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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
  
| I've noticed that in the hot and humid August like heat we've been having it takes my boy a LOT longer to return his breathing to normal. He never appears distressed and doesn't cough or anything, just breathes heavily well after our cool down walk and untacking.
I try to minimize hard work in the hot and humid, but obviously I won't always be able to escape running in it at races. He's never bled, but I was wondering if flair strips might help him stay more comfortable at hot humid races.
Thoughts from anyone who has used them?
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 Hog Tie My Mojo
Posts: 4847
 
Location: Opelousas, LA | Its worth a try, they really make a difference on some horses and not so much on others.
When we used to swim our racehorses you could really see the difference in a horse that had nasal passages that would collapse when they were breathing hard and those that didn't. Other than swimming, it is really hard to see which horses really need a nasal strip and which ones don't so now we just try it if we think it may help. |
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 Tough Patooty
Posts: 2615
Location: Sperry, OK | Yes, flair strips say they are proven to reduce recovery time. |
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  Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | My horse HATES flair strips, can't use them.
Are you sure your horse isn't bleeding? That was the second sign my horse was bleeding. First was that he clocked 3D that weekend when he should have been 1D, and second was he never recovered his breathing. We had to cut him open to diagnose his bleeding that week. |
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Expert
Posts: 4766
Location: Bandera, TX | missroselee - 2014-05-29 12:03 PM My horse HATES flair strips, can't use them.
Are you sure your horse isn't bleeding? That was the second sign my horse was bleeding. First was that he clocked 3D that weekend when he should have been 1D, and second was he never recovered his breathing. We had to cut him open to diagnose his bleeding that week.
US didn't work? Dang I would hate to cut on any of my many horses that have bled. What about a BAL to get a DX?
OP, I've use flair strips to decrease the respiratory effort on my horses. That will, in itself decrease recovery time. Many times in our hot humid TX climate I have to remove all tack to get the rate down rather quickly.
Like missroselee stated, those that don't recover quickly suspect bleeding.
Also when a horse is swimming it is the ONLY time that they will hold their breath then forcifully exhale that I know of. I have swam bleeders in the past and I'm swimming one right now to get him better prepared to handle summer rigors. I've had horses that post swimming never bled again in the arena. It sure gets the cardio/pulmonary systems ready for deep heavy rodeo run ground.
PS, I love the strips. |
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Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | uno-dos-tres! - 2014-05-29 1:19 PM missroselee - 2014-05-29 12:03 PM My horse HATES flair strips, can't use them.
Are you sure your horse isn't bleeding? That was the second sign my horse was bleeding. First was that he clocked 3D that weekend when he should have been 1D, and second was he never recovered his breathing. We had to cut him open to diagnose his bleeding that week. US didn't work? Dang I would hate to cut on any of my many horses that have bled. What about a BAL to get a DX?
OP, I've use flair strips to decrease the respiratory effort on my horses. That will, in itself decrease recovery time. Many times in our hot humid TX climate I have to remove all tack to get the rate down rather quickly.
Like missroselee stated, those that don't recover quickly suspect bleeding.
Also when a horse is swimming it is the ONLY time that they will hold their breath then forcifully exhale that I know of. I have swam bleeders in the past and I'm swimming one right now to get him better prepared to handle summer rigors. I've had horses that post swimming never bled again in the arena. It sure gets the cardio/pulmonary systems ready for deep heavy rodeo run ground.
PS, I love the strips.
I'm not quite sure what you are asking me. I have no idea if they would work for him or not. He refuses to move forward with anything on his nose. When he started on barrels, he needed a tie down to balance off. He had issues. I tried a normal one and he ran backwards so fast it would make your head spin. I changed to the one that only goes over the ears and it worked perfect until he was able to go without one at all. He is extremely clausterphobic (sp), hates being in a stall, hates when you hold your hand on his nose, and hated that flair strip. I only tried it once but he threw a fit and refused to run.
So it's not the strip, it's the horse ;) |
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Hog Tie My Mojo
Posts: 4847
Location: Opelousas, LA | I agree about getting your horse scoped first to rule out problems. I had a mare that would take forever to recover in hot humid weather just from everyday conditioning. Turns out she had summer pasture COPD (severe allergies), I was very lucky to find out before I ran her like that, she would have certainly bled. |
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 Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | My old bay horse recovers much faster if I run him with a strip. He has never bled that we can tell, but his recovery time has been cut in half since I started using strips on him. I will say in the nasty heat, you have to dry the nose before putting a strip on or it won't always stick. I also put the strip on and then immediately bridle so I can warm up because my horses will scratch the strips off part of the time if left at the trailer. |
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Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | I also want to add that I have my horse on EQ Royal which is a blood builder and on THE Pulmon-EZE. I am anal about timing how long every horse takes to recover their breating (we did it on the racetrack using watches/clocks etc). He recovers much much faster now then before.
So even if your horse isn't a bleeder you still may want to consider researching some OTC products that could possibly help him. I also use OTC vitamin jugs (paste) before every run and I have noticed they recover faster then when I don't use them |
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Expert
Posts: 4766
Location: Bandera, TX | missroselee, I too have had a horse that was the same way as yours about the strips. She was sensitive about everything! Hates stalls like yours as well. But my ? for you was why did they have to cut your horse open for a diagnosis? Trying to learn from your experience... |
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Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | uno-dos-tres! - 2014-05-29 1:42 PM missroselee, I too have had a horse that was the same way as yours about the strips. She was sensitive about everything! Hates stalls like yours as well. But my ? for you was why did they have to cut your horse open for a diagnosis? Trying to learn from your experience...
Ok, now I understand! He never bled from his nose. By the time the vet got to the barrel race that he ran bad at it was well past time to scope, and he hadn't brought his scope so it would have been another two hours for him to get it brought up (he was only there to help with minor issues). So the best way to address is after that is what they call a Trach Wash. They make an incision in his throat, about the middle of his neck, insert a catheter, push fluid down into his lungs, then draw it back out and send it off for testing. It can diagnose a bleeder, but it also can tell them at what stage they are at (healing wise or not healing) and let them know what the best course of antibiotic treatment is. We also did a BAL, scoped him, etc etc. Best 1000 dollars I ever spent on him yet. It's been a career changer. And part of the reason why I push so freaking hard to get folks to understand that just because there is no blood in the nostrils, doesn't mean their horse isn't bleeding. The summer prior, the same thing nearly killed on of the best horses on the east coast. This could have killed my horse had I never treated it. |
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Expert
Posts: 4766
Location: Bandera, TX | OP, I used flair strips on my horse a couple of weekends ago on the first day of his runs. He ran poles that morning and barrels in mild heat with lots of humidity. He's a colt that I'm trying to prep to start a rodeo career. He was placed third was some "gamey" horses. The next day warmer and humidity 89% per my phone. I didn't use strip nor any meds I was messing around with holding fluids and full hay to him (trying to learn what works best for him). He took longer to recover and I feared he had bled. (Vet checked him, he didn't).
Next weekend, at a rodeo he did bleed. Deep heavy sandy pen. My plan for him, best shape possible, Flair strips and Poss. Lasix in some pens or humid/hot conditions. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| Thanks for all the replies guys, more or less confirming what my thoughts have been.
I think I will pick up a couple strips and try them as well as some of the otc products mentioned. It's hard for me to justify scoping him right away since our times have actually been improving steadily and nothing else seems off, but if I don't see any change with otc products or our times drop as hand heat builds we will be heading to the vet for sure. |
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Expert
Posts: 4766
Location: Bandera, TX | missroselee - 2014-05-29 12:46 PM uno-dos-tres! - 2014-05-29 1:42 PM missroselee, I too have had a horse that was the same way as yours about the strips. She was sensitive about everything! Hates stalls like yours as well. But my ? for you was why did they have to cut your horse open for a diagnosis? Trying to learn from your experience... Ok, now I understand! He never bled from his nose. By the time the vet got to the barrel race that he ran bad at it was well past time to scope, and he hadn't brought his scope so it would have been another two hours for him to get it brought up (he was only there to help with minor issues). So the best way to address is after that is what they call a Trach Wash. They make an incision in his throat, about the middle of his neck, insert a catheter, push fluid down into his lungs, then draw it back out and send it off for testing. It can diagnose a bleeder, but it also can tell them at what stage they are at (healing wise or not healing) and let them know what the best course of antibiotic treatment is. We also did a BAL, scoped him, etc etc. Best 1000 dollars I ever spent on him yet. It's been a career changer. And part of the reason why I push so freaking hard to get folks to understand that just because there is no blood in the nostrils, doesn't mean their horse isn't bleeding. The summer prior, the same thing nearly killed on of the best horses on the east coast. This could have killed my horse had I never treated it.
Yep, seen it kill several myself.
Trach washes and BAL's are invaluable for a DX on bleeders. I thought you were going to tell me they did a "window" in your horses chest wall!
FYI, I believe you can help a bleeder by a short wind sprint in your warm up. That will prompt the spleen to do its blood cell dump and I've had quite a few horses do better with that in their prep. You can also try antivibe pads to remove some of the pressure wave as well. Isn't this fun trying to figure out? A student of the horse we are! |
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Hog Tie My Mojo
Posts: 4847
Location: Opelousas, LA | uno-dos-tres! - 2014-05-29 1:45 PM missroselee - 2014-05-29 12:46 PM uno-dos-tres! - 2014-05-29 1:42 PM missroselee, I too have had a horse that was the same way as yours about the strips. She was sensitive about everything! Hates stalls like yours as well. But my ? for you was why did they have to cut your horse open for a diagnosis? Trying to learn from your experience... Ok, now I understand! He never bled from his nose. By the time the vet got to the barrel race that he ran bad at it was well past time to scope, and he hadn't brought his scope so it would have been another two hours for him to get it brought up (he was only there to help with minor issues). So the best way to address is after that is what they call a Trach Wash. They make an incision in his throat, about the middle of his neck, insert a catheter, push fluid down into his lungs, then draw it back out and send it off for testing. It can diagnose a bleeder, but it also can tell them at what stage they are at (healing wise or not healing) and let them know what the best course of antibiotic treatment is. We also did a BAL, scoped him, etc etc. Best 1000 dollars I ever spent on him yet. It's been a career changer. And part of the reason why I push so freaking hard to get folks to understand that just because there is no blood in the nostrils, doesn't mean their horse isn't bleeding. The summer prior, the same thing nearly killed on of the best horses on the east coast. This could have killed my horse had I never treated it.
Trach washes and BAL's are invaluable for a DX on bleeders. I thought you were going to tell me they did a "window" in your horses chest wall!
FYI, I believe you can help a bleeder by a short wind sprint in your warm up. That will prompt the spleen to do its blood cell dump and I've had quite a few horses do better with that in their prep. You can also try antivibe pads to remove some of the pressure wave as well. Isn't this fun trying to figure out? A student of the horse we are!
Any suggestions on good brand names? Never thought of this but it makes sense. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| Well we ran last night at a jackpot after dark once it had cooled off some. He seemed to recover pretty well. We're headed out again in the morning for a 2 day deal and I'm going to try and get over to the track this afternoon and see if I can pick up a couple strips.
I was chatting with one of the gals I run a lot with and one of her good horses is a bleeder. She's going to help me wade through this.
I'll be back at the end of the weekend with a flair strip review! I'm hoping if I clean his nose up good with rubbing alcohol I can maybe get one to stick for both days...
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Hog Tie My Mojo
Posts: 4847
Location: Opelousas, LA | OhMax - 2014-05-30 6:42 AM Well we ran last night at a jackpot after dark once it had cooled off some. He seemed to recover pretty well. We're headed out again in the morning for a 2 day deal and I'm going to try and get over to the track this afternoon and see if I can pick up a couple strips. I was chatting with one of the gals I run a lot with and one of her good horses is a bleeder. She's going to help me wade through this. I'll be back at the end of the weekend with a flair strip review! I'm hoping if I clean his nose up good with rubbing alcohol I can maybe get one to stick for both days...
If you are going to buy them from a racetrack store you can pick up a small can of spray adhesive while you are there. Now you have to be very careful and not use too much, but the adhesive will help your strip stay on longer.
First clean the nose really good and put the strip on just like you always do. Then I will take a strip of cardboard or popsicle stick and spray a little adhesive on the end. Usually the tiny tabs on the bottom two rows of the strip will try to lift up, use your stick to dab a little adhesive on the under side of those tabs and stick them back down. When you take the strip off it may pull some hair off in those little spots but most of the time it doesn't.
Whatever you do, don't spray the entire strip to put it on, I saw some guys do that once and I think that horse wore the strip for two weeks. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 399
| I agree that you need to rule out bleeding. BUT they have helped my gelding in a great deal when the air is heavy. He would take forever to recover when the air was thick and we took him in to be scoped and he was not bleeding but he had a viral infection deep in his lungs so that he showed no symptoms until he really had to breath hard. after a round of steroids and albuterol he is all better but the flair strips have helped as well to replace the albuterol but this was all after the suggestion of my vet. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| EmtRoper - 2014-05-30 9:02 AM
I agree that you need to rule out bleeding. BUT they have helped my gelding in a great deal when the air is heavy. He would take forever to recover when the air was thick and we took him in to be scoped and he was not bleeding but he had a viral infection deep in his lungs so that he showed no symptoms until he really had to breath hard. after a round of steroids and albuterol he is all better but the flair strips have helped as well to replace the albuterol but this was all after the suggestion of my vet.
Thanks! It makes me feel good to know there may be other causes than bleeding.
I'm an asthmatic myself so I'm quite familiar with albuterol. Maybe it's something my horse and I can bond over and have in common lol.
Thanks for the tip about the spray adhesive too! |
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