A Full Flexineb System or an MDI System……What is the difference and which unit should I buy for my horse?
It can be slightly daunting, when you have just received a diagnosis and your horse needs to go on long term or immediate medication to help them do one of life’s most necessary tasks – breathe.
The question of whether you should use the Metered Dose Inhalers (MDI’s or Puffers) or a Nebuliser often comes up in conversation with your veterinarian. Thankfully you have both options with Flexineb.
Primarily historically, veterinarians around the globe have prescribed Metered Dose Inhalers (MDI’s) or Human inhalers for horses, which have been administered through a spacer device to one nostril of the horse. Administration of these inhalers has become challenging for many owners, the need to actuate multiple puffs whilst simultaneously holding the opposite nostril closed to encourage the horse to inhale their medication through the administering nostril really can be a challenge even with the most tolerant of animals.
Close up of the MDI
The Flexineb MDI system, includes all you need to administer MDI inhalers to your horse, without the need to have nostrils covered or deal with the horse moving their head, breaking contact with their spacer device potentially, effectively losing most of your dose of medication into the atmosphere.
As the mask is placed on their head like a grazing muzzle – even if they do move away from you whilst you are administering their dose – they cannot escape the medication nor can it be lost as the seal cannot be broken when they move – the mask moves with them.
Then, there is often the question if the powdered dose of medication can physically reach the lung of the horse, as it needs to travel such a greater distance than in its human comrades to reach the desired area for treatment- the lung. The horse’s lung is also so much larger than that of a human, approximately 10 times the size which is significant – when talking in terms of a successful drug delivery to the tissues & dosing protocols, so it is understandable that this question should be asked, but it is extremely difficult to measure unless examined under Scintigraphy imaging.
Full Flexineb System
Wet nebulisation, which the full Flexineb nebuliser system provides, is known to be the Gold Standard of respiratory care. Using liquid medications which are converted to an inhalable aerosol for the horse to inhale. This system gives you the ultimate in flexibility for the long-term care of your horse. MDI’s only allow you to deliver 2 types of medication – steroids and bronchodilators, however the full nebuliser allows you to deliver anti-biotics, mucolytics to break up mucous, bronchodilators, steroids and natural therapies. It certainly gives you the maximum amount of treatment options through one system.
Flexineb also has independent testing and imaging of where the nebulised drug reaches in the lung – conducted in the USA at Hagyard Medical Institute, Kentucky.
This Scintigraphy image clearly illustrates a high-density red area in the lower lung of the horse – this indicates the highest area of medication deposit in this area. This means that 71% of the nebulised aerosol produced by Flexineb is the correct size to reach the lower respiratory tract, and the remaining 29% is likely to reach the upper respiratory tract & trachea. This should give you great confidence, that your horse is receiving a measurable, effective & appropriate treatment for their respiratory problem.
For the ultimate in Flexibility of use with your Flexineb, we recommend you invest in the full Flexineb nebuliser system as it provides you with the ultimate flexibility in treatment options for your horse. It will help you manage their respiratory issues long term, either medically or using natural products combined with good stable management and steaming their hay, you will have all bases covered.
