Stabling effects on equine respiratory tract using two different types of stable beds and pasture

ABSTRACT Respiratory system affections in horses are the second cause of decrease in performance and removal from the sport or farm work, which are behind only the musculoskeletal disorders. Stabling and hay feeding predisposes horses’ airways to inhalation of large numbers of irritating agents. To evaluate the influence of bed types used in bays, 3 groups of 5 horses each were studied for 45 days. Two groups were kept in stables with different wood beds - based rafters (autoclaved pine - MA and sawdust - SE) and the third group remained in the pasture. Biweekly evaluations with physical examination, hemogram, hemogasometry and bronchoalveolar lavage were performed. On physical examination, the presence of cough and sneezing was observed in animals of the SE group. In the bronchoalveolar lavage, the total nucleated cell count presented higher values in the animals in the pasture, followed by the SE group and finally the MA. It was concluded that the different beds used presented no difference with respect to the irritative capacity of the upper airways.摘要：马的呼吸系统疾病是导致其运动性能下降以及被淘汰退出赛事或农作生产的第二大诱因，仅次于肌肉骨骼系统疾病。圈养并饲喂干草的饲养模式，会使马匹气道更易吸入大量刺激性物质。为评估马厩垫料类型的影响，本研究将15匹实验马分为3组，每组5匹，实验周期为45天。其中两组饲养于分别使用两种不同木质垫料的马厩中——即高压灭菌松木垫料组（MA）与木屑垫料组（SE），第三组则放牧于牧场。实验期间每两周开展一次体格检查、血常规（hemogram）检测、血气分析（hemogasometry）以及支气管肺泡灌洗（bronchoalveolar lavage）检查。体格检查结果显示，SE组马匹出现了咳嗽与喷嚏症状。支气管肺泡灌洗结果表明，牧场组马匹的有核细胞总数最高，其次为SE组，MA组最低。本研究最终得出结论：所使用的不同垫料类型在上呼吸道刺激性方面无显著差异。