What To Do When Your Horse’s Lungs Start Bleeding

Bleeding lungs, or exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), is a disorder that can affect race horses. In fact, most race horses will bleed at some point in their careers. 

In this horse health post, we’ll let you know what it means when your horse’s lungs start to bleed and what you can do to help. 

When it comes to horse health, you don’t want to take any chances. That’s what makes our Race Today™ formula from Vetline Equine so important. Shop our horse supplements today and give your race horse or pasture horse supplements and medicine that is fast-acting, effective, and created and approved by an equine veterinarian. 

What Are Bleeding Lungs? 

The term “bleeding lungs” can sound scary. But equine veterinarians are learning that EIPH is common in race horses because it happens during intense exercise, like races.  When a horse is experiencing EIPH, it means that some of the blood vessels in the lungs have broken, causing blood to enter the airways.

In most cases, this blood is not seen unless the horse’s throat is scoped because the amount of blood in the airway is minimal. But, in rare cases, larger blood vessels can rupture, causing blood to enter the airway that is too much for the horse to swallow. This is when the blood will show up in the horse’s nostrils — referred to as epistaxis — and can be fatal for the horses. 

Typically, it takes two to four weeks for the lungs to heal, but it ultimately depends on the horse. But while your horse is taking this medicine, they can still be active. Race Today™ will continue helping their lungs heal while they exercise. 

The presence of this type of bleeding in race horses worsens as the horse ages. If you notice that your horse is a “bleeder” or is prone to getting EIPH, there are certain ways you can treat them for EIPH.  

HOW TO HELP 

When it comes to treating bleeding lungs, there are different horse medicines available to help stop the bleeding and let the lungs heal. At Vetline Equine, we’ve developed our own formula — Race Today™  — that helps treat the symptoms that come from EIPH. 

To help prevent EIPH in your race horses, you can also increase their supplements of omega-3 fatty acids because those omegas increase the functions of white blood cells responsible for helping remove blood from the lungs. 

But, if you notice that your race horse is suffering from EIPH, it’s a good idea to get them on a medicine to start treating that right away. 

Our Race Today™ medicine uses a blend of natural ingredients to help relieve symptoms associated with bleeding, including different vitamins and minerals. When you give this medicine to your horse daily, you’re giving them ingredients that will help your horse heal. 

Race Today™ From Vetline Equine

We hope this post helps you feel prepared when it comes to the horse health of your racehorses and their risk for bleeding lungs. 

Be prepared. Have a bucket of Race Today™ on hand to help any of your race horses recover from EIPH. Shop our other horse supplements available from Vetline Equine to give your pasture or race horse the best when it comes to horse health.