E: 122 Equine Asthma and Heaves: What Keeps Airways Inflamed

Send Audrey a Text to get your question answered on the show Equine Asthma and Heaves: What Keeps Airways Inflamed What should you feed a horse with heaves? If every answer sends you shopping for another respiratory supplement, it's time to look at the rest of the ration. In this episode, Audrey explores equine asthma and heaves through her anti-inflammatory forage approach. We're looking at the hay, pasture, feed, and supplements together, along with individual nutritional needs and the air your horse breathes throughout the day. You'll hear how Audrey approaches whole-food omega-3 sources, antioxidant and herbal support, and mineral pattern assessment alongside environmental management and veterinary care. We also cover why copying another horse's feed can leave you guessing about your own horse's needs. In this episode Feeding a horse with heaves: Why the complete ration includes long-stem forage, pasture, and everything added to the feed. The anti-inflammatory forage diet: Understanding the principles, evaluating ingredients, and accounting for nutrients when changing feeds. Flax and chia: Their role as whole-food omega-3 sources, plus a closer look at chia's quercetin and other plant compounds. Rose hips, spirulina, and nettle: The nutritional, traditional herbal, and mechanistic reasons Audrey considers these supportive options. Minerals and Metals Mane Testing: How Audrey incorporates MMMT into her assessment alongside diet and history, including questions involving zinc, magnesium, and potential metal exposures. Equine asthma management at home: Turnout suited to the horse's triggers, ventilation, low-dust bedding, hay preparation, and feeding-time dust exposure. Before adding another product, gather your horse's feed and supplement labels, actual feeding amounts, and forage information. That gives you a much more useful starting point for reviewing the plan. Equine Nutrition for Horse Owners Learn the principles behind Audrey's anti-inflammatory forage approach so you can make more informed feeding decisions. Explore the class Get individual support Minerals and Metals Mane Test and nutrition consultations Explore Audrey's MMMT and consultation options for reviewing your horse's feeding plan, mineral patterns, and history. View MMMT and consultation options Research discussed Omega-3 supplementation alongside a low-dust diet in horses with chronic lower airway disease . The study evaluated a DHA-containing supplement, rather than flax or chia. Chia seed phenolic and polyphenolic composition . Quercetin and mast-cell activity . Laboratory mechanisms and human investigations. Rosehip powder, vitamin C, and antioxidant capacity in horses . Spirulina and inflammatory responses following exercise in horses . Nettle extract and pathways associated with allergic rhinitis . Laboratory extract research. Commercial hair analysis and mineral intake in horses . Low-dust forages and airway health in racehorses</a