NOTES ON ULCERS, JOINTS, DRUGS & Vaccine Reactions!Aha's and Epiphanies By J Sinner
*on Ulcers and painful stomachs...from trailering??!! Remember the discussion last month about horses and stomach acid splashing forward during exercise, precipitiating ulcers? Well, this is interesting, from Trudy Hatfield: "Hi, Just wanted to let you know the outcome of the trailering illness problems you and I had scratched our heads over some months ago....to refresh your memory, I had found a wonderful old trail horse who was experiencing extreme discomfort every time he was hauled in my straight-load horse trailer, no matter how carefully I drove. He had no problem in a friend's slant-load. His discomfort consisted of loud gurgling and actual "burping" you could hear and feel if you were touching his neck or side at the time. He did not want to load (altho he did- he's too kind to refuse) was highly agitated coming off the trailer, and would not eat for days after being hauled. We figured he must have ulcers, (he was a professional worrier) so treated him for 30 days with Miracle Clay, syringing a 15-20 cc. dose in his mouth along with 5 cc. of Dynapro before meals. Once a day did not do the job, incidentally. Am also dosing him in this way before hauling. Eureka! No more sick horse after hauling. No more missed meals, either. Loads and unloads like the champ he is. Saw the HORSE article you referred to in the April 2003 newsletter. Figured the "splashing" of the stomach juices described MUST have some bearing on this condition, especially since it only happened with the horse riding straight forward, not sideways! The bracing against slow-downs and stops while riding in a straight-load would cause the corrisive stomach juices to splash forward and up onto the more delicate tissues. Another old horse of mine was reacting much the same. Bumpy rides were much worse than smooth ones. AHA! Have since noticed (amazing when your eyes are opened to something) some friends' trail riding horses exhibiting a reluctance to eat grain after hauling to a campout, and once even heard one burp. The owner remarked "yes, I have noticed that....". Know you (like me) leave no stone unturned looking for answers when you encounter seemingly unheard of problems.....hope you can help someone else with this some day. Many thanks. :)" ..........could be why loose horses prefer to stand backwards or at an angle, hmmmmm??
*On the ulcer connection to cribbing A British study has shown a significant correlation between cribbing and ulcers! Most cribbing occurs at feeding time, and the acid formed especially by a grain meal will certainly exacerbate the ulcer pain. Since up to 80% or more performance horses have ulcers due to increased grain feeding, cribbing gets to be a pretty significant problem. Some Dynamiters have reported a reduction in cribbing when the horses are force fed a little Izmine. My hit on that would be the magnesium is pretty calming. Phenylalanine (amino acid) supplementation has stopped some of that repetitive, compulsive type behavior in many horses, too. But if ulcer pain is at the source of the behavior, it would make sense to me to try our tried and true remedy of some Miracle Clay daily. Just mix a couple Tbls. of it with a little water, let sit a few hours, and pour on the grain. Feeding grain after hay is another way to decrease the acid in the stomach. More saliva is produced when horses eat hay, and that dilutes the concentration of the stomach acid as well as acting as a "buffer" for the grain. Around here, since I feed a little grain only at the night feed, my routine is to give everyone their evening hay, then putter around with water, cleaning, whatever, and feed the grain after they have been munching hay for 30 minutes or so. An added bonus is they don't tend to bolt the grain or spill as much, as the edge is off the appetite. My guys pretty much have hay free choice, so it is not too much of a problem, actually. But would be a great idea in a training barn where perhaps they have been without fresh hay for many hours.
*On Joint Stuff - hyaluronic acid, use of Bute and other drugs, and the role of exercise Horse Journal is touting the "newest" addition to the ingredient list on joint supplements....hyaluronic acid. To which I respond, "Duh!", where were all of these other companies when we came out with Free and Easy including hyaluronic acid, a few years back. As usual, we make the dust cloud that the others follow, a great place to be! Here is a direct quote from the ingredient list of our Dynamite Free and Easy: "Hyaluronic Acid is produced in a normal, healthy cartilage matrix in the joints. Oral supplementation assists the body in production of this important lubricating fluid, which is one of the GAG'S. Hyaluronic acid is necessary for the production of healthy synovial (joint) fluid." You can happily assure your customers that we have already BTDT...Been There, Done That! For older horses, the Horse Journal reports, the missing ingredient in the healthy joint equation is often exercise. Muscle tone is needed to stabilize the joints, and since cartilage has no blood supply, the "squishing" action of the cartilage is necessary to bring in nutrients and flush out waste. Even 20 to 30 minutes of uninterrupted walking is great for the older joints. Use it or lose it, just like in people. My old guys happily live outside, unless the weather is just horrid, then they go in the barn just for the nite or during a storm. And, verification from Ohio State, a study which appeared in American Journal of Veterinary Research confirms that Bute does "interfere with the ability of cartilage to both repair and maintain itself." Even salicylates (aspirin) and other non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs "have a variety of harmful effects on cartilage that are even worse when arthritis is present because of higher concentrations of the drug occuring in the inflamed joint". Bute was also found, in a study by Rhode et al, to decrease the rate at which minerals are deposited in bone and to slow healing. Bute and other NSAID's inhibit the formation of new capillaries in an injured area, and also cause vaso constriction....the shutting down of blood vessels. For this reason, Bute and other NSAID's are very dangerous to use in laminitis past the intial first day acute stage. Aspirin is a better choice after the first day or so in acute laminitis, since it acts as a natural blood thinner and actually increases circulation. But both Bute and aspirin are contraindicated for long term use in arthritis, since they do more to destroy the joint than to support it. Anti oxidants such as C and E, minerals and joint supplements are the best way to support a horse, is the conclusion of this article. If dealing with plain old arthritis, I have found Free and Easy added to our basic program to be spectacular. I am in the process of writing up the role of this product in my 26 year old gelding who "crashed" in his hind suspensories last summer. He is doing awesome. For laminitis, my insulin resistant mare who tipped over the edge after foaling has done great on TNT and Super Stress. The E and C of course are present in the Super Stress in large doses, and the anti platelet effect of both is legendary, so I feel she gets better circulation in her feet. The extra magnesium in the TNT helps her with circulation and muscle pain, and of course there is some Free and Easy in there, too. The bottom line in lameness, as Horse Journal concurs, is go easy on the needles and the pills, and support naturally....you will be light years ahead in the long run.
*and a little more on aspirin You know doctors who prescribe an aspirin a day for the anti-platelet and blood thinning qualities. What they fail to consider is that the salicylic acid in aspirin ties up copper. The article The Role of Chelated Minerals in a Healthy Heart by DeWayne Ashmead, Ph.D. states "copper is the mineral that activates the elastin-producing (enzyme) lysyl oxidase. When copper is deficient the enzyme can't function and the elastin cannot mature. This results in lesions or enlarged hearts and ruptured arteries within the aorta and cardiovascular system. Copper is also important in the formation of collagen and connective tissue, including the joints...so are we going backwards here by recommending daily aspirin, either for pain or for blood thinning? In humans, are you willing to risk aneurysm or ruptured blood vessels? And the horses are going to also be more at risk for tendon and ligament injuries, as well as parasite induced aneurysm. Every "quick fix" has a price. Why not go for Hiscorbadyne for the proven anti platelet and collagen building properties of the OPC's!
*On the stroke-preventing abilities of potassium In Bottom Line Personal, May 15, 2003, the report of a study by Deborah M. Green, MD: "Older people with low amounts of potassium in their diets - less than 2.4 gram per day - are 150% more likely to suffer strokes than those with higher levels of potassium". Leafy greens, avocados and citrus are all high in potassium - as is our Apple Cider Vinegar and our Elixir, as well as TriMins Plus. Be sure to have elderly people check with their health care professional, as always. And we know that balance is the key. Our basic program of Elixir, Dynamite or Plus, and TriMins Plus benefits nearly everyone!
* on reporting drug and vaccine adverse reactions Well, this is .........interesting!! In response to a question on the Forum today about where/how to report a vaccine adverse reaction, the following is what I found when I went to the web page www.usp.org/vprp.htm listed in West Nile Vaccine Adverse Reaction Letter that you will find here on our site in Communications Corner. Looks to me like the govt and the mfg want to be the only ones receiving the reports at this point!!!! :)
"The United States Pharmacopeia's Veterinary Practitioners' Reporting Program is terminated as of April 30, 2003. No new adverse reports will be accepted for processing as of April 23. Parties wanting to submit adverse reactions to animal health care products should contact the manufacturer of the product and the appropriate U.S. government authority. For veterinary drugs, you may submit an adverse reaction report by contacting the Center for Veterinary Medicine, Food and Drug Administration at the web address: www.fda.gov/cvm/contactcvm/contactCVM.html and following a link for "Report a Drug Reaction". You can also submit an adverse drug reaction to the Center for Veterinary Medicine by telephoning 1-888-332-8387. For veterinary vaccines and other biologics, you may submit an adverse reaction report to the Center for Biologics, U.S. Department of Agriculture by either visiting their website: www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/cvb/ic/adverseeventreport.htm or calling them at 1-800-752-6255."
It is SO important that reactions be reported, and remember to keep reminding your friends NOT to give WNV with 4 way and worming and etc. We are seeing many seriously ill horses from too much, too fast. If you choose to vaccinate, space them out by several weeks at least, a single vaccine at a time. Do lots of Super Stress before and after for a couple weeks, do DynaPro daily, thuja 30 c the day after.