Experience Horseman of over 40 yrs., certified equine massage therapist, trainer both riding and driving, endurance riding
Organizations American Endurance Ride Assn., Eastern Competitive Trail Ride Assn., New Jersey Trail Ride Assn., Aromatherapists International, American Mustang and Burro Assn., United States Trotting Assn., Standardbred Pleasure Horse Org.
Expert: Lyn Kamer, C.E.S.M.T. Date: 3/3/2008 Subject: Boosting the Immune System of Horses
Question Hi, I wanted to know if anyone has any ideas about boosting my horses immune system. He suffered from Irritible bowel syndrome which is now under control but it returns (not badly) if I need to medicate him at all ie bute etc. He suffered from scouring very badly and it took several months to get him back to normal - by drenching him with a healthy horse's faeces! He is an 8 year old warm blood who is working fairly hard and training medium level dressage. I live in Perth, Western Australia
Answer Robin,
Interesting. I've actually never heard of a horse experiencing IBS but they do experience ulcers, both of the stomach and small intestine. Bute has been shown to cause ulcers in horses. Using the healthy horse feces supplied him with a good dose of bacteria to try to replenish his gut bacteria. Foals eat their mom's droppings during the first weeks of their lives to get their gut bacteria established. It's been demonstrated that some 90% of performance horses, everything from racing, show, endurance) suffer from ulcers. Even back yard pleasure horses were found to have about a 60% rate.
So address all the issues here to truly bring your horse back to health. Stay away from NSAID drugs, i.e. bute. He can have IM/IV bute but not orally. But he's kind of young to need it. Better he get some rest if he's sore.
Anyhow. To start with the immune system get him on some milk thistle to cleanse his liver and kidneys. He gets that for 2 wks. Depending upon where you get it, (I have a good friend who is an equine herbalist here in the States who is the only person I'll buy herbs from) whatever is recommended. NO DRUGS during this period!!! Then get some Klamath Lake Blue Green Algae (shop around you can find it from various places at vastly differing prices) 1 teaspoonful a day. I would also add some anti-oxidents to his diet if you don't get a feed that has it in it. Omega II and III are in flaxseed oil. There are other sources also. Look at what he's getting in his grain right now so you're not supplementing something already there. Give the algae about 2 days and you'll see a difference in your horse. It's amazing stuff.
Also address the gut issues. I would just about guarantee that he has ulcers. You can scope him if you really want to verify the status of his plumbing. Or, just start treating him for it. I go the all natural route with enormous success. Get some big, 60 cc. catheter-tip syringes. Make a puree of papaya (I prefer fresh but you can use canned if that's what's available) and give him a syringeful 3x a day to start. 1/2 hr. before feeding, don't know if he's fed 2x or 3x a day. The stuff tastes good so the horse will suck it right up. My gelding waits at the paddock gate for me and looks for the syringe sticking out of my pocket. Add 5 oz. of aloe vera juice to his feed. Just dump it on top, horses will eat it with no problem. This approach is 2 fold. The papaya causes the stomach to secret mucus, the protective film. Unlike us, horses excrete stomach acid 24/7. We only do it as preparation for eating when we know we're going to eat. So, they are biologically engineered to have food in their stomachs virtually all the time. In a man-made environment where they are working and not just grazing there is not food in their stomachs all the time. The aloe vera juice neutralizes stomach acid. So, you coat the stomach and cut the acid down.
This will really bolster his system because he'll be getting all the nutrients he eats, they won't just pass through unabsorbed. The ulcer treatment will have to become daily routine. Even when he heals you don't want to risk re-development of ulcers. But, it's much cheaper than the prescription stuff you get from the vet and totally safe to use indefinately. There have been negative health ramifications in the prescription ulcer meds when used long-term.
I don't know why you were giving him bute but if it was for soreness you might do better to find a good massage therapist for him. I work on a lot of dressage horses, from level 1 to Grand Prix; they really benefit from the bodywork.
I hope I've given you some information you can use and food for thought. Any program like this is long-term, not something you just do for a while then quit. You will see improvements in the first 30 days but wait a few months. You'll really see a difference then.
