Posted 8/22/05
| Let
me preface this by saying that none of this is new...many people have
thought - and acted - along the same lines, I am simply sharing my
thoughts and experiences thus far on the matter. For a long time I have been thinking hard that there needs to be a way to stop the onset of laminitis in its tracks! I am not alone in that, vets use their drugs, old timers stand horses in cold streams, most owners know to pull them off grain and off grass. But the process has already begun in the body's systems and those things do not truly stop the process. Some people know to use detoxifying agents like ToxiBan (available online) or UAA Gel (available through veterinarians only) which acts in much the same way as the activated charcoal physicians use in emergency rooms to treat people who ingest poisons or over dose on drugs. Those work very well for the acute phase, the initial onset of a toxic event...but I wanted something else, something that would be in the body longer and did more to remove not only new toxins, but help flush out the toxins that have built up over time, long before the triggering founder event. This would include something to detox horses that have never foundered, but just need help to thrive. You see, I (and many of us) believe that the domestic environment constantly/repeatedly makes our horses toxic: worming, vaccinating, frequent applications of chemical fly sprays, feeding processed feeds, feeding (God forbid!) feed-through fly control and daily wormers that basically amounts to poisoning your horse every day, pesticides and fertilizers in the pastures, runoff of chemicals from nearby agriculture or construction into the water supply, and so on, leaves our horses toxic. In fact, all of us are! The effect may be subtle or profound. Often there is a very slow build up over time and can take years before the effects are obvious. Even then, the results are generally treated without recognizing the core issue is toxic assault on the body's systems. As I explored the options and products out there I called a dear friend and colleague, Steve Dick ...a highly skilled farrier in Ocala Florida. Steve is one of the few hoof care practitioners I know who totally "gets it" about what it takes to bring a horse to barefoot soundness and keep him/her there. He is also one of the few that is not swayed by every popular theory that pops up out there. He stays true to the wild horse model. As it turns out, Steve has been quietly promoting a detox program in his clientele for a long time and uses a detox product called MOP sold by Advance Biological Concepts. I have to admit I fussed at him for NOT TELLING ME ABOUT IT SOONER!!" He swears up and down that he did....maybe he did and my head was not ready to put the pieces together. Either way...I have been asking clients to detox their horses, laminitic or not. The images below are a few examples and I will post more as I have time. I have now come to feel very strongly that MOP or some comparable detox product should be in every barn's emergency kit. See emergency cases below. I think it should also be part of a routine regimen. For example: Most people do a round of vaccinations and worming in the spring. Often it is all given at once and the horse's body takes a hit as the total immune system is temporarily suppressed by the vaccines. Not to mention the addition of the chemical toxins in vaccines. So I suggest along with routine vaccinating, routine detox should follow. Additionally, perhaps another round of detox again in the late fall, just before winter. I think of it as a Power Drain-O approach...clean out those pipes (metaphorically speaking of course), so the horse is better able to utilize nutrients more efficiently and the immune system is unfettered by a toxic build up in the body. I expect this will help those hard keepers go through the winter much easier. For the horses, Cindy "Hawk" Sullivan MOP Users: The main ingredient that detoxes is bentonite clay and you can get that by itself and use it safely http://www.theholistichorse.com/Detox.shtml . The MOP formulation was nice because it was primarily benotnite but also has a nice blend of benficial herbs to help cleanse the body and strengthen the gastrointestinal tract. Regardless, the main detoxer is the clay, so you can just use the clay by itself. For the average horse, a tablespoon twice a day for 20 days should do it. If the horse is unstable, half the dosage (1/2 tbs twice daily) and go a bit longer (30 days)...you don't want to stress a fragile horse by detoxing too rapidly. HEADS UP! Sometimes, horses (and even humans) can experience what is known as a healing crisis when the body is cleansing and resetting itself. Here is a link to a site that helps explain the healing crisis in animals and humans. Healing Crisis Update 06/26/2006 - A note on UAA Gel contributed by Gretchen Fathauer: There is a veterinary clinic in MN that caters to sheep producers where you can get it shipped out ASAP. It is a veterinary clinic that also does a mail order business. Their prices are very reasonable, and the service is fast. I also like the dosing gun they sell for UAA Gel tubes. Its mechanism is a lot like a caulking gun that you'd get at any hardware store, but rather than wrap around the tube, it screws onto the back of the tube, which is a less bulky shape. This dosing gun makes it very easy to administer. I put the end of the tube in the side of the mouth, give 3-4 squeezes, and take it out, and wait for them to swallow before I give some more. The stuff has some electrolytes in it, and has a slightly salty taste that they like, so it is not the battle that giving drugs like bute and wormers present. UAA Gel is more concentrated than Toxi-Ban, and a whole lot easier to administer with the dosing gun. It is a pastier consistency than Toxi-Ban, which is more like thick black paint. I got more Toxi-Ban on me than inside the horse, but the UAA Gel with the dosing gun was much easier. I think everybody should have some UAA Gel around for emergencies... www.pipevet.com Info: 507-825-5687 (M-F, 8 am - 4:30 pm CST) Orders: 800-658-2523 ----------------------- More info on UAA Gel here |
Emergency Cases
| 20
year old mare. Acute post-partum laminitis from retained placenta.
Started immediately on Ab-Zorb-X , one ounce twice a day for 20 days.
The lighter colored new growth, that marks seven weeks after the mare
was put on the detox, amazingly doesn't even show a ripple in the wall
to mark the laminitic event. This mare was started on natural hoof care over a year ago. At the time she had massive cracks all around her feet some extending to the coronary band. With regular hoof care all the other cracks grew out. BUT...our excitement escalated when we noticed that her stubborn quarter crack, something she has had for years when she was shod and persisted even after the others had grown out, was stopped in its tracks at the new growth after her detox. |
 |
| Two barefoot horses out of shoes
for two years. They have been working sound for the entire time. The
owner rides mountain patrol and has been thrilled with their success as
barefoot horses. She went on vacation for two weeks and placed them at
a friend's home for care while she was gone. Upon her return both
horses were sore-footed. When she called me about it, the little tidbit
of information that perked my ears was the mention that there were some
black walnut trees in the pasture. I suggested hat she have some
Ab-Zorb-X overnighted to her and to put them on it right away. In a
matter of a few days, and with no other intervention, they were
sound once again. |
Pictures
unavailable |
General Detox
| Fat, cresty gelding of
uncertain age - estimated to be in his teens.
This horse had been living in a vast, very lush pasture with virtually
no human care for a year. His hoof quality was very poor and his hair
was very coarse...none of the sleek shiny coat healthy horses have in
the summer. Two distinct changes in hoof growth. The bottom section is the hoof quality prior to any regular care. The middle section represents three trim cycles as the only change. The owners are as yet unable to change the pasture situation which is why I put this horse on a detox program. I had hopes that it would help prevent him going over the edge into founder. The top section represents beautiful new growth just six weeks after detox. Note the profound change in that growth ring when the detox began!! Needless to say I was astonished at the change and more than a bit dismayed at the damage to the bearing surface of the wall which resulted from the fact that the inch of rapid new growth also meant there was an inch of wall extending beyond the sole. Wall of poor quality to be assured, but its excess length allowed for wall damage that makes it look like he's never been trimmed! |
 |
Notes on vaccines...
I am not going to tell people here not to vaccinate, that is a decision you must make for yourself.
I do encourage owners to educate themselve and then have a meaningful dialog with their veterinarian
on the subject to develop a health care plan that works best for you.
|
Learn
more about vaccines, but do so with a critical eye. Not everyone who
claims vaccines are evil is credible, nor is everyone who claims
vaccines are the salvation of the modern world. Just like
learning about the differences in barefoot methods and theories...just
because someone glitters, doesn't mean they are golden!!
To learn about the growing
opinions on the problems with routine vaccinations, do a general
search for vaccinosis
You can balance your research by doing a general search on vaccine benefits then ctitically evaluate both sides and listen to your gut! |
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