets had a more prominent positive effect on the lung function of the horses.
- One notable limitation pointed out by the researchers was the small number of horses included in the study. Furthermore, no measure of dust levels was taken into account in the stalls, which could potentially influence the asthma condition of the horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Symoens A, Westerfeld R, Vives BM, André V, Moulon L, Collomb M, Richard H, Juette T, Bédard C, Leclère M.
(2024).
Steamed hay and alfalfa pellets for the management of severe equine asthma.
Equine Vet J.
https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.14209 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, Q, Canada.
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, Q, Canada.
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, Q, Canada.
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, Q, Canada.
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, Q, Canada.
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, Q, Canada.
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, Q, Canada.
- Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, Q, Canada.
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, Q, Canada.
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, Q, Canada.
Grant Funding
- Equine Health Fund of the Universitu00e9 de Montru00e9al (supported by Zoetis)
- Haygain Limited
- 2021 Advancement in Equine Research Award (supported by Boehringer Ingelheim)
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