Management of the acute respiratory crisis

Summary Acute respiratory distress in a horse can be a very difficult situation for the horse, owner and attending vet. A significant amount of information can be gathered from the history and clinical examination, and that the imperative is to stabilise the horse rather than reach a definitive diagnosis. These cases are all the more challenging as they usually require emergency treatment in the field and not a hospital. The first assessment should be ‘is this horse’s life in immediate danger?’ Even if this is the case, the steps described below should be followed; assessment does not take nearly as long to perform as it does to write. A brief history should be obtained and needs to include the following points ...