Post by Stormy on Mar 15, 2006 18:59:29 GMT -5
Although very few horse people experience problems, there are a few things to keep in mind concerning bedding. Regular sawdust from sawmills is not kiln dried, therefore it is the perfect medium for growing fungi such as Aspergilliosis. Asper is common in the environment and causes a fatal respiratory disease if it grows in the lungs. Stress, illness, etc gives it the opportunity to grow. Sawdust is the perfect medium. Kiln dried shavings is much safer as the Asper spores have been cooked. It can also grow on straw but straw is not so easily inhaled by a foal. Just be careful. The first few days for a foal are the hardest because it is most vulnerable to bacterie, viruses, and fungal infections. I am a wildlife rehabber and only use kiln dried shavings for waterfowl because of the Asper. Are foals are bedded with straw with kiln dried shavings underneath until they are a week or so old.
