05/26/2025
Bleeding/ Lasix
I have had a lot of people talk to me about lasix and bleeding this year. With the smoke and the weather, bleeding seems to be worse than ever!
Now I’m not a vet obviously, and I don’t claim to know it all. I know what I have experienced and I know what I’ve been told by my vet, who I have held to a very very high standard!! I trust him completely with most everything but with bleeding a million times over!!
So let’s start with signs of bleeding! Most don’t bleed out and you will never visibly see them bleed out their nostrils BUT THIS DOESNT MEAN THEY ARENT BLEEDING!!
🩸 coughing after a run…it’s distinct!! You will know!
🩸 sneezing after a run
🩸They should catch their breath within 5-10 minutes. The sooner the better. The longer the more likely they bled
🩸 if they don’t drink right after they run is questionable. I have a mare, she religiously drinks after her runs. Suddenly she stopped!! Suspected her bleeding so did a bAL and sure enough she had bled.
🩸running wild in a run
🩸bowing off a barrel
🩸not running home-letting up
🩸not being able to catch their breath /listen to there breathing. They will gasp for air!
🩸resisting going to the arena
I’m sure there are more signs but these are some of the ones I have seen and not every time they do some of these things does it mean they have bled, just pay attention and recognize habits and something out of the ordinary! Know when something isn’t right!!
I think it is important to ask yourself, is it wrong to lasix as a preventative?? I have seen 5 yr olds be super confident, be in great physical shape, been vetted to make sure everything is good to go including BAL, and they go in there feeling like a million dollars, then bam, they bleed!! I have had said horse walk for 10 minutes trying so hard to catch their breath m, coughing, gurgling and the worry in their eyes breaks my heart! I can’t imagine what it must feel like to feel like your drowning! So what’s worse…them being scared out of their mind, bleeding, drowning, bursting and weakening their capillaries, potentially scarring them mentally for life, lung infection, pneumonia or giving them lasix at a low dosage to help prevent?? Be educated about this stuff and don’t be scared of something just because someone had a bad experience or because you heard this or that on fb! I’m not here to say I’m right, I’m hear to share my experiences and get people to think about how these types of things may or may not affect you and your horses. Educate yourself!!
(Sorry rabbit hole) 🐰
Causes…
There are many causes to bleeding. It is your job to figure it out. Discuss with your vet…do a BAL if you can’t pinpoint the cause. Majority i hVe found is allergy related. Dust, smoke, chemicals, you name it!! The general environmental air these days sucks and it makes it super hard on any kind of athlete!!! The smoke and humidity. Stuffy arenas or barns!! These all play into effect.
Other causes include, soreness, ulcers, respiratory infection! 9/10 if your horse is bleeding, it most likely has ulcers! Ulcers can cause bleeding, bleeding can cause ulcers!!! Look after your horses needs!!! If your horse has kissing spine it could likely have ulcers and therefore potentially bleeding if you haven’t been maintaining and preventing all of the above!! Again consult a vet. Coffin joint pain I have heard can also cause bleeding. Think about how these horses run and how there feet land. What do you do when you are in pain…you hold your breath!!
Farriers!!! My goodness the amount of horses I have seen with low heels and slow break over is mind blowing. Think about how this must feel!! Put a heel on backwards…that’s how that feels!!!
Hense coffin pain!!! Stand them up and get them breaking over faster!!! Of course each horse is different so again if you are unsure consult a vet and your farrier and see what angles are best for your horse. Keep in mind these changes don’t happen over night!! Just because you do a certain angle for one horse doesn’t mean every horse needs that angle! Know your horse…have conversations with your farrier!! This all contributes to soreness and again, potentially bleeding!!! Pay attention!
Now obviously I rarely self diagnose without confirmation from my vet. My point is, the more you know about your horse the more you will understand and be on top of these things before they become a problem and you can confidently discuss options with your vet if things do become a problem!
Some other things and everyone is different when it comes to these things.
Electrolytes are a must, ESPECIALLY if you are using lasix!!! I love KER Recover electrolytes. Rhinestone Acres carries it and always has it on hand in a powder and paste!
I also like to feed my horses low so they can get their heads down to drain and I know this is hard in some trailers with mangers but make sure you hang those bags low at the trailer once you get to your destination!
I like to use HealthiStraw or no straw in my trailer when hauling. HealthiStraw is free of all particles and dust and is exactly what it says in its name…healthy straw!! 😉 I bed with this at home in my pens and always haul it with to futurities to use in boxstalls or pens, instead of shavings!!
I am very picky about my hay. I like to know what I’m feeding and it cannot have any mold or dust in it! On the road I either get squares I know have been put up dry and stored or I use cubes. Great forage is so important in our equine athletes for so many reasons!!
I also like to use Silver Lining Herbs Immune Support, Respiratory Support and Nolasix! The immune will help keep their immunity healthy and strong to fight against allergens and infection. Respiratory support is another great way to fight allergies and the envirnmental changes and such. The nolasix is something all bleeders should be on in my opinion regardless of why they are bleeding. The nolasix helps strengthen and repair those capillaries that burst and cause bleeds. The more they bleed the weaker those are. So we need to strengthen and repair them and this herb helps achieve this!!!
I’m a big believer in nebulizers!! Especially for these smoky dry times, which seems like 365 days a yr these days!! These units will be your horses best friends!! The Flexineb, Flexineb Canada carried by Rhinestone Acres, is my favorite cause I always have young horses and the less s**t I have hanging from the nebulizer the better. So with the flexineb being cordless this is definitely my choice!
AND FLAIR Equine Nasal Strips carried by Rhinestone Acres and Coyotee Flats Equine Therapy…I will not go without these on my horses that I KNOW bleed!!
One last thing…conditioning/exercise
Before I said that most of our horses aren’t in peak physical shape, and I’m 150% sure of that. We don’t trot or lope them near long enough and definitely not consistent enough. They also need concussion to strengthen tendons and ligaments, so I try to go to the field often instead of my nice fluffy arena! 😉 I also believe that putting your horse to work, making them use the muscles that we use during a run is very important. So don’t forget those small circles too!!
My workout plan for my horses consist of (and it may vary on which days they fall but I stay pretty consistent to how)
Sunday: (May be a race day or an off day if they have been hauled all weekend)
Monday: (May be an off day after a weekend of hauling and travelling) I usually just lightly ride them and bring them back down from the weekend!
Tuesday: 5-10 min walk, 8 minute trot (8-12mph), 12min lope(14-16mph), 5-10min walk. I may also add some light barrel work. Depends on horse.
Wednesday: repeat Tuesday
Thursday: if I have races coming up for Friday- Sunday, I use this as my barrel work day. So I cut my timing in half and work barrels after. Remember a good cool down.
Friday - Sunday is usually travel and/or races. If it’s not I add a speed day at home in there on Friday consisting of 5-10 min walk, 2 min long trot, 1 min sprint, (repeat long trot and sprint 2 more times) and then I end with a 2 minute light trot and then a 5-10 minute walk.
Saturday if I’m at home I will either work barrels or repeat Tuesday. It depends on horse.
This helps build their anaerobic and aerobic muscles and helps them be stronger, sounder, more fit, less sore. They will have a higher lung capacity also, decreasing chances of severe bleeds.
All of these things help in some way shape or form. You just need to find out what works for you and your horse. And remember everyone thinks they know the right thing to do and maybe they do…for their horses, but it is your job to figure out what works for you and your horse.
Again I’m not claiming to know anything here just giving y’all something to consider and think about on this windy hot hot Sunday!!
Happy long weekend everyone !!! Good luck where ever you are!!💕
