It’s finally raining again and no one at SAFE is happier about that than Anderson. The smoke and dust in the air this summer have been exceptionally hard on his lungs. We started noticing that he’d cough a bit when asked to canter, so when Dr. Fleck came to do his dental, we had him listen to his lungs as well. Unfortunately Dr Fleck did not like what he was hearing. He prescribed medications to help open up Anderson’s airway and help reduce inflammation in his lungs. We also changed his bedding to less dusty sawdust pellets and began wetting down his hay. The good news is at his two week check up, his lungs sounded much more clear. But sadly the air began to fill with smoke again and his breathing issues returned. Not only would he cough for a few seconds when asked to canter, he was also wheezing at the trot and canter. We’re making adjustments to his medication to see how comfortable we can make him, and of course not riding him during periods of bad air quality. Hopefully, with fall and wetter weather approaching, he will make a full recovery and we either take him off the medications or find a low maintenance dose to keep him comfortable.
