Heaves, also known as broken wind, is a lung disease of horses. Horses suffering from heaves have difficulty exhaling and may develop a chronic cough. Their nostrils dilate and their sides heave as they struggle to breathe.
Heaves may result from any of a number of disorders that affect exhalation. The most common causes are allergies, prolonged inflammation of the lung airways by dust or mold, ballooning and rupturing of the tiny air sacs in the lungs, and viral or bacterial infections of the airways. Dietary factors also may be involved. Heaves may be mild and cause minor problems, or it may disable the horse completely. Important preventive measures include providing horses with clean, high-quality feed and well-ventilated shelters free of dust and mold. To relieve symptoms of heaves, veterinarians prescribe rest, corticosteroids and other drugs, and control of the horse’s feed and surroundings.
