Diez de Castro Elisa, Fernandez-Molina Jose Maria
Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Cordoba, 14014 Córdoba, Spain.
Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Cordoba, 14014 Córdoba, Spain.
Animals (Basel). 2024 Jan 30;14(3):446. doi: 10.3390/ani14030446.
Environmental practices related to the inhalation of airborne dust have been identified as the main cause of equine asthma (EA) and reasonably, they are truly relevant in its treatment and control, especially for horses with its severe form. Vast research regarding environmental recommendations has been conducted in recent years. However, no recent exhaustive reviews exist that gather all this new evidence. The aim of this review is to report and compare the most pertinent information concerning the environmental management of EA. The main findings highlight the importance of the type of forage used for feeding but also its method of production and possible contamination during manufacture and/or storage. Procedures to reduce this, such as soaking and steaming hay, improve its hygienic quality, although they also decrease forage's nutritional value, making dietetic supplementation necessary. Regarding stabling, despite some conflicting results, avoiding straw as bedding and improving barn ventilation continue to be the common recommendations if turning to pasture is not feasible. Finally, owners' compliance has been identified as the most critical point in correct environmental control. Educating owners about the genuine benefits of these measures should be a cornerstone of EA management.
与吸入空气中的灰尘相关的环境因素已被确认为马哮喘（EA）的主要病因，合理地说，它们在EA的治疗和控制中确实具有重要意义，特别是对于患有严重形式EA的马匹。近年来，针对环境建议开展了大量研究。然而，目前尚无近期全面的综述来汇总所有这些新证据。本综述的目的是报告并比较有关EA环境管理的最相关信息。主要研究结果强调了用于喂养的草料类型的重要性，以及其生产方法和在制造和/或储存过程中可能受到的污染。减少这种污染的措施，如浸泡和蒸煮干草，可提高其卫生质量，尽管这也会降低草料的营养价值，因此需要进行饮食补充。关于马厩管理，尽管有些结果相互矛盾，但如果无法转向牧场，避免使用稻草作为垫料并改善马厩通风仍然是常见的建议。最后，已确定主人的依从性是正确环境控制中最关键的一点。向主人宣传这些措施的真正益处应是EA管理的基石。
