This message is from: "Nancy Hotovy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Jean -
I can relate to your problems with your horse with heaves. I gave 2 of my horses heaves (that's right, it was my fault). I used to order sawdust by the truckload and kept it in the barn. When the wind blew (which is quite frequent on the top of a hill) the whole barn would be dusty. You would think I would be smarter. Anyway my two I kept in the barn the most got very heavey. I tried all kinds of meds from Dexamethasone to Ventipulmin. These worked very well, except they are very expensive and Dexamethasone isn't good to use long term, especially if you want to breed your mare. First thing, I quit using sawdust and went to bagged shavings. 2nd - Put the horses outside 24 hours a day. They have a run in shelter. 3rd - Fed Reba alfalfa cubes (or pasture) for the past 2 - 3 years. I use a small bucket and put 2 - 3 small coffee cans full and fill 2/3 water. The cubes soak up the water by the next feeding and are soft and dust free. She does very well on these and as anyone who has seen her can tell you, she is not thin! I've had no breathing problems since. Only problem I had was at the Midwest Horse Fair last year. The Midwest Fjord Horse Club had one stall for feed and one for tack. I left my pail of cubes in the feed stall and the next morning Sheryl Monheim wanted to know why someone had put a bucket full of _ _ _ _ in the feed stall. Caused quite a laugh for the rest of the weekend! Nancy Hotovy www.upperforty.com
