horses

Stress; The Battery of Life and Impact on Health, Fatigue and Recovery

Stress is something that we all encounter daily whether if we are animal or human.  Stressors are the reason as to why we adapt and hopefully overcome new challenges, whether if that is a new task at work, a new exercise routine or environmental changes.  It is what hopefully makes us stronger, more resilient. Those stressors create a stress response in our body, which then we hopefully adapt to over time.  The question is how much stress is our body supposed to handle, or that body of our equine companions or even pets, and how does prolonged stressor exposure impact health, recovery and even soundness or injury?

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Supplementation: What is the Goal and How to Achieve it.

The term ‘supplement’ can either be a noun or a verb, implying something that completes or ehances something else, or in the case of a verb context, to add an extra element.  In the health industry, we really use the term in both contexts or sometimes both at the same time.  We may supplement our horse’s or even our own diet with a supplement, using both the noun and verb, which is commonplace.  However, what are we really doing and what are we trying to achieve?  Through a better understanding, we may be able to arrive at that goal a little sooner and even reduce end costs in the long term.

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Inflammation and Impact on Health; Beyond Pain and Swelling

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

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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Which Cur-OST formula is right for my horse?

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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Tying Up and Rhabdomyolysis in Horses

“Tying Up”, myositis, Monday Morning Disease and azoturia all refer to which is more technically known as Equine Rhabdomyolysis Syndrome in horses. It can be a very common problem in some disciplines and breeds.  The most common breeds involved in the condition include the Quarter Horse, Thoroughbred, Arabian and the draft horses.  In various research papers, tying up has been noted in approximatley 4% of Arabian Endurance horse and up to 10% of racing Throughbreds.  Given the increase in the incidence and possible clinical repercussions of the condition on the performance of the horse, there has been much research trying to unravel the mystery as to what exactly causes the problem.

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Why so many formulas, Dr. Schell?

I get asked this question a lot, especially when it comes to the horses.  In reality, back in 2006, when we were first researching and seeking a solution for our older equine patients with osteoarthritis, I thought I had a fix for every solution.  The original formula we utilized was our EQ Plus product and based on the results we were seeing, I believed that the formula would provide relief for every patient.  In reality, as time went by, I came to realize that each patient was an individual and despite the efficacy of the EQ Plus, there was a percentage that could be helped further and another percentage that didn’t require that strong of a formula.  This is when we had to dig deep and begin to explore other options as I knew there had to be a solution.

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Equine Recurrent Uveitis

Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is unfortunately a common condition in horses, impacting up to 7% of farms with at least one horse affected.  ERU is considered one of the most common causes of blindness in the horse and seems to impact many breeds, but with certain predilections to the Appaloosa and Paint breeds.  The condition is very complex with much to be learned and understood in terms of pathophysiology, but treatment options can offer some help in managment and preservation of vision.

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