What’s with the wind?
The horse’s respiratory tract is a very effective and efficient organ and is often taken for granted.
When there is inflammation in the lungs it will dramatically affect a horse’s performance.
Often lung problems present as coughing, or with increased nasal discharge, but not always.
One of our patients this week presented to us for poor fitness only, with no other clinical signs.
We can examine the airways with our endoscope, a flexible camera that is introduced into the airways through the nostrils.
We can sample the secretions of the lungs with a long tube and the procedure is call a Bronchio-Alveolar Lavage.
The bubbles in the photo are surfactant, and the cloudiness shows a high cell content.
An increased cell content can be due to:
Allergies
Asthma
Infection
All horses should make a full recovery once treated.