Question about breathing issue

[TANGLES123]

My sister in law has a 4 year old palomino quarter horse and I saw him close up the other day and he has a strange breathing issue. If you look at his flank area it looks like he is drawing up there. Like if a human were to shrug shoulder's up and down repeatedly--he does this with his flank area. He had not been running and wasn't having a difficult time breathing. But it concerned me about that heaving with his flanks. What would cause this?

 

[DrumRunner728]

Tangles, it sounds like it could be what they call "heaves." It is a breathing disorder, not fatal, and often caused by allergies to dust, grass, or something else that's blooming. The horse will look like it's laboring to breath (they are trying to push air out of the lungs) when they haven't even been exercising. They will often have a cough that goes with it. If the horse begins to cough there is a vaccination (I think it's some sort of steroid) that will help with that. I have a gray mare that's allergic to Bahia grass of all things and we've covered up in it here at the farm.

Here's a pretty good article that should answer a lot of questions.

http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department ... ll/hrs3713

 

[msscamp]

My sister in law has a 4 year old palomino quarter horse and I saw him close up the other day and he has a strange breathing issue. If you look at his flank area it looks like he is drawing up there. Like if a human were to shrug shoulder's up and down repeatedly--he does this with his flank area. He had not been running and wasn't having a difficult time breathing. But it concerned me about that heaving with his flanks. What would cause this?

Heaves. What your seeing on the flank is the heave line.

 

[TANGLES123]

Thanks all. I actually wondered if it was heaves. I had never seen it and thought that may be it. Too bad as he is cute as a button and young. He probably did get some bad hay, or something. He came from a sales barn originally. Thanks for replying.

 

[msscamp]

He came from a sales barn originally.

That is probably why he ended up there.