Worming :: On recent sessions with horses I have found that certain wormers have a strong effect on their internals.  Please think about your
friend's tummy. Always have your vets permission.   Printed below is some information from a Nutritionist and Herbalist.

Tips from the Herbalist on worming :: I find that the best Natural approach is to use Garlic continously, then around the worming time to use a specific dosage of Male Fern Herb which removes deep seated infestations, but as I say Garlic is very effective on its own. For last year my own horses had a worm count of 0.2 worms. For the past year I have given Fenugreek and Garlic. This year after no worming and only herbs the worm count was 0.0. Something to think about.

Tips from the Nutritionist on worming :: In horses with mild infection rate, treatment may result in mild transient colic and loose faeces due to the destruction of worms. Some horse carying heavy infection of Onchocerca microfiliriae have experienced reactions with swelling and itching after treatment. it is assumed to be the result of death of large numbers microfiliriae. If it is the first time in a while, they have been wormed with these products and there is no worm resistance to them, then maybe it is an effect of massive worm death due to a very effective product. If this is the case, it is more likely to be upset gut flora, and the probiotic/yeast/prebiotic route is more likely to help.

Should we be feeding our horses supplements made from dead cows?

A veterinary practice in UK held a lecture evening on Weds 30th January 2008. The lecture was about DJD (Degenerative Joint Disease) and arthritis in horses, to be given by an Orthopaedic Veterinary Surgeon from one of the Scottish Vet Schools. The event was sponsored by Schering Plough, and a second presentation was being given by a representative from Schering Plough, who would be talking about Cosequin, a supplement for horses with joint disease/arthritis. The invitation to clients included a leaflet on the product Cosequin.

Being the owner of an older horse, I was interested, and hoping to pick up some useful information.
The lecture was indeed interesting, and I learned that it is not possible at this time to repair cartilage, but there are ways to slow down or even halt the cycle of damage in DJD/arthritis cases, in some equine patients. One of the main parts I found interesting was that lavage carried out on a joint, can achieve a lot by keyhole surgery. Simply washing out the affected joint by keyhole surgery can, in some cases, make quite a difference in slowing down or even halting the cycle of degeneration.

The Schering Plough Rep then gave his talk, obviously pushing Cosequin as the answer to our prayers. My friends and I were quite taken aback when we realised that Condroitin, one of the "key" ingredients, was used in Cosequin and taken from bovine tracheas post mortem. We questioned the ethics of this given that messing with nature had caused the Mad Cow Disease outbreaks but the Rep advised that this was not possible as the trachea contained no nerve or relevant risk material. I retorted that aside from that information, it was simply wrong on every level to feed parts of a cow to a horse, another herbivore. This was met with an uncomfortable silence, before swiftly moving on.One other person asked if it wasn't possible to produce Condroitin synthetically, and she was told it wasn't. Cosequin normally costs £100 a tub on average, and the Rep advised it was cost effective as a tub would last 110 days. This was swiftly shot down by other clients at the event, as the instructions advise a "loading dose" for 4-6 weeks, before moving on to a maintenance level - one user stated her £100 tub lasted just 4 weeks!

I have had a look on the Web for further info, and can see no link to Cosequin with Schering Plough. I gather they are a research company, but the product, although labelled as a Schering Plough product, seems to be promoted by another company, Nutramax Laboratories Inc. Confused? I am!

The Rep also told us, by way of explaining a certain point, that they test on animals such as rabbits. Having looked further on the Web, it is clear Schering Plough regularly use a variety of animals to test products, primates, dogs, mice, rats, and rabbits.I was disturbed by the inclusion of bovine by-products, and investigated further, locating a paper which warned that it was by no means certain that Chondroitin derived from cattle, did not present any risk of BSE being passed on.Just out of interest, Cosequin is used by horses, dogs, cats, and humans all over the world.

I am not an animal rights activist, I am not a vegetarian, just an average person with a horse, who tries her best to do the right thing, and not mess with nature.I am now deeply suspicious of all supplements, and wonder just what's in them. www.activexamerica.com/chondroitin.php