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Volcanic ash

slaneyrose April 24, 2010 February 22, 2011

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We have been badly effected here in europe by the volcano that erupted in iceland recently...most flights were cancelled for several days due to the ash. We werent effected by the flight cancellations, but my 14.2hh welsh cross mare Siomha has been coughing for days...and so have I.... so wondering now if its from the volcano. My van is also covered in volcanic ash as are many other vehicles round here. Anyone else had any experience with volcano fallout causing a problem with horses coughing? I am giving her ventipulmin today to open up her airways as there is no discharge from her nose but if no improvement by monday I will have to get her antibiotics. :? :( :(

Sara Sat, 04/24/2010 - 10:49

The last time we had a volcano erupt here was before I had horses so I can't say for sure, but I remember we were all told not to touch the ash or play outside and if we did go outside we had to wear masks. I'm sure it could cause coughing. I hope you get some nice rain or something to push the ash out of the air soon!

horsegen Sat, 04/24/2010 - 12:25

I've heard that ash can be toxic, and that most of Europe has issued a warning for "sensitive" people. I've also heard that very young animals, like lambs (it's lambing season in Iceland) can be very susceptible to it, and farmers are having to keep lambs indoors with the barns well-sealed. I haven't heard much about older animals. But it sounds like that stuff is nothing to play around with...maybe call your vet (and your doctor?) and check to see if there's something you should be doing?

supaspot60 Sat, 04/24/2010 - 16:09

several of mine are coughing and so am I , Ive had a sore throat all week and I lost my voice last weekend ( some would say thats a good thing !) would you believe it hadnt crossed my mind that it could be the ash :sign even though our 4x4 is covered in it ! duh

Sara Sat, 04/24/2010 - 21:06

My understanding is that it's mainly superfine glass particles so that's why we weren't supposed to touch it with bare hands. I'm sure it's quite irritating to the lungs.

Bannerminis Sun, 04/25/2010 - 05:37

Hope you and Siomha feel better soon.
Being in the west we are not really affected by it. I havent seen any dust except the usual dust as its been so dry.
Hopefully the rain last night and today will help knock it out of the atmosphere.
Sue hope you are better too :flower

slaneyrose Sun, 04/25/2010 - 08:57

Well after the rain last night and this morning, Im much better and Siomha seems to be too (I am giving her ventipulmin and soaking her hay mind you :) ) How bout you Sue, you any better, did you get rain?

Monsterpony Sun, 04/25/2010 - 09:20

They have done studies on the effects of volcanic ash after the Mt. St. Helens eruption using horses and found that there didn't appear to be any long term damage. While discussing the effects, one of my professors showed us pictures from Pullman at the time; it was completely covered in a thick layer of ash. It is great for growing crops...not so great for the farm equipment harvesting the crops :D

Daylene Alford Sun, 04/25/2010 - 13:28

I'm glad you got some rain. Hope things continue to improve for you.

tjuri Sun, 04/25/2010 - 17:04

The chemical analysis of the ash in Iceland showed that it has a high concentration of fluoride: 23-35mg/kg.
http://www.evropusamvinna.is/page/IES-E…" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Fluoride is poisonous for young animals and especially horses, some farmers near the volcano already consider to slaughter their horses since they can't let them out anymore, especially the pregnant mares and foals are at risk.
The fluoride will be in the grass and soil even after the thick layers of ash are gone, nobody can predict when this will be.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/86292…" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There was a case of fluoride poisoning in the USA some time ago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9RXfOuy…" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

NZ Appaloosas Sun, 04/25/2010 - 19:35

Can't speak for volcanic ash as that's one natural disaster I've not experienced (tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards and earthquakes are my current final tally--oh, and tsunami warnings), but I remember how hard it was to breathe when Florida was on fire back in the late 1990s ('98?). We were ringed on 3 sides by fire (4th side was the Atlantic), and even having air conditioning didn't help much as the AC units were being clogged up by the ash in the air.

Weirdest thing was a grey leaf I found on my car one day...total ash, but perfectly preserved, could see the veins, etc. I take that back...weirdest thing was one of the monsoon buckets picking up an alligator when it scooped water out of one of the lakes!

Diane

Sara Mon, 04/26/2010 - 00:18

Slaughter? The horses can't be kept in for the duration of the ash clouds? That's sad. :(

NZ Appaloosas Mon, 04/26/2010 - 04:23

What would they feed the horses being kept in? Last year's hay must be nearly finished, can't make more hay at the moment as the grazing's all covered with the volcanic ash... :sad sad doesn't begin to describe it, especially as Iceland's has unadulterated blood stock. :BH :BH :BH

Diane

Sara Mon, 04/26/2010 - 09:38

Oh... I forget about people who rely on pasture for feed because I never do.

Sara Mon, 04/26/2010 - 11:35

Hay! We only have pasture for a few months out of the year and it's low quality so I always have a shed full of hay that I ship in from central Oregon. I honestly forget that in some parts of the world, horse food grows out of the ground. :roll:

NZ Appaloosas Mon, 04/26/2010 - 19:44

[quote="Sara"]Oh... I forget about people who rely on pasture for feed because I never do.[/quote]

Thing is, even if they don't rely on pasture feeding, where are they going to get hay from? The Icelandic hay fields will also be covered with the volcanic ash, so they'd have to source from well below the ash line...and compete against people who want the same hay for the same reasons. :sad

Diane

slaneyrose Mon, 04/26/2010 - 21:24

My coughing stopped a couple of days ago and i round-penned Siomha today and her cough is gone too, so it was definitely the ash causing it. Thank goodness it rained! :bounce :bounce

Sara Mon, 04/26/2010 - 22:05

[quote="slaneyrose"]But hay does too!! :rofl :rofl[/quote]

No, I get that, but since our hay does not come out of the ground anywhere near here, I honestly forget about things like that. "Pasture" is where they go to get exercise, and "hay" is the stuff in expensive bales that we all have stashed in our barns and sheds. Since we all know we can't rely on pasture as more than a supplement to the hay and concentrate we feed, most people always have lots of hay stored up. Even my friends who have pretty decent grass growing in their fields still toss hay to their horses and WB and TB people feed concentrate even when the horses are knee-deep in grass.

slaneyrose Tue, 04/27/2010 - 08:46

I see! Here the horses (and cattle and sheep) graze on pastures for most of the summer and autumn, our problem with the show horses at least, is restricting their grass intake! As the weather is changing tho, winter feeding is going on for longer and longer. :sad

Tianateke Thu, 04/29/2010 - 15:38

When Redoubt blew last year we had to fashion the horses filters of panty hose attached to their halter nose band. It seemed to help. I have ventipulmin and some other lung products left from Peony but we didn't have to use it. It huffed and puffed for a few weeks so we would water the pasture section by section and electric fence that watered area to let them graze between ash falls.

Could not a relief shipment of hay be made? Or a rescue ship to remove the horses?