The Itchies Are Coming!... Whoa - it's not even Winter yet!

Now is the time to be thinking about warding off the spring/summer "itchies" which seem to plague many horses beginning with spring shedding and progressively getting worse as summer's bugs and sweat become part of daily life with your horses.

"It's winter and cold out, it's not a problem now!" I can hear many of us thinking. But this is exactly the time to start thinking about the basic causes of the inflammation process that triggers many forms of "the itches" and to begin your intervention tactics.  A multi-pronged approach I first learned from Dr. Eleanor Kellon, VMD, well known  leader and innovator in equine nutrition, has worked well for clients horses in the Southwest and across the country.

The basis of "itch", a sensation that causes the desire or reflex to scratch, arises from inflammation of nerves. Once sensitized, it becomes easier and easier for the nerves to become "excited" and more and more difficult to quell the sensation.  The sensitivity may carry over from the original culprit (an insect bite or contact with a noxious plant or substance) so that almost anything becomes a "trigger" - something which will set off the need to scratch.  Along with this comes a whole catalog of false-positive "allergies", even to substances the horse has never been exposed to before. A "true" allergy requires previous exposure to an allergy causing substance and the development of antibodies to the allergen itself, while a "false" allergy is an inflammatory reaction to a trigger acting as an irritant to the immune system.

Why some horses respond or react more to inflammatory insults than others isn't really known - just as why some people are allergic to bee stings or have autoimmune diseases and others do not.  There may have been a reaction to midge bites or another "trigger" when their immune system was busy with something else and that began the process. What we need to accomplish is to support the immune system so it can effectively deal with future triggers.  At the same time we don't want to "stimulate" the immune system as it is already overstimulated.

The first step in a comprehensive plan to combat next season's itchies is mineral balancing your horse's diet.  Without the base diet in place to provide the body with the tools and building blocks to develop and maintain a strong immune system, all your subsequent interventions become an exercise in futility and a waste of your time and money.  Start with a calcium phosphorus ratio as close as 2:1 as you can bring it, add magnesium to bring it to a similar level to phosphorus, then identify and balance excessive levels of iron (pro-inflammatory) and manganese.

The next step in your comprehensive plan is to provide a source of Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E in your horse's diet year round.  When horses graze active gowing pasture they receive adequate Omega-3 but, as soon as hay is cut and cured this is lost almost immediately (along with vitamin E). Flaxseed (fresh ground or stabilized) at a rate of two to six ounces a day, flaxseed oil at one to four ounces per day, chia seed at two to six ounces per day or any of a number of commercial Omega-3 supplements can provide the powerful antioxidant support missing from hay.  Vitamin E is another antioxidant which is easy to include (at a rate of 2 IU per pound of body weight or 2,000 IU for an average horse).

By starting these steps now when your horses may least seem to need them you're ensuring they enter into the critical spring shedding season with good immune system reserves.

Spirulina

Thinking ahead to your horse's spring and summer response to their usual triggers - bug bites, sweat, etc. - be prepared to take action before these triggers can set off a full scale inflammatory response. If your horse always breaks out in hives at the first sign of a gnat or midge, begin giving Spirulina at a rate of 20 grams twice a day (or 40 grams once a day) about a month before the first bug is expected to appear.  Spirulina is a farmed source of a specific blue-green algae (not "any" blue-green algae will do). Despite some of the outrageous claims of Spirulina as a "super food", it does have some mast cell inhibition properties and suppression of histamine levels which can effectively slow down or even halt some inflammatory responses, (similar in effect to the human medication montelukast).

A "nutraceutical" which has an anti-inflammatory effect is chondroitin sulfate.  This is the "same" chondroitin popular as a joint supplement but given at a rate of 2.5 to 5 grams per 500 pounds body weight per day, or 5 to 10 grams per day for an average horse.

There are several other herbs and "natural" remedies which may be helpful but few will be effective once the inflammatory cascade has been set in motion.  If you wait until your horse is already reacting to sweat and bug bites with hives or scratching themselves raw, you'll most likely need veterinary intervention and medications incluiding steroids and anti-histamines to slow down and halt the process and you - and your horse - will be stuck with another year of the misery of the itchies.

Caution! Just because sometihing is "natural" does not mean it is safe!  Make sure your veterinarian is aware of any supplements, herbs and nutraceuticals you give your horse, especially if any medications or treatments are also needed.  Even "natural" topical medications and sprays can be triggers - for example, a "natural" fly spray triggered my asthma last summer and raised hives on one horse's rump.

Plan ahead - and think about next summer's worst being a good roll in the sand and a shake after a ride. (This would be a great time to take Dr. Kellon's NRC Plus and Nutrition as Therapy courses!)

Warm regards,

Patti
in very chilly Vail Az


Links:
I have included Wikipedia and commercial links here today because they provide some simple explanation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itch
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allergy
http://www.desertequinebalance.com/articles/allergic-skin-reactions
http://www.desertequinebalance.com/supplements/omega-3
http://www.desertequinebalance.com/supplements/vitamin-e
http://www.drkellon.com
http://www.drkellon.com/coursedescriptions/nutritionasatherapy.html
http://www.mybesthorse.com/productinformation/spirulina.html
http://horsetech.com/equine-supplements/basic-ingredients/spirulina
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1781653/pdf/12061428.pdf
http://www.lifeextension.com/protocols/immune-connective-joint/allergies/page-03
http://www.mybesthorse.com/productinformation/chondroitinsulfate.html

Naturally Soothing

In Sunday's article Allergic Skin Reactions - a nutritional approach I tried to keep the focus on how you could support your horse nutritionally to lessen (or even eliminate) exaggerated skin reactions.  Today I'd like to add some soothing  recipes that others have shared.

Marsden's Oatmeal Bath

Marsden's owner (Katherine Calkins of Wicked Good Horsemanship - training and instructing at J-Six Ranch Equestrian Center in Benson, AZ and owner of Marsden Merri Masquerade) recently demonstrated her homemade Soothing Oatmeal Bath on Marsden. After several requests, she shared the recipe -

Marsden Merri Masquerade

Owner's oatmeal shampoo recipe has been requested. It is as follows: 1 cup ground up oatmeal (turn to flour consistency), 2/3 cup baking soda, 3 cups warm water, 2 tablespoons aloe gel (optional), 4 drops lavendar extract (optional). Leave on itchy areas for 5 minutes. If you don't want your horse to have little oatmeal chunks on him/her strain the shampoo through cheesecloth. Otherwise just do your best to rinse off the little oatmeal pieces. To help get it out of the mane, spray with a hose and brush simultaneously.

Marsden obviously gives his stamp of approval.

Some other timely recipes can be found at Desert Horse Equestrian Services - the website of wholistic horse and rider biomechanics coach and horse rehabber Stacey Kollman.

NATURAL FLY REPELLENT SPRAY
BUY ESSENTIAL OILS HERE
Yield: 1 gallon
Fill a gallon container about 3/4 full of water. Add 1 cup vinegar (apple cider or white), 1/2 cup Dawn dishsoap and 20 drops of the following essential oils: peppermint, eucalyptus, tea tree, citronella. Top off with water as needed to fill the container. Shake well. Store airtight and out of direct sunlight.
Variations: if you're having big problems with flies, you can "power up" the spray by doubling the amount of peppermint; same for mosquitoes/gnats by doubling the citronella. (Be sure you're using 100 percent pure essential oils, not synthetic "fragrance" oils.) I know some folks are concerned about using citronella after hearing it attracts bees, but I haven't had any problem with that either in Arizona or Colorado, both places where you can find Africanized bees.
This is a variation on a recipe developed by the manager of one of the elite Kentucky thoroughbred breeding facilities for use on broodmares and foals. In my experience, it has safely been used on horses of all ages, humans of all ages (even those with chemical sensitivities), dogs, raptors at a wildlife rehab center and a herd of organically raised yaks! Still, use caution the first time you use it and apply to a small area at first to gauge sensitivity.

Click here for a full menu of Stacey's Natural Horse Care Recipes. 


One of my favorites has always been to add a few drops of Tea Tree essential oil to vitamin E oil.  Add four to six drops of Tea Tree oil to about one half cup of vitamin E oil - the aroma should be pleasantly obvious but not overpowering.


You can also use Benadryl (diphenhydramine) cream or hydrocortisone cream on itchy spots but avoid getting the cream on any open areas your horse may have rubbed. If your veterinarian has prescribed an oral antihistamine or steroid, check with her before using one of these topically.


Best regards, 


Patti in Vail AZ
~ where the monsoon brings us toxic Colorado river toads and a huge array of new bugs.


Links:


J-6 Ranch Equestrian Center - http://www.j-sixeqctr.com/
Desert Horse Equestrian Services - http://www.deserthorseinc.com/index.htm
Natural Recipes from Stacey Kollman http://www.deserthorseinc.com/recipes.htm
Essential oils can be purchase from: http://www.deserthorseinc.com/resources.htm#oils
My favorite is Mountain Rose Herbs http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/

Immune Boosters

A question was posted the other day on a local equine group discussion forum:

I am hearing a lot about immune boosters for both people and animals.   Does anyone out there have any experience with them?  Any suggestions for brands and where to get?

Thank You,

DiAnne

Responses included recommendations for APF  from http://www.auburnlabs.com/ and Total Immune Health - a Chinese herbal mixture from FLOTH http://www.forloveofthehorse.com/total_immune_health.php.

Hi DiAnne ~

APF (Advanced Protection Formula) is a concentrated tincture of three ginsengs, which are in the group of "adaptogenic" herbs.  These herbs tend to "normalize" body systems - an example might be calming a hyperactive horse and improving alertness in an exceptionally laid back horse. 

This article from the APF site http://www.auburnlabs.com/documents/Gastric%20Ulcers.pdf provides some interesting information but doesn't really explain why adaptogens work.

This Wikipedia article gives a little better idea. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptogen

Canadian ginseng powder will give similar results; good sources are 

http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/learn/ginseng_root_american.php (currently out of stock)

http://www.raineyginseng.com/ginseng-powder-capsules.html and

http://www.mybesthorse.com/productinformation/ginseng.html

If looking for immune support for a specific condition, you want to differentiate between an immune "stimulant" (something that boosts immune response, like adjuvants in vaccines do) and an immune "support" product (substances that allow the body to modulate the source/cause of inflammation).  You want to avoid immune "stimulants" if treating an autoimmune related inflammatory condition (for example Transfer Factor is an immune stimulant).  

Many immune "support" supplements act as anti-inflammatories through a variety of mechanisms - 

Spirulina acts on leukotriene receptors (similar to the human asthma medication Singulair) to reduce production of histamine

Duralactin (and other milk protein, whey protein or colostrum-based products) appears to block cytokines to inhibit neutrophil participation in the inflammatory response http://www.duralactin.com/products_equine.htm

Chondroitin has anti-inflammatory action not only on joints but on many other body systems at a cellular level (making it very useful for sterile urinary tract inflammation in cats along with skin "allergies" in horses). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9743814

Anti-oxidants play a strong role in supporting the immune system in horses - vitamin E, Omega-3 from flax, selenium, grape seed extract (http://purebulk.com/grape-seed-extract-95), along with balanced minerals and vitamins.  

IMO, if you start out with quality feed and hay, (preferably mineral balanced), provide a good level of anti-oxidant support including flax and vitamin E for horses not on pasture, avoid excessive iron, and provide lots of exercise you generally won't need pricy "immune" products except for periods when your horse is exposed to extra stress. For travel, competition, new experiences, etc. I'd reach for the APF or ginseng.  For "allergic" (inflammatory) responses, I'd look to vitamin E, flax, Spirulina and chondroitin, and consider whey protein, colostrum or Duralactin as a next line of defense. I also feel it's important you have an idea of what results you expect from a nutrient (product, herb, etc.) before spending a lot on something.

A lot of people indicate they've had success with the FLOTH herbs - I feel they can be a bit pricey and not always useful if the basics haven't been covered first and I'm not well versed enough about TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) to comment on the specific herbs used in the formulas.  As with any herb, if they're potent enough to be effective, they're potent enough to have undesired side effects if used incorrectly.