Exercise Induced Pulmonary Haemorrhage - how much do you know?

Exercise Induced Pulmonary Haemorrhage - how much do you know

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Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Haemorrhage

Exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) is another very common health concern within the performance horse industry and it is suggested that even though only a small percentage of horses may have visible bleeding from the nostril that EIPH is very common, up to 81% of older horses that have raced and 64% of three years old racers suffer from the condition (O'Brien, 2007).

Symptoms:

Bleeding from both nostrils after exercise that involves fast work.

Causes:

Highly intensive exercise increases the blood flow around the body and high blood pressure may exceed the amount that capillaries within the lungs can handle, creating bleeding by breaking capillaries,

- The capillaries are more fragile due to being in environments such as stables which create respiratory concerns,

- The impact of the forelimbs hitting the ground when galloping causes pressure through the chest wall and causes damage to capillaries within the lungs.

Treatment and Prognosis

EIPH is one of the most difficult conditions to control (O'Brien, 2007). A vet may wish to complete and endoscopic examination post exercise to check for blood in the trace, however while this may confirm the diagnosis this is not a treatment. It is important for the handler to check if the blood is only after exercise and is coming from both nostrils, if not exercise induced it is likely to be of another origin such as trauma to the head, nasal tumor or guttlural pouch mycosis (O'Brien, 2007). It is suggested that while a large number of horses may suffer from EIPH most will not be affected in their long term health, however those horses that bleed large amounts or frequently may have damage to their lungs in later life, in this event retiring the horse from racing should be considered (however this doesn't appear to happen, especially if a horse is making the owner large sums of money).

References

Auty, I. (2005). The BHS Complete Manual of Stable Management. Kenilworth Press: Great Britain.

Davies, Z. (2009). Introduction to horse nutrition. Wiley-Blackwell, UK.

Huntington, P., Myers, J. & Owens, E. (2004). Horse Sense, 2nd Edition. Landlinks Press: Victoria.

O'Brien, K. (2007). Essential Horse Health. David and Charles Limited: UK.

Pavord, T. & Pavord, M. (2007) Complete Equine Veterinary Manual. David and Charles Limited: UK.

Rush, A. (2008). You Horse's Health First Aid. David and Charles Limited: UK.

Sutton, A. (2006). The Injury Free Horse. David and Charles Limited: UK.

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