Equine Asthma

Horse cold day breath

Equine Asthma and Macrophage Responses

What happens if the quarterback of the immune system goes rogue? In a study set to begin in June 2023, Ontario Veterinary College researcher, Dr. Janet Beeler-Marfisi, will be looking at macrophage responses to the agents that cause asthma in horses.  While studies on equine asthma have been ongoing for over 40 years, we still…

Image of Equine endoscope procedure

Stem Cells Under Investigation as a Possible Future Treatment for Equine Asthma

Heaves is known as a disease that can leave a horse struggling to breathe, ending athletic careers and even rendering a pleasure horse unsuitable for riding.  Commonly known today as equine asthma, it’s an irreversible disease brought on by repeated exposure to dust and moulds.  Ontario Veterinary College researcher, Doctor Bienzle has a long history…

Horse cold day breath

Free Courses for Ontario Racing Industry – Instructors Announced!

Dr. Sarah Shaw and Dr. Amy Lack have been announced as course co-instructors for the Racehorse Respiratory Health online course. Funded by Ontario Racing and offered by Equine Guelph, the two-week short course runs from Jan. 24 – Feb. 4, 2022 and will be FREE (value of $95) to the first 100 AGCO licence holders who enroll…

Don’t Let Dust Diminish Your Horse

Avoid asthma and respiratory issues with barn management Have you ever walked in a barn, and felt like your lungs were being assaulted? Imagine how a horse feels, particularly if they spend hours in a stall.  When horses exercise, they take on upwards of 16 times as much air per second than their human owners. …

Horse cold day breath

Equine Asthma & Pollution

During the summer there are often waves of horses presenting with respiratory disease.  Ontario Veterinary College researcher, Janet Beeler-Marfisi never really ascribed that to being part of air pollution, until her recent research revealed horses, with their far greater lung capacity and athleticism, can also suffer when air pollution levels rise. Checking the Air Quality…

Image of Equine endoscope procedure

OVC Researcher Contributes to Global Paper on Equine Asthma

Not long after the 2019 Havemeyer Workshop on Equine Asthma, Dr. Dorothee Bienzle, Ontario Veterinary College, contributed to a large collaborative research paper – The current understanding and future directions of Equine Asthma research.   The air was thick with ideas at the 2019 Havemeyer Workshop, with a broad group of approximately 50 participants made up of microbiologists, clinicians,…