Travel is stressful for horses. A horse’s environment during transport may not be dustier than his home barn, but if he can’t readily lower his head, airborne particles may take a greater toll on his health.
If horses get a respiratory infection after transport, like people with colds, they usually just get over it. Sometimes, however, a fever and cough that start soon after a trip are early signs of a much more serious illness: pleuropneumonia (commonly called shipping fever), an inflammation of the lungs and the pleural membranes lining the chest wall, which can cause fluid to build up in the space between the lungs and the rib cage.
Source: EQUUS, September 2018. Link. Shipping fever is more likely to occur in horses after they have been in transit for 20 hours or more. Options to limit risks include:
- Avoid tying a horse’s head high for prolonged periods
- Schedule rest stops at least every four hours. Unhook the horse so he can stretch his neck and lower his head
- Allow a horse time to recover with his head down after a trip
- Make trailers lung friendly
- Hose out the trailer thoroughly after each trip, and remove fresh manure at rest stops along the way
- Vaccinate as appropriate; consider vaccinations against rhinopneumonitis, influenza and strangles
- Consult the veterinarian
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