Omega-3s Benefit Horses with Respiratory Conditions

One omega-3 fatty acid recently proved its weight in gold for horses with respiratory issues, report Purdue University researchers*. They found that horses with either recurrent airway obstruction (RAO, heaves) or inflammatory airway disease (IAD) fed a nutritional supplement containing docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an essential omega-3 fatty acid, benefited from daily supplementation.

Specifically, after supplementation with the fatty acid supplement for two months, horses with RAO and IAD had:

• Improved clinical signs of respiratory disease based on a 60% improvement in cough score;
• A significant improvement in lung function based on an almost 50% decrease in respiratory effort;
• A modest improvement in the health of the lower airways (i.e., decreased inflammation) as determined by analysis of a lung wash; and
• Levels of DHA in the blood increased significantly with supplementation (they were 10 times higher than at the start of the study).

Another interesting feature of the study was that even horses in the control group, given a placebo instead of the omega-3 fatty acid supplement, experienced some improvement. According to the study authors, that was likely because all horses included in the study were fed a low-dust complete pelleted feed rather than a hay-based diet.

The study authors therefore concluded that an omega-3 fatty acid supplement provides “an additional benefit to a low-dust diet.”

“This study suggests implementing two relatively inexpensive, easy techniques to help better manage horses with respiratory diseases—using an omega-3 fatty acid supplement and a low-dust diet. Such strategies are important, considering approximately 15% of horses are affected with IAD or RAO. Respiratory issues can negatively impact performance, and horses with heaves frequently suffer from flare-ups, necessitating the use of steroids,” adds Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., equine nutritionist at Kentucky Equine Research in Versailles, Kentucky.

As always, choose your nutritional supplement wisely** to help your horses derive the maximum benefit from such products given that not all nutritional supplements are high-quality products.

*Nogradi, N., L.L. Couetil, J. Messick, et al. 2014. Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation provides an additional benefit to a low-dust diet in the management of horses with chronic lower airway inflammatory disease. Journal of Internal Veterinary Medicine. In press.

**Oke, S.L., and C.W. McIlwraith. 2008. Review of the potential indications and contraindications of oral joint health supplements. AAEP Proceedings 54:261–7.