We all know that familiar smell of ammonia. It tickles and eventually burns the inside of our noses to alert us that there is a problem that needs to be addressed. Increase that by multiples if you are a horse that has his nose close to the ground while eating or resting in the stall. Ammonia is a colorless gas that is created by the breakdown of bacteria in the urine or feces. Urine contains urea which is broken down into ammonia.
Ammonia irritates the mucosal lining all the way down. The irritation can cause inflammation and exacerbate allergies, lung conditions like COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) that stress the immune system and create a breeding ground for bacterial and viral infections to take hold.
Feeding high-protein diets such as alfalfa can increase the ammonia output. If you want to feed alfalfa, you could lessen the load by keeping your horse outside as much as possible so the fumes from urine have more places to vent, as opposed to a confined box stall. If you want another option, switch to a grass hay, which is less of a protein load for the kidneys.
Maintaining a clean stall to eliminate ammonia build up is certainly something that we can do for our horses. Use highly absorbent bedding materials and be sure to clean under any rubber mats in the stall. They can trap and hold the ammonia in. Remove your horse from the stall while mucking since that is when you will be unearthing and releasing the ammonia fumes and dust. Let the stall set for about 10 minutes before returning your horse to its home.
When cleaning the barn or home, stay away from the ammonia and bleach that you can buy by the gallon, and instead use distilled white vinegar.
It is important to have healthy air to breathe. Keep the windows open as much as you can. Fans, used especially during the wintertime when windows are closed, may be of help. Proper ventilation to the stall is key to ensuring your horse can breathe healthier air.
Additionally, there are various stall fresheners such as Sweet PDZ, that are very effective at reducing and eliminating ammonia’s toxic odor when applied to the stall with your preference of bedding materials