Benefit of inhalative therapy in horses with RAO

To control clinic symptoms of horses suffering from recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), long-term corticosteroid therapy is often necessary beside optimized housing management. Inhalative application of lipophilic glucocorticoids like budesonide, beclomethasone-dipropionate and fluticasone allow effective treatment while systemic adverse effects are minimized. Despite the fact that inhalation of short acting beta2 agonists results in a quick and effective branchodilation, long-term administration of bronchodilators is only recommended in combination with corticosteroids. The efficiacy and safety of inhalation therapy in horses suffering from RAO is supported by numerous studies. Nevertheless the relevance of doping should be taken into account. The present article gives a review of different types of inhalation devices and useful drugs for aerosol therapy of horses suffering from RAO.