FACT FILE: IAD

(Inflammatory airway disease)

Cause:

No one knows exactly what causes IAD but, like most respiratory diseases, it’s thought management plays a big factor. There’s an increased risk of your horse developing IAD in poorly ventilated stables and/or if he’s kept on dusty bedding. This is why IAD often shows up in winter when turnout hours decrease.

Signs:

Even when they have IAD, horses often appear bright and alert. Symptoms are most visible after intensive exercise as the horse struggles to catch his breath — he may have a runny nose, laboured breathing and, of course, a cough. The intermittent cough after exercise is the most apparent symptom of IAD, but it’s not deep or throaty sounding.

Six things you can do:

1 It’s not always possible, but try to make sure your horse isn’t s tuck inside all da y. The more turnout he has, the mor e his airways are exposed to fresh, particle-free air. 2 If y ou can’t, then a t least try to muck him out whi le he’s in the field, so he’ s not ther e when y ou’re throwing dusty bedding about and sweeping hay off the floor. 3 Soaking and s teaming hay will help reduce his exposure to dust and mould spores, but k eeping his forage on the floor can also help as he’ll be less exposed to respiratory irritants like dust particles. 4 Make sure your hay and s traw is kept in a clean , dry ar ea. If your forage gets wet, then it ’s easy for mould spores to develop. 5 If you keep your horse in an American-style barn, try to keep the windows and doors open t o allow fresh air flow. It may sound silly, but e ven picking up clutter in t he barn helps to stop dust from settling. 6 If y our horse is in the middle of a row of stables, ask if you can move him to the one nearest the door where there’s better air flo w.