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  Discussion on Heave line can mean what?
Author Message
Member:
Ajudson1

Posted on Wednesday, May 4, 2005 - 7:52 am:

Two yrs ago I joined this site after getting a very malnourished Buckskin Qtr horse filly. With love and proper feeding following the guidelines offered here, she has really blossomed into a nice 3 yr old.

I noticed a few months ago that she seemed a little "thin" around the flanks. Otherwise she is well rounded, ribs padded , backbone flush with top. I thought she was just growing and still seeing some after affects from her bad start.

Now I see a "heave Line" and I do see that she seems to be sucking in at her flanks. This is at rest. I never notice her coughing though. Our hay is of course old at this time of the year, some dust but I shake it out and they eat outside outa tires.

Other than dehydration causing this line, ( which it's not) what else could it be?

What type of tests should be done to determine nature of problem?

She just completed a course of Penicillin for a sore in her mouth per the Equine Dentists instructions. 20cc for 4 days.

I read thru the article on Heaves and it don't seem this is it with no cough(?)

Appreciate any advice.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, May 4, 2005 - 9:14 am:

From your description I don't thnk you are seeing a heave line and if you can post a picture or a more complete description we will comment. The heave line comes from the difficult work of breathing that a chronically heevy horse does. This difficult breathing is not a subtle thing at rest and so easily seen for more on this see Equine Diseases » First Aid » Taking Temperature, Pulse, and Respiration.

If you think your horse is having difficulty breathing with or without a cough this should be examined by your veterinarian. If you are feeding hay with mold dust I cannot over emphasize the danger of this practice, see the article on Heaves for more on this.
DrO
Member:
Ajudson1

Posted on Wednesday, May 4, 2005 - 3:10 pm:

Hi DrO,

Thanks for your reply. I don't think she is having difficulty breathing which is what is confusing me. I don't have time now, but I will try to lunge her later and see if a cough or anything shows up. It does seem that she is sucking in at the flanks as I said, but I am not sure if at exhale or inhale. I'll have some help later today and see what 2 of us can figure out.

Don't think I can do a picture, at least not in the near future. I am very careful with hay when I feed, but some nights my son does chores so they may have gotten some bad hay. (yes, I'll have a talk with my #1 son)

I'll post again.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, May 5, 2005 - 7:55 am:

Watch the nostrils. They dialate with an inhalation, particularly with deep or heavy breathing.
DrO
Member:
ajudson1

Posted on Friday, May 9, 2008 - 9:19 am:

DrO,

In the discussion on Prednisolone or Dexamethasone for seasonal allergies, you said you no longer recommeded the supplement "Cough Free" because surpressing the cough is counterproductive.

My horse does not cough, but now, 3 years later after I originally posted, she still shows this sucking in at the flanks every year. It starts late winter and lasts til they get out on pasture. She starts showing this about the same time the hay starts being of lesser quality...dustier, may run into mold here and there, you know how it goes.

She also loses weight during this time.

So, in your opinion, is there any benefit to feeding something like the Cough Free? My thinking was it would help prevent damage.

Would you suggest a course of the Pred/Dex every year?

She's been checked a couple of times and vet finds no unusual lung sounds.

I do wet the hay for inside feedings, and shake it good when fed outside.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, May 9, 2008 - 6:31 pm:

Hello Angie,
I do not know of any scientific work to support the idea that the ingredients in Cough Free lessens the damage and the fact the horse still has dyspnea is a clear indicator that indeed it is going on. Instead I would recommend you follow the course recommended in the article with the idea that you will not need the Pred/Dex either. However if you must medicate, steroids work by addressing the route cause of the heaves and therefore is very likely to slow down the irreversible changes. We don't know if it prevents it altogether however. There is a thorough discussion of this in the article.
DrO
Member:
ajudson1

Posted on Saturday, May 10, 2008 - 12:44 pm:

Thanks DrO!

I am going to be more deligent with watching for dust in the hay, and I think I will keep using the Cough Free but start it sooner; not waiting until I see signs of her having breathing difficulty. I forget this happens with her late winter on a consistant basis. (Bad horse mom, I know)

I do tend to think that if molds are killed off in the body, it will help. And my thinking was the ingredients in CF would help with that. I have ideas how to help my kids, and did when they all had allergies, but it's tough to feed/supplement horses the same as humans of course.

Ang
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