Inhale Lexicon

Alveoli (lung sacs) are the smallest branches of the lower respiratory tract and are responsible for oxygen exchange. Mucus and constrictions make it difficult for horses with equine asthma to absorb oxygen into and exhale from the alveoli.

Antihistamines are drugs that can be used to treat horses with allergies. They block or cancel out the effects of the hormone histamine and thus alleviate allergy symptoms. A well-known antihistamine is cetirizine.

Essential oils are often recommended for humans to help with colds. We advise against inhaling essential oils in horses, as this can cause allergic reactions.

In a healthy horse, the muscles and diaphragm relax when breathing out. However, if the bronchi are cramped, constricted and/or mucous, the horse has to tense the diaphragm, the intercostal muscles and the abdominal muscles in order to "press out" the air. Tensing the abdominal muscles when breathing out is known as "abdominal breathing". This is a symptom of an advanced respiratory disease.

The natural stress protection molecule moisturizes the mucous membranes and protects against external influences such as allergens, dust, environmental pollution and temperature fluctuations.

A chronic disease is a long-lasting disease (at least 6 weeks) that is difficult to cure. Horses with chronic respiratory diseases often suffer from RAO (Recurrent Airway Obstruction). This usually develops from untreated coughing or poor husbandry, e.g. high levels of dust or moldy feed.

Respiratory diseases in horses used to be called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, this term comes from human medicine and was defined as inappropriate for horses. Today, respiratory diseases in horses are grouped under the term "equine asthma".

Stalephedrine is the final stage of a horse's chronic recurrent bronchitis. A horse with stalephedrine has breathing noises in the lungs, is short of breath, or shows an increased respiratory rate even with minimal exertion. In order to breathe, it is dependent on the use of accessory muscles. Because the elasticity of the lung tissue has greatly decreased, the horse can exhale less used air and thus inhale less fresh air. This leads to chronic oxygen deficiency and also damages the heart.

Due to the shortness of breath, the horse uses its own abdominal muscles to breathe in order to push the air out despite the constricted bronchial vessels. Over time, the horse develops the so-called "steam groove", which is an unmistakable sign of steaminess in the horse.

The steam groove is a notch between the abdominal muscle and the rib cage. It is caused by the muscles contracting when breathing out and is a symptom of advanced respiratory disease in horses.

Pulmonary emphysema is also referred to as "overinflation" of the lungs. This means that the horse can no longer fully exhale the air it has inhaled - in the worst case, the alveoli and the elastic lung tissue rupture under this pressure, resulting in persistent shortness of breath. If the lung tissue is damaged, it is in most cases irreparable. When horses suffer from pulmonary emphysema, it is often referred to as suffocation.

Equine asthma is a general term for respiratory diseases in horses. It is divided into recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) and inflammatory airway disease (IAD), formerly known as COPD or COB.

The mucous membrane in the respiratory tract consists of millions of cells with mobile hairs, the cilia. The cilia move in waves towards the throat, whereby small particles (eg dust and bacteria) stick to the moist mucous membrane and are then transported upwards towards the throat like on a conveyor belt. Once in the throat, the foreign substances bound in the mucus are then usually involuntarily swallowed into the stomach.

The velum or soft palate is a movable fold of soft tissue made up of muscles, connective tissue and mucous membrane. It prevents liquid and food from accidentally entering the nasal cavity when swallowing.
Due to an anatomical peculiarity, the soft palate of the horse is located below the epiglottis. This makes the horse one of the few animals that can only breathe through its nose, even when performing at peak performance.

The term hyperreactivity refers to the body's exaggerated reaction to a stimulus, for example to allergens, but also to cold or other physical and chemical stimuli. The hyperreactivity of the bronchi leads to a severe narrowing of the airways.

The cells always strive to balance the concentration inside and outside the cell, but in this case only the water particles can pass through the semi-permeable membrane. In a hypertonic solution, the concentration in the solution is higher than in the cell. This mobilizes fluid from the lower tissue layers and allows stuck mucus to be removed more easily. Due to the fluid withdrawal and the associated irritation of the cells, this is only recommended as a cure. An example of a hypertonic solution is brine or a solution with twice the amount of bi-medEctoin®.

Hyposensitization, also called desensitization, is a form of treatment for allergies.
Small amounts of the allergen are introduced into the body. This is intended to allow the body to slowly get used to the allergen and no longer react to contact with an overreaction of the immune system. Hyposensitization is the only form of therapy for allergies that treats the cause of the symptoms.

Inflammatory Airway Disease - This is a mild to moderate inflammation of the bronchi, often caused by a viral infection. IAD generally affects horses of all ages, but occurs more frequently in younger horses than ROA. IAD is reversible (repairable) but is often the precursor to RAO (Recurrent Airway Obstruction).

Influenza (equine flu) is a highly contagious viral disease of the respiratory system in horses.
Typical symptoms of an influenza infection are a strong cough, fever, nasal discharge and swollen lymph nodes - in extreme cases, an infection can also lead to permanent damage to the lungs. To prevent infection, a vaccination against the virus is recommended.

The cells always strive to balance the concentration inside and outside the cell, but in this case only the water particles can pass through the semi-permeable membrane. With an isotonic solution, the concentration in the solution is the same as in the cell. This moistens and nourishes the cells. An isotonic mixture ratio can be used permanently and is ideal for constricted bronchi and for regeneration. An example of a hypertonic solution is 0.9% NaCl or a solution with bi-medEctoin®.

Is a liquid that is used in ultrasonic inhalers to transfer the vibrations of the ceramic plate to the inhalant without the plate coming into direct contact with the inhalant. Different contact liquids are used depending on the manufacturer. Hippomed sells its own contact fluid for the Air One. Medizintechnik Hartwig uses distilled water here.

Cortisone is the colloquial term for glucocorticoids. They work in a similar way to the body's own hormone cortisol and are used to treat various inflammatory processes. Cortisone has an anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic and decongestant effect and reduces mucus production and hypersensitivity.

However, special care should be taken with horses with metabolic diseases and laminitis patients. In these cases, cortisone can trigger new attacks of laminitis if used incorrectly.

With mesh nebulizers/inhalers (also called piezo nebulizers/inhalers), the inhaled liquid is mechanically filtered through a vibrating membrane. The droplet size depends on the membrane used.
The advantage of mesh nebulizers/inhalers is that they do not generate heat. However, the membrane of mesh nebulizers/inhalers must be replaced at regular intervals. Inhalation also takes longer and requires more maintenance than ultrasonic nebulizers/inhalers. The Flexineb® and the SaHoMa® are examples of mesh nebulizers/inhalers.

NaCl solution is usually referred to as the physical saline solution with 0.9% salt/sodium chloride, which enables isotonic inhalation.

Negatively ionized oxygen is often used in brine pendants/chambers. The negatively ionized oxygen can activate red blood cells and positively support cell metabolism.

Osmotic pressure is caused by differences in concentration in the cell and the fluid outside the cell. When inhaled, only the water particles can pass through the semi-permeable cell membrane, but not the salt molecules or the bi-medEctoin®. Since the cells always strive for balance, the so-called osmotic pressure is created, which is expressed in mOsmol/kg or mOsmol/L.

The particle or droplet size describes the size of the aerosols of the nebulized solution. Studies have shown that the particles should be smaller than 5 µm in order to even reach the lower respiratory tract. Whether particles smaller than 0.5 µm are exhaled or penetrate even more effectively to the tips of the lungs is a controversial issue.

The active ingredient is not metabolized, but works solely through the charges and binding forces of the individual molecules.

With piezo nebulizers/inhalers (also called piezo nebulizers/inhalers), the inhaled liquid is mechanically filtered through a vibrating membrane. The droplet size depends on the membrane used.
The advantage of piezo nebulizers/inhalers is that they do not generate heat. However, the membrane in piezo nebulizers/inhalers must be replaced at regular intervals. Inhalation also takes longer and requires more maintenance than with ultrasonic nebulizers/inhalers. The Flexineb® and the SaHoMa® are examples of piezo nebulizers/inhalers.

Pneumonia, also called lung inflammation, is an inflammation of the lung tissue, usually caused by bacteria or viruses.
In horses, pneumonia usually occurs as a secondary infection. Affected horses often have high fever, nasal discharge, cough, are apathetic and do not want to eat.

Pollen is flower dust that is produced by various plants for reproduction and then travels to other plants, for example through the wind.
Certain pollens can cause severe allergies in some horses. Allergies to Bermuda grass, mugwort, cedar and alder are particularly common.

The term prevention encompasses all measures to avoid diseases, reduce their risk or delay their progression.
In the case of respiratory diseases, prevention mainly consists of avoiding dust and optimizing housing. However , inhalation in horses can also be used preventively.

Quarantine is the short-term isolation of individual horses in order to protect the rest of the herd from infectious diseases.
Affected horses are either sick themselves or have an increased risk or suspicion of having the disease.

Recurrent Airway Obstruction - This is a severe, chronic bronchitis that was preceded by acute bronchitis (IAD) that was not and/or inadequately treated. This respiratory disease is more likely to occur in older horses (>10 years).

Remodeling describes the process that leads to a change in the structure of diseased tissue compared to healthy tissue.
In severe equine asthma, remodeling of the airways often occurs. Colloquially, this is often referred to as "scarring" of the lungs.

If horses suffer from chronic or repeated severe nasal discharge, the pigments can be washed out of the mucous membrane.
As a result, the transition from dark to unpigmented skin becomes blurred and changes.

A brine is a salt-water solution that contains at least 1.4% salt. The high salt concentration can mobilize moisture from the lower tissue layers and thus supports the removal of mucus. However, the removal of moisture also irritates the cells, so a brine should only ever be used as a cure. A brine is referred to as a hypertonic mixture ratio. When inhaling through a mask, the salt content of the brine should be a maximum of 3.5%.

In closed horse boxes or horse trailers, inhalation is possible without a mask. This requires a powerful nebulizer that distributes the inhalant throughout the room. A hypertonic solution (6% to 8% brine) is usually used here. The big advantage is that not only the mucous membranes of the lungs benefit from the brine, but also the horse's skin. This can be a great relief, especially for horses with sweet itch. This type of inhalation is not really suitable for inhaling active ingredients, as too much of the active ingredient is lost. Brine chambers can also be used in addition to mask inhalation.

The active ingredient is metabolized by the body and distributed throughout the body via the blood and/or lymphatic system.

Toxins are biological substances that harm the organism by disrupting its metabolism.
Horses absorb toxins primarily through poor quality feed. Possible sources of toxins include poisonous plants, bacteria, yeasts and molds.

Tracheobronchial secretion (TBS) is the secretion that is produced in the trachea and bronchi.
During a bronchoscopy, a sample of this fluid can be taken, which can be examined cytologically in the laboratory to make a diagnosis.

The droplet or particle size describes the size of the aerosols of the nebulized solution. Studies have shown that the particles should be smaller than 5 µm in order to even reach the lower respiratory tract. Whether particles smaller than 0.5 µm are exhaled or penetrate even more effectively to the tips of the lungs is a controversial issue.

In ultrasonic inhalers, a liquid is made to vibrate using a ceramic plate. When horses inhale, a contact liquid is used to ensure that the inhaled liquid does not come into direct contact with the ceramic plate. This then transfers the vibrations to the inhaled liquid. The dissolved aerosol particles are then transported to the lungs by an air flow from the device or the horse's active inhalation and are inhaled. The droplet size depends on the frequency with which the ceramic plate is excited (up to 3MHz) and the density and surface tension of the inhaled liquid.
The advantage of an ultrasonic inhaler is the small particle size, the quiet operation and the longevity. However, ultrasonic inhalers can generate a slight amount of heat.
Examples of ultrasonic inhalers are the Air One, the Equosonic and the EquiEasyNeb.

In medicine, viruses are infectious particles that consist of nucleic acids and proteins.
There are various viruses that can cause respiratory diseases in horses.

Summer Pasture-Associated Recurrent Airway Obstruction (SPA - RAO) is colloquially known as pasture cough.
This is a form of equine asthma, which causes symptoms especially in warm, humid weather on the pasture.
Possible signs of pasture cough include increased respiratory rates during rest periods, coughing fits, nasal discharge, reduced performance, shortness of breath and abdominal breathing.