Medication cups are rated as standard or fast based on the size of aerosol droplets they produce.
This means that they suit medications of different viscosity ranges.
The standard (grey coloured) medication cup is suitable for most medications.
The colours of the medication cups are not related to the colours of the masks.
Standard (Grey)
The standard cup will nebulise most medications.
If used with high viscosity oily type drugs it can lead to slow delivery time and/or failure to nebulise.
Fast (Green)
If used with low viscosity (watery) drugs the Fast medication cup can produce large aerosol droplets leading to pools of medication wasted in the bottom
of the mask chamber.
Please note: the following are NOT to be nebulised with Flexineb; AZIUM, VET ONE DEX, VEDCO DEX, DUPHACORT, RESPRADIL, VETADINE, BROMINE, MILTON / BLEACH,
COLLOIDAL SILVER, DE-IONISED WATER, or IONISED WATER
For more detailed information about which cup to use with each medication
click here
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Can I deliver multiple medications at once?
This is not best practice as different medication mixes are more corrosive to the medication cup. It is best to deliver the
bronchodilator first to open up the lungs, then any subsequent corticosteroid (flixotide) or antibiotic treatment afterwards
How long does it take?
On average the delivery time is 1ml per minute – however the more viscous or thick the solution this may be slowed down slightly –
for example a difficult to nebulise antibiotic.
What drugs can I use?
All of the items listed on our drug chart can be used with Flexineb – but in critical cases (pneumonia for example) it is often
best to use the ‘top shelf’ solutions such as Flixotide & Ventolin as these are specifically designed for nebulisation. These are commonly used in COPD & RAO horses also to
stabile the horse & then the owner can move down to more generic formats such as dexamethasone etc.
For detailed information refer to the Medication Chart. (Click here to view it.)
What about non steroidals or Mast Cell inhibitors?
Mast cell inhibitors are anti allergy medications commonly known as Intal in Australia – they are very often available in nebule
format also. The active ingredient is Sodium Cromoglycate - some vets prefer to use these for horses due to the common known fact that steroids are not good for horses due
to its ability to cause laminitis. Many compounding pharmacies can develop sodium cromoglycate nebule solution.
What can you use the foal unit for?
The foal system is ideal for clinic use in the case of pneumonias in young foals or indeed in the case of meconium aspiration –
it can get medication to the target site the lungs quickly.
What cup do I use for what medication?
The primary cups for use are Grey & Green coded. The Standard grey cup will deliver most medications, at our standard flow rate,
but if the solution is more difficult to nebulise fr example an anti biotic, it can take some time. In this case we would recommend a green cup for a shorter delivery time
of this viscous solution – however – green cups are not suitable for steroids or brocodilators – this is because in general they are quite thin watery liquids and if delivered
through a green cup – they will deliver too quickly compromising the particle size. Green cups are only for use with antibiotics & some other natural solutions.
For detailed information refer to the Medication Chart. (Click here to view it.)
What is the particle size of the aerosol?
The particle size of the aerosol, is critical to successful nebulisation & deposition & absorption to the lung tissue. The ideal
article size for deposition to the lung is 3-5 microns – as per the Flexineb Scintigraphy study – you can see that 71% of the particles produced by Flexineb are from 3-5 microns
which is the ideal size for absorbtion and deposition to the lung tissue.
Why use nebulisation over Metered Dose Inhalers?
Nebulisation is the gold standard of respiratory care – MDI inhalers, are disadvantaged in that they are designed for human use
– as such – they can struggle to reach the lower respiratory tract of the horse – it’s a long way for powdered medication to travel and often has been found that in studies,
MDI’s struggle to get further than the head and upper respiratory tract.
How much of the treatment gets to the horses lungs with Flexineb?
As per the scintigrapjhy – 71% gets to the lower respiratory tract & the remaining 29% gets to the upper respiratory tract & trachea.
The Flexineb E3 is a quick efficient method of inhalant delivery. It is
- a targeted delivery system, directing concentrated medication to the lungs and small airways.
- an easy-to-use drug delivery device that produces a very fine mist of aerosolised inhalant for the horse.
- robust and silent to ensure the horse is not disturbed.
- available in three sizes of silicone mask.
- compact, portable and battery operated for use where mains electricity may not be readily available.
- totally silent in operation.
- a very efficient device with 10mls of liquid aerosolised in less than twelve minutes.
There aren't any hoses, wires or awkward valves to deal with, keeping the whole experience calm and easy for both stable hand and horse.
Commonly, around 10 minutes of treatment is all that is necessary. Up to three hours use from a single charge is normal.
The most frequently occurring lower respiratory tract disorders are:
- Recurrent Airway Obstruction (RAO) also known as Heaves,
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD),
- Inflammatory Airway Disease (IAD) and
- Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Haemorrhage (EIPH).
Typically, their treatment includes frequent systemic administration of drugs.
Flexineb E3 is so effective because the size of the particles of the aerosol is critical to getting it to where it needs to be
- in your horses LOWER respiratory tract. The average particle size from the ultrasonic nebuliser is 4 microns for optimum penetration into the small airways.
Flexineb produces 71% of aerosol particles to the size required for the lower respiratory tract.
The remaining 29% hit the upper respiratory tract & trachea. Most other nebuliser companies wont tell you how much aerosol gets to the lower lung.
Additionally Flexineb can be used to administer metered-dose inhalants using the MDI system.
Treatment can be completed
- within fifteen minutes leaving more time for exercise and training.
- by the owner, reducing the need for visits from a veterinarian.
Flexineb E3 is available as
- Full Nebuliser System for both MDI (metered dose inhalant) and wet nebulisation.
- MDI only version, suitable for use with metered dose inhalants. The ultrasonic nebuliser can be purchased separately and added at a later date if required.
A full range of spares is available.