The use of Inhaled therapy devices in horses!

 

The use of inhaled therapy for respiratory conditions in horses is becoming increasingly popular. It is extremely important that the medicine is administered correctly to stand any chance of having the desired effect on the horse.

 

To get the correct amount of the medicine to the lungs of the horse, these guidelines must be followed, precisely.

 

You should have an inhaler ( metered dose inhaler MDI) and a spacing device into which the inhaler is activated.

 

  1. the inhaler (MDI) should be warm, at least room temperature, so should be warmed in your pocket on cold days prior to use.
  2. the drug settles in the device and the inhaler (MDI) should be vigorously shaken for at least 30 seconds (that is quite a long time when you measure it, properly)
  3. the first “puff” should be wasted. It will not contain an accurate dose of the medicine.
  4. once the inhaler is attached to the spacing device, keep the inhaler (MDI) in a vertical position, at all times.
  5. keep the soft cupped end of the spacing device firmly in place over one of the horse’s nostrils, to maintain an air-tight seal.
  6. Puff the inhaler once and try to time it to coincide with the start of an intake   of the horse’s breath, do not puff the inhaler while the horse is breathing out. (if the horse reacts badly to the activation of the inhaler it can be puffed into the spacing device and then the device placed onto the nostril, this, however, can dramatically reduce the dose the horse receives, the delay between activating the inhaler and applying it to the nostril should be minimal, even 10 seconds delay can halve the dose of drug that reaches the horse’s lung)
  7. If the horse is sufficiently compliant, try to cover the other nostril to encourage a period of breath holding, ie holding the breath that has just taken the drug into the lungs. (5 – 10 seconds or so)
  8. Wait 30 seconds before starting again, at stage 1, shaking the inhaler (MDI) obviously this time there is no need to waste a dose ( ie miss stage 3 above after shaking)
  9. In addition to the above,   

 

Wash the spacing device in a solution of detergent (washing up liquid) at least weekly, don’t rinse it out with water afterwards and don’t dry it, let it drip dry.   Any strength of detergent and any detergent will work fine.

 

The Inhaler is designed to provide the correct dose of medicine for a certain number of “puffs”. This will be written on the box the included paperwork, usually 200 doses. You need to count how many “puffs” have been dispensed as the device will appear to work much longer than the number of doses it says it contains, the extra “puffs” however, will be just propellant gas and contain no medicine and will, therefore, do your horse no good at all.

Once 200 doses have been used, throw the inhaler (MDI) away and order a new one.

 

The success of this treatment really depends on how well it is delivered and not following the above instructions could be the difference between your treatment working or failing.

 

Any of our vets or nurses are happy to demonstrate the correct usage of the device if you want to check.