Recently reported by horsetalk.co.nz, new research has uncovered that stables reeking of urine are not only unpleasant, but they are harming the lungs of horses.

A British research project has confirmed that stabling horses results in increased exposure to environmental ammonia. That ammonia is associated with respiratory problems.

The presence of ammonia in stables, which is caused by the decomposition of horse urine and dung, has long been a concern of horse owners and yard managers. But there has been little scientific research to back up the link between respiratory problems and ammonia.

However, research that received funding from The Horse Trust has found that stabling, regardless of bedding or forage types, results in increased levels of environmental ammonia and respiratory inflammation.

The research, led by Professor Sandy Love at the University of Glasgow, studied eight yearling Welsh Mountain ponies, who were alternatively housed and grazed repeatedly for periods of three weeks.

Three times each week, a variety of substances were monitored, including dust, endotoxin and ammonia within the environment, and the level of various gases and pH of the horse’s exhaled breath.

The forage and bedding within the stables were varied to test whether this had any impact on the pony or the stable environment.

Love found that the stabling of horses resulted in increased exposure to environmental ammonia and that this was associated with an increase in the pH of the horse’s exhaled breath.

Under the study conditions, no significant differences were found in ammonia levels under the different grazing and stabling conditions.

Love was also able to confirm earlier research, that stabled horses are exposed to dust and endotoxins.

“Horse owners have long worried about the ammonia smell in stables, but there has been little scientific evidence to back this up,” Love said.

“These findings confirm that ammonia is linked to poor respiratory health, although further research is needed to confirm whether and how ammonia causes respiratory problems,” Love added.

To lower the levels of ammonia in your horses stalls and increase overall horse health, read 4 Indoor Horse Health Tips – and consider the purchase of an ammonia odor absorbent and odor blocking product such as the Stall Genie system.

Living inside a stall can be harmful to the health of horses due to ammonia, which can build up into high concentrations causing respiratory infections, allergies, and heaves which are frequently seen in young foals who lie close to the stall floor.

In the summer you may choose to keep your horse indoors for show preparation, or not having the space available to turn the horse out. In winter the climate in most states is cold enough to where most people likely have their horses inside a tightly sealed barn – if this is the case then you need to be aware of the ammonia health risk your horses face.

One of the more stressful things done to our horse’s respiratory tract is to keep them in a barn with the doors shut. Horses spend a lot of time with their head on the floor close to harmful ammonia. Ammonia is a very toxic compound to lung tissue. Ten parts per million (ppm), the level where you can just detect an ammonia smell, is already toxic, and at 30 ppm your eyes will water. In one study, men working a 40-hour week in 11 ppm of ammonia developed ulcers in their lungs. Air circulation studies in English barns point to increased ammonia and dust as significant factors in the development of allergic lung disease such as heaves in horses and foals.

Sometimes it is hard for horse owners to realize the level of harmful ammonia in a stall, because they do not get down to the horse’s level and smell the ground, especially after a horse has spent 12 or 15 hours in the stall. If you walk into your barn in the morning and can smell ammonia there is a severe problem, and in those barns I see a much higher instance of respiratory disease. However, many barns have an ammonia problem and the owner does not know it, because the humans that inhabit the barn have become accustomed to the smell. Ask a friend who has no horses if they can smell ammonia in your barn after it has been closed up all night. Believe their answer; theirs will be the most objective opinion.

4 Indoor Horse Health Tips

Tip 1: During the winter when your barn is most likely sealed up – and likewise during the summer, be sure to open doors and windows periodically to let sunlight in and air the stalls out.

Tip 2: Try to avoid the use of blowers in the barn, they kick up an amazing amount of dust further putting stress on your horses lungs. Try a good old-fashioned broom, unless the horses are out of the barn.

Tip 3: If you are not using an ammonia odor absorbent like Stall Genie, then try to clean the wet spots in your stalls each day; allowing these wet spots to build up, then cleaning the stall once a week increases the ammonia at nose level for the horse, even though you may not smell it when inside the stall. However, using an ammonia absorbent and odor control product such as Stall Genie can lessen the need to clean stalls daily.

Tip 4: Most straw or horse bedding is not very absorbent, and will allow the build up of ammonia and moisture housing parasite populations; use an ammonia absorbent and odor blocker system such as Stall Genie Granules and Stall Zyme sprayer to help eliminate harmful ammonia odor and the diseases that accompany the exposure to ammonia in horse stalls.

Letting your horses out to exercise and breathe fresh air, even in the winter can vastly improve their overall health; however, for when they are kept inside the stall, following these 4 tips can greatly reduce harmful ammonia exposure and increase the horses overall health, resulting in less veterinarian bills for horse owners, and happier, healthier horses that perform at their peak.

When harmful ammonia accumulates in the stalls, trailers and barns where your horses reside, numerous studies have shown that it is more than simply a bad odor – Ammonia is harmful to your horses health, providing respiratory conditions, with horse foals especially vulnerable as they stand lower to the floor of the stall where the ammonia fumes emit.

To learn what experts in the field have concluded through numerous studies in the health of horses when in contact with ammonia, please read the following articles:

Harmful effects of ammonia inhalation include burning of the delicate tissues of the lungs and eyes, narrowing of the throat and bronchi, fluid in the lungs, airway hyperactivity and COPD.
Ammonia is the Enemy

That pungent barn smell is a sign your horse is breathing a hazardous chemical.
Ammonia Beware

How Can Stall Genie Help?

Simple, Stall Genie Products work by absorbing and eliminating deadly ammonia fumes and moisture. The absorption of moisture will help eliminate populations of parasites and flies which thrive with moisture, while the Ammonia absorption will improve the health of your horses and foals reducing veterinarian bills and resulting in a happier healthier horse.

Ammonia is a gas that is highly irritating, colorless and very soluble. It is absorbed in the superior part of the breathing path trough the mucous membrane. Its presence alters the defense mechanisms of the animal, allowing the accumulation of pathogenic bacteria in the breathing tract and the presence of illnesses.

Is has also been reported that ammonia can reduce the capturing of oxygen by the hemoglobin due to its impact in the blood pH. This could explain the rate of reduction of oxygenation and its inability to comply with the metabolic demand for the oxygenation of the tissue. Upon increasing, the heart cannot simply adjust itself to such demands. Ascitis and cardiac failures take hold as well as the disruption of the negative effects of ammonia in birds and hogs begin when the concentrations exceed 20-ppm. Ammonia is considered extremely harmful at levels of 50 ppm.

The symptoms of irritation by ammonia in birds include: ocular damage, sensitivity to light, ulcers in connecting tissue, pulmonary congestion, edema, hemorrhage, a decrease in food consumption, ascitis. In very high levels ammonia damage causes death.

In hogs, ammonia provokes susceptibility to breathing illnesses such as atrophic rinitis and nasal congestion, nose and mouth irritation, and pneumonia. It has been reported at ammonia levels of 50 ppm a loss of weight gain by 10% or more.

In summary, ammonia generated in livestock operations increases the susceptibility to breathing illnesses, causing a general health deterioration. This reflects is negatively reflected in the decrease of productive parameters such as the weight gain, the conversion and the reproduction.

Lastly, ammonia affects worker’s health and performance, increases ventilation energy costs, provokes corrosion in metallic farm or operations equipment, and generates unpleasant smells.

Source http://www.yucca.com.mx/nh4en.html

How Can Stall Genie Help?

Simple, by absorbing and eliminating deadly ammonia fumes and moisture. The absorption of moisture will help eliminate populations of parasites and flies which thrive with moisture, while the Ammonia absorption will improve the health of your horses and foals reducing veterinarian bills and resulting in a happier healthier horse.

Ammonia is dangerous to your horses health, with young foals being especially susceptible; this article by Tox Town shows just how dangerous ammonia can be to not only horses, but humans who are exposed also.

Ammonia
Ammonia has a sharp odor and is used in fertilizers, refrigeration, and cleaning products.

What is ammonia?
Ammonia is a colorless gas with a sharp, pungent odor. It is both manufactured, and also produced naturally by bacteria, decaying plants and animals, and animal waste. In its natural form, ammonia is found in water, soil, and air, and is a source of nitrogen for plants and animals. It is commonly sold in liquid form, and is a corrosive chemical. The chemical formula for ammonia is NH3.

When ammonia is manufactured, it is primarily used to make fertilizer. It is used to manufacture synthetic fibers, textiles, pulp and paper, pesticides, explosives, smelling salts, cleaning products, rocket fuel, fuel cells, and some foods and beverages. Ammonia is also used to make other chemicals, including nitric acid and cyanide.

Industries that use ammonia include metal treating and chlorine water treatment. Ammonia is also used in the rubber industry to stabilize raw latex, and in the petroleum industry to protect equipment. It is used on grapefruit, lemons, and oranges to control fungal growth during warehousing.

Ammonia is used as a refrigerant in industrial facilities, including meat, poultry, and fish processing facilities; dairy and ice cream plants; wineries and breweries; juice and soft drink processing facilities; cold storage warehouses; and food processing facilities.

How might I be exposed to ammonia?
Everyone is regularly exposed to low levels of ammonia in air, soil, water, and food. You can be exposed to higher levels of ammonia by breathing it or having skin contact with it.

At home, you can be exposed if you use products that contain ammonia, including window cleaners, floor waxes, and smelling salts.

If you work on or live near a farm, you can breathe ammonia in the air if the farm uses ammonia fertilizers. Farmers, cattle ranchers, and people who raise chickens can be exposed to ammonia from decaying manure.

At work, you can be exposed to ammonia if you deal with chemical manufacturing, coal tar, compressed gas, dye manufacturing, explosive manufacturing, fertilizer, glass cleaner, organic chemical manufacturing, refrigeration, rocket fuel, and hide or leather tanning. You can be exposed if you work in a chemical laboratory, maintenance facility, petroleum refinery, or sewer.

How can ammonia affect my health?
Exposure to extremely high levels of ammonia can cause death, coma, blindness, lung damage, collapse, and seizures.

Breathing high concentrations of ammonia can cause fluid in the lungs to build up, and possible lung damage. Exposure to high levels of ammonia can burn the eyes, skin, throat, and lungs. Breathing lower concentrations of ammonia can cause coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, laryngitis, headaches, fever, nausea, vomiting, pink frothy phlegm, chest pain, asthma, rapid pulse, and increased blood pressure.

If you swallow ammonia, it can burn your mouth, throat, and stomach, and cause severe abdominal pain. If concentrated ammonia spills on your skin, it can blister or severely burn your skin, or cause dermatitis. Eye exposure may cause conjunctivitis, corneal irritation or damage, and temporary or permanent blindness.

You may suffer increased risks from ammonia if you have corneal disease, glaucoma, or chronic respiratory diseases.

Source: http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/text_version/chemicals.php?id=2

How Can Stall Genie Help?

Simple, by absorbing and eliminating deadly ammonia fumes and moisture. The absorption of moisture will help eliminate populations of parasites and flies which thrive with moisture, while the Ammonia absorption will improve the health of your horses and foals reducing veterinarian bills and resulting in a happier healthier horse.

Do you recall that burning sensation that fills your nostrils when you’re mucking out your stalls? That is the smell of deadly ammonia fumes, which hurt the health of your horse. Stall Genie can help absorb these harmful ammonia gasses and here are 4 reasons why.

Reason 1: Ammonia Absorption & Elimination
Stall Genie products were developed to absorb harmful ammonia gasses before they can reach the lungs of your horse or foal. Recent studies have shown that ammonia is harmful, especially in foals who can suffer from heaves due to ammonia exposure.

Reason 2: Reduces Fly & Parasite Populations
Stall Genie also acts as a dehydrator, reducing harmful fly and parasite populations in your horses stall. Stall Genie nutrients stimulate the growth of aerobic microbes that digest the biological matter in the bedding material. This activity and the increase in microbe population remove moisture out of the bedding and help keep it dry.

Reason 3: Compost Booster
Stall Genie treated bedding retains un-metabolized urea, a valuable nutrient in the compost.

Reason 4: Beats the competition
Stall Genie Products outperform competitors in the performance chart below.

Stall Genie Products WORK

Simple, by absorbing and eliminating deadly ammonia fumes and moisture. The absorption of moisture will help eliminate populations of parasites and flies which thrive with moisture, while the Ammonia absorption will improve the health of your horses and foals reducing veterinarian bills and resulting in a happier healthier horse.

Your horses lungs can be adversely affected by ammonia exposure – this can become especially pronounced if the exposure occurred and continued from when the horse was a young foal; foals are especially susceptible. Studies are showing that the horses respiratory system is a primary factor for the performance of the horse, and ammonia performance and health impacts cannot be overlooked.

Ammonia in a horses stall is caused by urea due to urination, this urea breaks down into ammonia; this is the pungent odor you smell when you walk into your horses stall – now imagine living with this smell! Ammonia gas can burn the respiratory tract and eyes of your horse, resulting in heaves in foals and performance impacts on race horses.

In the workforce Ammonia is known as a deadly gas as reported by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, who warn of the dramatic lung and eye damage which can result from ammonia exposure, as read by their safety pamphlet:

Hazards of Ammonia

Ammonia leaks can be very dangerous. These leaks in the refrigeration pipes carrying ammonia to the coolers can endanger all workers in your plant; therefore, it is important to make sure you are protected when one occurs!

Ammonia is extremely irritating, and may severely burn your skin and eyes upon contact. During a leak, a cloud of ammonia gas causes burning and swelling of the air passages of the nose, throat and lungs. Workers exposed to very serious leaks may survive the accident, but may die later from pulmonary edema, a buildup of fluid in the lungs caused by the damaging effect of the gas. Workers may suffer permanent lung and eye problems as a result of exposure to high levels of ammonia.
Nausea and watering eyes from ammonia fumes pose an additional safety hazard to workers who must work with sharp knives and precision cutting equipment.

Not much is known about the long-term effects of ammonia. Frequent exposure to small amounts of other irritating gases can lead to bronchitis, persistent cough, and excess mucus production. It may also decrease your body’s ability to get rid of foreign substances, like dusts, from your airways. Chronic (long-term) exposure to ammonia may, therefore, harm you by itself or in combination with other occupational hazards and infectious diseases.

Click Here to View Entire Pamphlet

Often Foals are the target of deadly ammonia exposure due to their proximity to the stall floor where ammonia levels are the highest, which is why it is so important to reduce and eliminate ammonia levels when foals are present, reducing harmful diseases such as heaves which some research has shown is due in part to ammonia exposure.

STALL GENIE PERFORMANCE CHART

How Can Stall Genie Help?

Simple, by absorbing and eliminating deadly ammonia fumes and moisture. The absorption of moisture will help eliminate populations of parasites and flies which thrive with moisture, while the Ammonia absorption will improve the health of your horses and foals reducing veterinarian bills and resulting in a happier healthier horse.

Foals spend much of their youth near the floor of the stall where ammonia resides, leading to a much higher ammonia health risk in foals. In addition to this, foals are weaker and the ammonia’s adverse health effect’s are even more pronounced in young foals. According to Frederick Harper PHD written for the University of Tennessee, up to 15% of all foals will suffer from a severe respiratory health disease before one year of age.

AMMONIA AND FOALS DON’T MIX

Dr. Frederick Harper
Extension Horse Specialist
Animal Science Department
University of Tennessee

It is the time of year when many of us get colds, or at least do a lot of coughing and sneezing. Also, it is that time of year when foals are starting to be born. It is also a frustrating time for horse breeders. About 15 percent of all foals have a severe respiratory disease before they are one year of age. Problems appear from 1-12 months of age. But, most respiratory diseases occur when the foal is 2-6 months of age.

Not only are these diseases costly and time-consuming to treat, but they disrupt other farm activities, such as foaling, breeding mares, training and showing. Horse breeders need to review management practices, seeking methods to reduce insults to foals that place them at risk. One of these is reducing the level of ammonia. High ammonia levels have been associated with respiratory problems in foals, as well as other animals. Protein in the diet is broken down by the body, resulting in urea that is excreted in the urine and volatilized to ammonia in the environment.

Often, horse owners keep barns shut up to keep out the cold. They may even heat their barn in winter, especially if they have show horses. A strong ammonia odor can often be smelt when entering these barns. Much of the ammonia is near the floor where young foals spend a lot of time. Young foals also have an immature respiratory system, making them more susceptible to disease. Ammonia levels as high as 400 parts per million (ppm) were measured in foal stalls in one study. But, it has been reported that 10 ppm of ammonia is the level above which one might expect problems in animals. So, it is important to reduce the level of ammonia in foaling stalls, and all stalls in barns were foaling occurs.

In a University of Illinois study, the ammonia level was the same regardless of whether straw, sawdust, sand or shredded paper bedding was used. But, 1-2 pounds of hydrated lime reduced the ammonia levels when sprinkled on the stall floor after cleaning and before re-bedding. Ammonia levels were noted 48-72 hours after the hydrated lime was applied with straw, but not until 72 hours with sawdust. A commercial product prevented detectable ammonia levels at either 48 or 72 hours with either straw or sawdust. In another study at the University of Pennsylvania, researchers lowered ammonia levels

to non-detectable levels when 10 pounds of sodium bisulfate were placed on the floor of a 10 x 10 foot stall (100 square feet), before bedding with 33 pounds of straw. Afterwards, sodium bisulfate was sprinkled on top of the bedding daily, then 4.5 pounds of straw was spread over the old bedding. Straw is the preferred bedding material at foaling. Afterwards, mare and foal can be bedded on sawdust or other suitable bedding materials. It is also advisable to check the level of protein being fed to broodmares. Excess protein in the diet results in greater levels of ammonia. Not only can this negatively affect the foal, but excess protein is a waste of money.

Horse breeders need to remove waste and soiled bedding daily, and apply hydrated lime, sodium bisulfate or a commercial stall product along with additional clean, fresh bedding to reduce levels of ammonia in foal stalls.

How Can Stall Genie Help?

Simple, by absorbing and eliminating deadly ammonia fumes and moisture. The absorption of moisture will help eliminate populations of parasites and flies which thrive with moisture, while the Ammonia absorption will improve the health of your horses and foals reducing veterinarian bills and resulting in a happier healthier horse.

Tip 1: Ammonia inhalation into a horses lungs can hurt the health of horses, with foals being especially vulnerable.

As written by Tracy Williams in Equus Caballus, Tracy discusses the hazard which ammonia places on your horses health, in which a very small inhalation of only 10 parts per million over a 5-7 week period can cause dysfunction.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, ammonia is a toxic, reactive and highly hazardous chemical. Their recommendations warn that concentrations of greater than 50 ppm can cause serious harm to human beings. Even in the cleanest barns, ammonia levels in equine stalls exist well above this concentration. Furthermore, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services warns that humans exposed to ammonia can suffer chronic inflammation of airways, airway hyperactivity, and chronic irritation of eye membranes

Read The Complete Article: Ammonia Beware

Tip 2: Pay Particular Attention To Foals

Foals spend much of their youth near the floor of the stall where ammonia resides, leading to a much higher ammonia health risk in foals. In addition to this, foals are weaker and the ammonia’s adverse health effect’s are even more pronounced in young foals. According to Frederick Harper PHD written for the University of Tennessee, up to 15% of all foals will suffer from a severe respiratory health disease before one year of age.

About 15 percent of all foals have severe respiratory disease before they are one year of age. Problems appear from one month to one year of age. But, most respiratory diseases occur when the foal is 2-6 months of age.

Not only are these diseases costly and time-consuming to treat, but they disrupt other farm activities, such as foaling, breeding mares, training and showing…High ammonia levels have been associated with respiratory problems in foals, as well as other animals.

Young goals also have an immature respiratory system, making them more susceptible to disease. It has been reported that 10 ppm of ammonia is the level above which one might expect problems in animals. But, ammonia levels as high as 400 parts per million (ppm) were measured in foal stalls in one study. So it is important to reduce the level of ammonia in foaling stalls, and all stalls in barns where foals reside.

Keeping a clean, ammonia-free stall is especially important when it comes to foals, who are at greater risk for respiratory disease than older horses.

Read The Complete Article: Ammonia and Foals Don’t Mix

Tip 3: Reduce Flies in Horse Stalls

Ammonia gas and fecal matter have the dangerous effect of attracting flies and parasites. Stall Genie will eliminate moisture in the bedding, insect and internal parasite eggs need moisture to survive, so the reduction in moisture will improve the horse’s environment in more ways than just odor control. Essential oils in the product replace the harmful ammonia gas with a pleasant smell and serve as an insect repellent.

How Can Stall Genie Help?

Simple, by absorbing and eliminating deadly ammonia fumes and moisture. The absorption of moisture will help eliminate populations of parasites and flies which thrive with moisture, while the Ammonia absorption will improve the health of your horses and foals reducing veterinarian bills and resulting in a happier healthier horse.

Read this informative article and learn how you can use the combination of Stall Zyme and Stall Genie Granules to block odor and absorb harmful ammonia in your horse stall bedding. Stall Genie Granules are available in multiple Sizes, are easy to scoop, effective and safe. Stall Genie Granules are all natural, and provides maximum odor control, while Stall Zyme continues to eat ammonia long after its application.

Stall Genie and Stall Zyme was developed to reduce ammonia and moisture in stalls and stables. Ammonia gas is the leading cause of respiratory problems. Moisture contamination is responsible for the development of molds, bacteria and fungus, which are a major cause of disease, especially in foals.

Application of Stall Genie allows the Capture of Ammonia, which over time will allow your horse to perform better by having fewer Non Noticeable respiratory problems. Why do you think you can see blood coming out of Race Horses nostrils while running…bleeding from the lungs…use of our system over time will reduce or eliminate that, and will allow all equine Athletes to perform better with fewer vet bills.

Apply the Stall Genie system in your horse stall or trailer, with these 8 simple steps.

Click Here to Download PDF Application Guide

Step 1: Spray Stall Zyme over the area and allow to dry.  If mats are in the stall or trailer, roll back and spray both sides if possible.  Stall Zyme will continue to eat residual ammonia even after drying.

Step 2: After allowing your Stall Zyme application to dry, get handy your Stall Genie Granules in pail or bag form.

Step 3: Pour granules into a small container for ease of spreading (optional)

Step 4: Spread granules lightly over the horse bedding area

Step 5: Make sure the granules are evenly applied

Step 6: Apply the bedding material of your choice over the granules

Step 7: Spread bedding evenly over the granules

Step 8: When the bedding is completely laid down, a handful of Stall Genie Granules also needs to be put in the area of the bedding where horse urinates and one where it defecates.

Congratulations, you are now done and on track to improve the health of your horses!

The use of Stall Genie Products can help absorb and eliminate deadly ammonia in stalls, click the button below to learn more about the benefits of using Stall Genie Products in your Horse Bedding, and to purchase Stall Genie Products.