06/19/2026
Great info!
NEBULIZERS - Inhalation Therapy
I made a post about lungs yesterday and it really got us all thinking and asking questions, so back to the World Wide Web I went. Let me start this off by saying these things: 1)always talk to your vet and ask them what is best for you and your equine athlete 2)do your own research and 3)I am NOT a rep or sponsored by any nebulizer companies so this is based off of unbiased research, do with it what you will. 🙃
Here are my key takeaways:
- What nebulizer should we use? There are different types of Nebulizers. 1) jet Nebulizers (equi-resp) 2) ultrasonic Nebulizers 3) vibrating mesh Nebulizers (flexineb). The most effective and up-to-date with technology is #3 the vibrating mesh Nebulizers. Why? Because they are consistent, efficient, and have little to no waste of medications. Yes, it absolutely can get all the way to the lower airways. The only disadvantage I could find of this one is they are more expensive. I have advantages and disadvantages to each of them but to save from an even lengthier post I’ll keep that in my notebook.
- Do all Nebulizers get to the lower airway? Well it all depends on so many things: length of time, horses airways being obstructed or not, type of medicine, is it diluted correctly, the list really goes on. So be sure to consult with your vet and ask what’s best for your horse. If you don’t think the meds are working properly tell them and get to the bottom of it!
- WHEN should we nebulize? Again, it all depends! First, ask your vet and they should be able to tell you based off of what med you are using. Every horse is different and reacts different though. Here is what I did find after doing some lengthy reading, there’s an “onset time”, a “peak activity time”, and a “duration” of each medication you are administering. For example: albuterol— this has a quick onset of 5-15 minutes and a duration of 2-4 hours. So you should probably nebulize it within 4 hours or less of when you run for it to be in their system. Dex has a duration of 8-12 hours. Ipatropium has an onset of 30-60 minutes and a duration of 6-8 hours. They all vary so do some asking and reading! Also, be sure to check your bottle for the proper measurements when trying to figure this all out!
- What to nebulize? This is only MY opinion and preference. I choose to nebulize specific drugs given to me by a vet or a compounded nebulizing drug that I also order through my vet. I do not use other therapies/fluids or items that can be purchased through a website. Again it’s just my preference. Another note: you need to know why you are nebulizing, what is your goal? There are so many different drugs that are specific to different problems. Your nebulizing meds will be different if you are treating asthma vs bleeding.
- What are the benefits of nebulizing other than the obvious? One major benefit is the limiting factor of negative side effects of giving drugs orally. Dex and other medications can be hard on their stomachs and liver and potentially cause ulcers or other issues. Nebulizing decreases those side effects significantly!
So let me know what questions you may have so I can go back and continue to expand our knowledge. I am always happy to answer any questions if I can. Please know that I am not an expert by any means. I do make sure to only read off trusted sources which I can share with anyone who is interested. There has been and continues to be many different studies done on horses. I hope to conintue to learn to better serve our horses.
