What is PulmonAID?
PulmonAID is a palatable feed supplement recommended for all performance horses to support normal integrity and function of the lungs.
How does PulmonAID work?
Maximal respiratory function is essential for optimal athletic performance. Issues such as allergic reactions to dust/pollution and conditions such as exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) or “bleeding” can have a significant impact on lung function and the welfare of the horse. Allergic reactions to dust and debris entering the lungs result in an inflammatory response, causing mucous production and narrowing of the airways. EIPH is the escape of blood cells into the lungs from the capillaries where gas exchange occurs, and subclinical disease is extremely common.
PulmonAID contains a combination of ingredients that work together to maintain the normal integrity and function of the lungs:
Lecithin:
A key component of the surfactant fluid that lines the lungs. Surfactants are important for the regulation of liquid balance within the airway, improved large airway clearance of fluid and control of pulmonary inflammatory response (e.g. during allergic reactions to dust).
Chlorophyll:
A potent antioxidant that mops up free radicals, preventing them from damaging cells, and protects against oxidative stress by inhibiting the cascade of free radicals. Chlorophyll also helps to dissolve mucus in the lungs by reducing inflammation.
Vitamin A:
An antioxidant that has a role in decreasing inflammation, alongside chlorophyll, and enhances chlorophyll’s activity.
Vitamin E:
An essential nutrient that cannot be synthesised by the horse and is a potent antioxidant that protects cell membranes from oxidative damage.
Vitamin D3:
High levels of vitamin D in the blood is linked to superior lung function (Wright 2005*).
*Wright, RJ 2005, ‘Make No Bones About It: Increasing Epidemiologic Evidence Links Vitamin D to Pulmonary Function and COPD’, Chest, vol. 128, no. 6, pp. 3781-3783.
