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PULMO-CLEAR
Caprine Serum Fraction, Immunomodulator
Michael D. Piontkowski,
DVM
Staff Veterinarian
Technical Service
As many of you may have seen in a
prominent equine journal or heard from your veterinarian,
there is a relatively new product available from your
veterinarian to use in treating Equine Lower Respiratory
Disease (ELRD). This
product is PULMO-CLEAR, a fully licensed product for use in
conjunction with adjunctive therapy to aid in the treatment of
horses with ELRD.
There are numerous respiratory diseases in horses and this
product was not developed to treat all of them.
As mentioned earlier, this product is an aid for the
treatment of ELRD. The
first question you might want to ask is how do I know if my
horse is suffering from ELRD?
Typically, this condition is seen primarily in young,
athletic horses involved in some sort of physical activity.
Riders may notice that their horse is lethargic, less
responsive, sluggish, or just doesn't seem to have the energy
and drive that the rider is used to.
Trainers may notice that a racehorse that typically
finishes strong is "hitting a wall" at the 3/4 pole
and finishing poorly. Jumpers
may notice that their horse has difficulty clearing the last
few jumps on a course and endurance riders may notice that
their horse is not able to finish or finishes poorly.
Usually, these observations are more prominent when the
ambient temperatures are high.
Clinically, the horse may have an intermittent, deep,
productive cough, that best can be described as if they are
trying to clear mucus from their lungs.
Lungs sounds are usually normal, but if the condition
is severe, your veterinarian may hear crackles and wheezes
throughout the lung fields.
Also, the body temperature and blood work are usually
normal.
The hallmark of this condition is when
your veterinarian passes an endoscope down the trachea to the
level of the lungs and sees excessive white to gray to almost
yellowish globs or streams of mucus visible in the windpipe.
If the endoscopic examination is conducted right after
vigorous exercise, these observations may be more pronounced.
Although your veterinarian can readily diagnose this
condition, the exact cause of the problem has not been
delineated. Many
equine experts are studying this condition and trying to
determine if ELRD is due to a faulty or improper immune
response.
If your horse is diagnosed with ELRD, your
veterinarian may choose PULMO-CLEAR as part of the therapy.
As the name implies, the product is derived from the
serum of goats and it works to modulate or regulate the immune
system to help clear the condition. As
mentioned earlier, many researchers feel "adjusting"
the immune system is an important aspect to controlling this
condition and a product that modulates the immune system may
be of benefit.
Colorado Serum Company and others continue
to research the mechanism by which this product modulates the
immune system. Although
the exact mechanism of action is not known, what is known is
efficacy studies conducted by Colorado Serum Company
demonstrated PULMO-CLEAR helped clear lower respiratory tract
disease in affected equines, when used with adjunctive
therapy.
So if you notice that your athletic horse
isn't performing up to its normal level of performance,
contact your local veterinarian and don't be surprised if he
or she treats your horse with Colorado Serum Company's PULMO-CLEAR.
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