Posts Tagged ‘blue green algae’

Horse health care is one thing. Caring for a horse who has a history of ulcers is something else altogether. Owners of horses who have had ulcers in the past are super-sensitive to any signs of possible new ulcers forming, whether it be a horse leaving his feed or experiencing a mild colic.

These owners all want to know: “What should I do if I think my horse is possibly developing another ulcer?”

Luckily, the answer is simple and cost-effective:

Prevention

Treating Possible Horse Ulcers with Prevention

Once a horse has fully recovered from an ulcer, the best way to prevent the formation of new ulcers is to put him on a nutritional maintenance program that will keep him healthy.

The simplest and most effective nutritional supplement I have found to keep ulcer-prone horses healthy is the Essentials from Simplexity Health. The Essentials are convenient daily packs of supplements that include:

2 forms of blue-green algae (with and without the cell wall)

acidophilus

bifidus

enzymes

When fed on a daily basis, this balanced mix of supplements keeps a horse’s gut healthy. The probiotics (acidophilus and bifidus) keep the population of “good bacteria,” or gut flora, in the horse’s small and large intestines flourishing. This is important because healthy gut flora prevents foreign invaders from taking over and causing ulcers. Probiotics also play a big role in healthy digestion.

The enzymes also play a crucial role in digestion, especially for horses who have trouble assimilating nutrients or have inherently poor digestion. Finally, the two forms of blue-green algae provide a nutrient-dense supply of vitamins, minerals, and trace minerals. These nutrients help to heal horse ulcers as soon as they start to form.

In short, the Essentials provide your horse’s body with everything it needs to maintain a healthy gut, and repair any ulcers that may begin to form. For maintenance, I recommend 1-2 packets of Simplexity Essentials daily, depending on the horse’s temperament.

Preventing Horse Ulcers When a Horse is Stressed

Feeding the Simplexity Essentials is an excellent way to prevent horse ulcers when a horse is in his normal routine. However, if a horse with a history of ulcers is going to be stressed, I recommend feeding additional supplements to prevent the formation of new ulcers.

Horses can be stressed by any number of factors, including travel, horse shows, heavy training, a new environment, or an abrupt change in weather. As a horse owner, you know best which factors stress your horse. If you know that you horse is going to be stressed, you can prevent him from developing new ulcers by supplementing his feed with ulcer-preventive substances beforehand.

For instance, if you know that your horse is stressed by long trips, in addition to feeding the Essentials, you might add green clay, Stomach Soother, SUCCEED, or KLPP and UF to his diet a day or two before you leave. The key is to feed him whatever nutritional supplement helped him heal from his original ulcer.

Depending on what kind of ulcers your horse is prone to, the supplement of choice could range from slippery elm and aloe to green clay or Stomach Soother. Not all horse ulcers are the same, so they can’t all be treated the same way.

Treating Different Types of Horse Ulcers

Because you know your horse best, you know which kinds of ulcers he is most prone to and what supplements work best for him. Keep these supplements on hand to feed before you stress him, or at the first sign of a newly developing ulcer. If, for example, your horse has a mild colic because of a weather change, and he responds well to Stomach Soother, add that to his diet for a few days until his symptoms subside. When paired with the Essentials, the Stomach Soother will prevent the formation of new ulcers… and save you a big vet bill in the process.

Prevention Really is the Best Medicine

I’ve compared case studies of horse ulcers treated with conventional medicine and holistic care. Over and over again, I see that the horses who are treated with holistic care, which focuses on a solid nutritional program and preventative care, are not only happier and healthier over all, but cost their owners less money in the long run.

A solid nutritional program that is designed specifically for your horse’s nutritional and temperamental needs is definitely a form of prevention against horse ulcers and all kinds of other acute and chronic health conditions. While the ongoing monthly costs of this kind of program may seem a bit higher than a “no frills grass hay” diet, ultimately a nutritional program like this will save you money and heartache.

++++ Order Essentials and Ulcer Supplements Online ++++

We are proud to be a one-stop online shop for horse owners interested in holistic care. If you have an ulcer-prone horse, we invite you to visit our online store, designed with your horse in mind.

Madalyn Ward, DVM, is a recognized author and veterinarian in the field of holistic horsekeeping. For free tips on horse health, horse personality types, and horse nutrition, plus one-stop shopping on holistic horse products, visit http://www.BuyHolisticHorse.com.

Author: Madalyn Ward, DVM
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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After years of practicing both conventional and holistic medicine for horses, I decided to compare the cost, effectiveness, and net results of managing and treating horses holistically versus conventionally.

In this article I compare results for the average trail horse that is ridden about 2-3 times a week. I have used average feed and veterinary costs for my area (Austin, Texas), and drug and supplement costs from a major horse supply catalog.

I then discuss the issues related to each area of care, including feed, supplements, vaccines, dewormers, and first aid. Stay tuned for different profiles in coming months, when I will compare horses in different disciplines, young horses, older horses, and broodmares.

>>> Holistic Horse >> Conventional Horse Feed Costs

Grain is slightly cheaper to feed and easier to store than hay, which makes the conventional horse slightly cheaper to feed on the one hand. On the other hand, the holistic horse, which has access to more hay, stays happy and entertained and is less likely to develop expensive habits and vices such as chewing on wood, cribbing, or weaving.

Supplements

In the past, hay and oats provided all the nutrition a horse needed, but these days common farming practices do not produce feeds that are high in vitamins and minerals. Hoof quality is the first area to be affected by such poor nutrition, and few horses can maintain healthy feet on a diet of hay and oats alone. If you doubt this, just check any horse supply catalog. The one I checked offered 22 topical hoof conditioners and 28 separate supplements. Cell Tech’s Super Blue Green Algae offers a wide range of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and antioxidants in a whole food form. It is inexpensive to feed, promotes healthy feet, and supports the horse in all aspects of health.

Vaccines

Some people will choose not to vaccinate at all while others will choose to use more vaccines than the ones I’ve listed in the trail horse comparison. I believe that over-vaccination is one of the most common triggers for chronic diseases such as laminitis and uveitis, and contributes to allergic conditions. Stressing the horse’s system with over-vaccination can also affect the digestive system, leading to mineral deficiencies. Stress also decreases the amount of healthy bacterial flora in the gut, increasing the likelihood of colic.

Dewormers

We are fortunate to have some fairly safe chemical dewormers such as Pyrantel and Fenbendazole, yet some people still prefer using natural products to support the horse’s digestive and immune systems rather than using chemical dewormers. Regardless of which method you use, it is wise to double check your program with fecal exams at least twice a year.

First Aid

When I practiced strictly conventional medicine I found that most horses suffered from minor injuries or infections at least several times a year. These minor emergencies kept me busy, and because they were so common most of my clients started keeping drugs on hand and learned to treat these conditions themselves.

When I began to treat my patients more holistically, with fewer vaccines and better nutrition (including the use of probiotics such as Acidophilus), I noticed that the horses had less and less need for drugs. My patients no longer needed bute or antibiotics for minor cuts and punctures. These wounds healed quickly and easily with no loss of riding time. Gone also was the aggravating chronic nasal discharge that often kept horses out of work for weeks at a time.

A holistically managed horse with a healthy immune system will often run a fever for a short period of time when exposed to a virus or bacteria. This response slows the pathogen’s growth and deprives it of nutrients. A short course of probiotics will help support the horse during this time. Once the fever breaks, the horse bounces back quickly with little nasal discharge or cough. These horses then go right back to work without concern about relapse. Conventionally managed horses taking anti-inflammatories and antibiotics will often get better in the short term, but then relapse or develop a chronic nasal discharge.

The Results Are In!

The trail horse example I have used above precisely demonstrates what I have experienced in my practice. While it costs about the same to manage a horse either conventionally or holistically, I’ve found that holistically managed horses are much healthier overall, which means fewer chronic problems and more days of riding time. In fact, conventionally managed horses have about 7 times the number of sick days as holistically managed horses.

Madalyn Ward, DVM, co-author of Holistic Treatment of Chronic Lamintis, is certified in Veterinary Homeopathy, Chiropractic and Acupuncture. Through her website, Holistic Horsekeeping, (http://www.holistichorsekeeping.com), she publishes a free monthly newsletter, offers the Healthy, Happy Horse resource group, e-books, holistic horsecare products and information for horse and mule owners.

Author: Dr. Madalyn Ward, DVM
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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It is often the little things that make a big difference when it comes to horse health care.

Have you ever noticed how some horses who have been doing poorly start to thrive when one or two little things are tweaked in their management program? Horses are relatively simple creatures and their needs are not complicated. The devil, as they say, is in the details when it comes to horse health care.

7 Little Things That Matter a Lot in Horse Health Care

As a zen cowgirl who has seen a lot of horses come and go, both performance horses and backyard pleasure horses, I’ve classified 7 areas of “little things that make a big difference” when it comes to horse health care. Take a gander and see if you agree with me.

#1 – Basic Nutrition

Horses are phenomenal creatures in that a little nutrition goes a very long way. Horses are accustomed to eating lots of food that is high in fiber and low in nutrients, so when you add just a small quantity of power-packed nutrition to their diet, the results are pretty astounding. Don’t you think it’s amazing that you can change the health of a 1,200 pound creature by just adding 1 liquid ounce of nutritional supplements to your horse’s feed?

I feed an ounce of my special horse goo, which I mix up on my kitchen table, to each of my 4 horses and the results are pretty amazing. The goo, which includes XanGo’s mangosteen juice plus Simplexity Health’s Essentials, is a wonderful maintenance tonic that keeps my horses healthy, happy, and symptom-free. The mangosteen juice is a wonderful antioxidant and source of trace minerals, while the Essentials have probiotics, enzymes, and blue-green algae. Together the combo significantly contributes to my horses’ well-being, even in tiny doses.

#2 – Plenty of Long-Stem Chewable Food

To stay healthy horses need to chew on something pretty much all day and all night. To keep both mind and body happy, horses need plenty of long-stem chewable material, like hay. They also need to be walking while they eat, as this helps their digestion and keeps them active. Since hay doesn’t meet all of a horse’s nutritional needs, I view it as entertainment. Chewing on hay all the time keeps a horse occupied and out of trouble. It is tempting to feed soaked beet pulp pellets and a Senior feed instead of hay when hay is in short supply, but this kind of diet doesn’t offer the long-stem feeds that horses need to stay healthy. If you must feed beet pulp, choose the shreds over the pellets because the shred are longer-stemmed than the pellets, which are chopped up.

One thing that works very well for horses not on a giant pasture is Jaime Jackson’s Paddock Paradise concept, which keeps horses walking and eating all day long. Just Google Paddock Paradise to get the scoop.

#3 – Basic Body Maintenance

Basic body maintenance is an essential part of good horse health care, but doesn’t need to be complicated or cost a lot. If you horse has its nutritional needs met and is kept out of trouble by having plenty to chew on, veterinary care boils down to hoof care, dental care, regular de-worming, possible vaccinations, and any bodywork that might be needed.

Depending on how much hands-on work you want to do, you can handle most of the hoof care, de-worming, vaccinations, and body work yourself. I wouldn’t recommend taking on the dental care. I do everything but the dental care for my horses. It is possible to learn bodywork (massage, acupressure, Equine Touch) from books or workshops. The same goes for hoof care, especially if you keep your horses barefoot. If you don’t want to handle these chores yourself, scheduling one visit per year with your veterinarian should take care of dental work and vaccinations. Then add in visits from the farrier every 6-8 weeks and body work as needed, and you’re good to go. Just keep it simple.

#4 – Space to Roam

Wild horses travel up to 25 miles per day in search of food and water. Horses are meant to be on the move, all the time, so if at all possible give your horse plenty of room to run. If you keep your horse in a stall, schedule as much turnout as possible. If you have a choice between keeping your horse in a run or a stall, choose a run. It always amazes me that horse people pay more for a smaller space (stall) than they do for a larger space (a run) or for pasture care. A run or pasture ends up being cheaper boarding options than a stall, not to mention healthier for your horse. If you have limited room or no pasture for grazing, consider the Pasture Paradise concept (Google it) to make the most out of a small space and keep your horse moving.

#5 – Match Your Horse’s Job to His Personality

Every horse is a particular personality type, just as people have personality types. Each type wants to be loved in a different way. Veterinarian Dr. Madalyn Ward has developed a horse personality typing system that helps you determine your horse’s personality type, and understand how best to manage your horse. Check out the Horse Harmony Test.

More importantly, once you’ve figured out your horse’s type, see if your horse’s job, management, diet, and so forth match his personality type (you can get all the details in her book, Horse Harmony). Tweaking your horse’s management program so that it fits his personality can go a long way to keeping your horse healthy and happy.

#6 – Other Horses to Play With

Horses are herd animals, which means they are not meant to live alone. Horses feel safe and secure when in a herd. To keep your horse happy, he needs to at least be able to see and hear other horses. Better still would be if your horse could interact with other horses in a herd situation. Of course, your job is to ensure that the herd is composed of suitable companions for your horses so that your horse emerges from a play session injury-free and happily satisfied. If you keep your horse where he cannot see or hear other horses, consider bringing in some kind of companion, even if it’s not another horses. Horses often get along with donkeys, mules, goats, or even llamas.

#7 – Time Off to Be a Horse

This is especially true for performance horses who are campaigned heavily all year long. Most horses are more than willing to do their jobs, but they need down-time to just be horses. If you have a performance horse on the circuit, consider turning him out to pasture for a month or two during the winter. While he may lose some of his physical condition, his mental condition will be restored, and he will work all the better for you. This is a case of “less is more,” where slightly less work equals more effective showing later in the season.

Horse Health Care – Why the Little Things Matter

These little “tweaks” to your horse’s management program can matter a lot because at the end of the day, a horse is a horse, not a motorcycle. Horses are living, breathing creatures who have adapted remarkably well to domestication, but nevertheless have some basic needs that date back to their ancestral roots. You’ll be amazed how much happier a horse can be when his basic physiological and psychological needs are met. For instance, many a wood-chewing horse has been restored to normalcy by simply having constant access to long-stemmed feed like hay or beet pulp shreds. Putting a round-bale into your horse’s pen is a simple “tweak” that can produce big results (and equal less carpentry work for you)!

Got any other great “tweaks”? Leave a comment so everyone else can benefit!

Author: Stephanie H. Yeh
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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