Tom Schell

Easy Keepers, Metabolic Syndrome and Lameness; What is the Connection?

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Easy keepers.  Most horse owners know what this term means almost instantaneously when they hear it.  In general terms, it refers to a horse that has a tendency to carry more weight and gain weight easily, often with just the sight of a green pasture.  Almost any horse can be an easy keeper, but there are certain breeds that are more prone including Quarter Horses, Pony breeds, draft breeds and even some warmbloods.  Many of these easy keepers progress to metabolic syndrome and even insulin resistance over time, each a stage of continued deterioration at a cellular level.  In many situations, these same horses tend to have concurrent lameness issues ranging from joint degeneration to tendon issues and laminitis, but also many also seemed more prone to allergies, respiratory problems and even eye issues.  What is the connection and why do many standard therapies fail to provide relief for this particular group of horses?

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Inflammation and Impact on Health; Beyond Pain and Swelling

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When we think of inflammation, it is often in the form of pain and swelling.  Joint pain, stiffness, a wound or cut, sore back, sore throat or even an ear infection.  All of this is true and these conditions are associated with inflammation, but the overall concept goes much deeper, often being unrecognized clinically but all too closely tied with other health conditions.  It is an important concept to grasp, even on the most basic level, as with this understanding, we have opportunities to intervene which may give us more opportunities to manage and even prevent certain conditions.

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Disease Prevention & Management; The 20,000 Mile View

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Everyone is looking for the ultimate cure or answer to whatever condition impacts their health or lifestyle, whether if that is for themselves, their pets or their horses.  Is there an answer out there? A solution to what ails you?  The answer is more complex than what you would like to hear, not necessarily a ‘yes’ or ‘no’, but more or less in between.

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Immune Support and the Horse

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Does your horse have a healthy and strong immune system?  How do you know?  The most common problems we associate with a poorly functioning immune system are recurrent infections and even allergies, but what about other conditions?  Even in the case of infections, we most often attribute a poor immune response to more severe infections that may even result in hospitalization, but are there other clues or more subtle situations that may indicate that we have a problem?  The immune system is complex and involved in more bodily processes than one might just realize.

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Nutrition Implications: Fact or Myth

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As a veterinarian, I have to confess that after almost 20 years of clinical practice, I failed many of my patients due to lack of knowledge about proper nutrition. Being a student in veterinary school, honestly, there was not much focus on nutrition.  In some courses, there was mention of various nutrients, but not much pressure to use the diet as a tool to aid in disease management and recovery.  The good news is that after all of those years, I did ‘wake up’ and realize the importance and today, my approaches are much different for myself, our pets and those horses that I have contact with on a daily basis.   It wasn’t always this way and I discover more each day, which can be exciting!

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Horse and Dog Health; The Impact of Free Radicals and Oxidative Stress

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Free radicals are an important entity in chemistry and in health, having been researched for many years with connections to cellular changes that may impact overall health and aging.  A free radical is a molecule that has an unpaired electron in the outer shell, which creates instability and a high rate of reactivity with other molecules.  Free radicals are produced as a normal part of cellular respiration or energy production, but can also be generated as a consequence of environmental factors, stress, poor diet, food additives, medications and genetics.  In general, they can have huge negative impacts on overall health, performance and sustainability, but the good news is that with understanding, we also realize that there are things we can do to minimize the damage inflicted.

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EPM and the Immune System; A clinical perspective

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Do you have a horse or know of one impacted by EPM? Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM) is unfortunately a common disease in the horse, impacting hundreds, if not thousands every year.  The outcomes for each case can vary dramatically, resulting in a huge expenditure for the owner and an uncertain future for the horse.  Give the huge variability in outcomes despite newer treatment options, one is left asking ‘why’ and what more can be done to aid in prevention and therapy to help increase the success rates. Maybe it is time to rethink our approach to these cases in order to maximize the outcome.

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Which Cur-OST formula is right for my horse?

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Our Cur-OST® formulas target a healthy inflammation response and were created originally to benefit Dr. Schell’s equine patients, helping to improve overall health, joint mobility, performance and reduce aches & pains. There are many joint and health supplements available for horses, but the goal with our formulas is to first provide natural ingredients and herbs that are effective in their actions and second, provide the highest levels based on research to get those results.  The choices between the Cur-OST® equine formulas may appear confusing but really, there is a strategy for each formula.  The most common question we have is ‘which formula is right for my horse?’.  The answer is not straight forward considering that each horse is an individual, but hopefully we can outline the goals and uses for each formula.

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Why Your Joint Supplement May Not be Working

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Daily aches and pains are one of the biggest problems we deal with as we get older, but they are also very common in our pets and horses, especially if they are athletes.  The aches and pains are often associated with joint deterioration on many levels with resulting cartilage degeneration, which creates discomfort.  Most people resort to traditional joint therapies, including glucosamine and chondroitin, in addition to various pain medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatories to help control pain.  Despite these efforts, many are still seeking options to help get to the next level of comfort not only for themselves, but also for their equine companions and pets.  Let’s take a look at what is going on and what other options may be available.

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Evaluation of Berry and Citrus Herb Formula in Equine Metabolic Patients

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Evaluation of Berry and Citrus Herb Formula in Equine Metabolic Patients

Tom Schell, D.V.M., CVCH

Introduction:

Metabolic syndrome is a term used referring to a group of risk factors that contribute to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke in people. In horses, metabolic syndrome is closely connected with poor sugar metabolism, insulin dysfunction, circulatory disease and laminitis.  In both groups, the risk factor that is most prominent is obestity or excessive body condition, which then tends to increase the risk for development of other factors and further contribute to patient health deterioration.  

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