Thanks for all your enthusiasm over Aaruba's improved health! You all asked enough good questions about Saturday's post about Aloe and MSM for equine gastric ulcers that I decided to answer them here:
For what does MSM stand?
MSM is the abbreviated name for Methylsulfonylmethane, a naturally derived sulphur product with anti-inflammatory properties. The bitter, white substance is frequently used to treat joint problems in equines, as well as other animals and humans. Some believe it may also enhance the curative benefit of aloe or other substances by increasing absorption through enhanced circulation. While a vast array of curative benefits are attributed to MSM (everything from arthritis to ulcers appears on the many lists available online), all are related in some way to inflammation or circulation.
From where did I order my pure aloe gel?
Imedmart.com sells Lily of the Desert aloe products for $15.42 per gallon, which will last two weeks if fed at a rate of 1 cup daily. They offer $5.95 flat-rate shipping.
From where did I order my human-grade MSM?
Kala Health sells MSM in 1-pound, 10-pound, or larger bulk quantities. A 10-pound bucket sells for $139.00, and shipping is free in North America. They offer MSM in powder or course flakes, with or without 0.1% silicon dioxide to prevent clumping. I selected the non-clumping powder, which dissolves quite easily. The flavor is mildly bitter, but I find that 1/2 tsp dissolved in a 1/4 cup of cranberry juice (for my own consumption) is almost undetectable. Aaruba doesn't object to 1 Tbs mixed into a pound of soaked beet pulp.
How did Aaruba get ulcers to begin with?
Causes of equine gastric ulcer syndrome are myriad. We can't be sure, but my vet believes it is likely Aaruba's ulcers were secondary to a serious impaction colic that kept him off feed and highly stressed for several days in October 2007. The problem went undetected until it was exacerbated by the increased stress of endurance conditioning and competition in summer 2008.
Got more questions? Bring 'em on -- I'll do my best!
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Related Posts
Introduction: Equine Gastric Ulcer Series
Strategies for Prevention of Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome
Pharmaceutical and Alternative Treatment Options for EGUS
Equine Ulcer Supplement Options
EGUS, Endurance, and the AERC
A Fair Question: Equine Athletes, Equine Ulcers
Bringing it Home: EGUS Prevention at In the Night Farm
Sheer Brilliance: Aloe and MSM as Alternative Therapy for EGUS
The Good Bad News: Gastric Ulcers in Equines
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Monday, January 26, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Sheer Brilliance: Aloe and MSM as Alternative Therapy for Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome
"He just keeps getting better and better," I told Travis when he met me on the driveway. "I can't remember the last time Aaruba had so much energy!"
(Actually, I can. It was this ride. But that was different -- a special kind of ride that comes unplanned and unbidden, like dreaming of a long-lost love.)
Today's was just a standard conditioning ride of 21 miles along the agricultural roads that spin their web around In the Night Farm. Impending rain sapped color from the landscape and hemmed the horizons with clouds. Yes, the weather was dull...but Aaruba was not. He was the horse I remember from the pre-ulcer days, my Arabian dragon set loose to conquer the world. Like the dream-walking lover, I'd all but forgotten him.
In the last post of my Equine Gastric Ulcer Series, I mentioned that I was planning to try an alternative ulcer therapy should Aaruba's minor ulcer symptoms persist despite 60 days' treatment with GastroGard and a rigorous preventative program. Though much improved, Aaruba's minor "colic" symptoms did continue to manifest themselves periodically throughout November and December. He occasionally displayed reluctance to canter and a tendency to spook unnecessarily. Most subtle and frustrating of all was his continued lack of the perfect brilliance I used to know.
And so, exactly three weeks ago, I decided to give my alternative EGUS therapy a whirl. I've been mixing 1 tablespoon of pure, human-grade MSM and 1/2 cup of high-quality aloe vera gel into Aaruba's beet pulp twice daily. That's it.
Within three days, every ulcer symptom disappeared, and I haven't seen them since. No more mild colics that resolve with a dose of equine antacid. No more pinned ears and bucks. No dosing with antacids every hour during workouts. No spooking, unless you count the playful variety that's good for a mile of full-on, 18-mph trot. And with every ride, another notch up in energy and enthusiasm. Aaruba blasted through today's ride so "fit to continue" that I think we could have finished a slow 50 despite the toll winter has taken on our conditioning schedule.
A few details:
1) Yes, the human-grade MSM is important. As Carla of Focus Equine explained to me, animal-grade products vary by huge percentages from their labels; human-grade products must actually contain the ingredients they claim. Human-grade MSM is considerably more expensive than the products marketed for equines, but take the time to shop around. I found it for $14.00/pound in a 10-pound bucket.
2) I also ordered gallon-sized jugs of high-quality, pure aloe gel. You can't get this stuff at Walmart, but at $15 per gallon, the price isn't ridiculous. At the rate I'm currently feeding it, the aloe & MSM treatment adds up to a whopping $2.00 per day. (Compare that to $28.00 for a full tube of GastroGard, or $7.00 per day for the preventative dose.)
3) No, of course this isn't scientific. Although Aaruba was scoped in August and diagnosed with gastric ulcers, he has undergone a variety of treatments since, and I haven't had him re-scoped to prove that his more recent "ulcery" behavior was, in fact, caused by ulcers.
4) Furthermore, I haven't taken Aaruba off the aloe and MSM regimen yet, so it remains to be seen whether its apparent effect is an actual cure (!) or merely a remarkably soothing paring of feed additives. We'll know soon enough: MSM is an AERC banned substance, so when competition season rolls around, the aloe is on its own.
5) Finally, my thanks to Brad with Performance Animal Nutrition for putting me onto the aloe and MSM idea to begin with.
6) Welcome back, Hot Stuff. Now, settle down, will ya? ;-)
_________________________________________________________
Related Posts
Introduction: Equine Gastric Ulcer Series
Strategies for Prevention of Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome
Pharmaceutical and Alternative Treatment Options for Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome
Equine Ulcer Supplement Options
EGUS, Endurance, and the AERC
A Fair Question: Equine Athletes, Equine Ulcers
Bringing it Home: EGUS Prevention at In the Night Farm
Q & A: Aloe and MSM as Alternative Therapy for EGUS
_________________________________________________________
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(Actually, I can. It was this ride. But that was different -- a special kind of ride that comes unplanned and unbidden, like dreaming of a long-lost love.)
Today's was just a standard conditioning ride of 21 miles along the agricultural roads that spin their web around In the Night Farm. Impending rain sapped color from the landscape and hemmed the horizons with clouds. Yes, the weather was dull...but Aaruba was not. He was the horse I remember from the pre-ulcer days, my Arabian dragon set loose to conquer the world. Like the dream-walking lover, I'd all but forgotten him.
In the last post of my Equine Gastric Ulcer Series, I mentioned that I was planning to try an alternative ulcer therapy should Aaruba's minor ulcer symptoms persist despite 60 days' treatment with GastroGard and a rigorous preventative program. Though much improved, Aaruba's minor "colic" symptoms did continue to manifest themselves periodically throughout November and December. He occasionally displayed reluctance to canter and a tendency to spook unnecessarily. Most subtle and frustrating of all was his continued lack of the perfect brilliance I used to know.
And so, exactly three weeks ago, I decided to give my alternative EGUS therapy a whirl. I've been mixing 1 tablespoon of pure, human-grade MSM and 1/2 cup of high-quality aloe vera gel into Aaruba's beet pulp twice daily. That's it.
Within three days, every ulcer symptom disappeared, and I haven't seen them since. No more mild colics that resolve with a dose of equine antacid. No more pinned ears and bucks. No dosing with antacids every hour during workouts. No spooking, unless you count the playful variety that's good for a mile of full-on, 18-mph trot. And with every ride, another notch up in energy and enthusiasm. Aaruba blasted through today's ride so "fit to continue" that I think we could have finished a slow 50 despite the toll winter has taken on our conditioning schedule.
A few details:
1) Yes, the human-grade MSM is important. As Carla of Focus Equine explained to me, animal-grade products vary by huge percentages from their labels; human-grade products must actually contain the ingredients they claim. Human-grade MSM is considerably more expensive than the products marketed for equines, but take the time to shop around. I found it for $14.00/pound in a 10-pound bucket.
2) I also ordered gallon-sized jugs of high-quality, pure aloe gel. You can't get this stuff at Walmart, but at $15 per gallon, the price isn't ridiculous. At the rate I'm currently feeding it, the aloe & MSM treatment adds up to a whopping $2.00 per day. (Compare that to $28.00 for a full tube of GastroGard, or $7.00 per day for the preventative dose.)
3) No, of course this isn't scientific. Although Aaruba was scoped in August and diagnosed with gastric ulcers, he has undergone a variety of treatments since, and I haven't had him re-scoped to prove that his more recent "ulcery" behavior was, in fact, caused by ulcers.
4) Furthermore, I haven't taken Aaruba off the aloe and MSM regimen yet, so it remains to be seen whether its apparent effect is an actual cure (!) or merely a remarkably soothing paring of feed additives. We'll know soon enough: MSM is an AERC banned substance, so when competition season rolls around, the aloe is on its own.
5) Finally, my thanks to Brad with Performance Animal Nutrition for putting me onto the aloe and MSM idea to begin with.
6) Welcome back, Hot Stuff. Now, settle down, will ya? ;-)_________________________________________________________
Related Posts
Introduction: Equine Gastric Ulcer Series
Strategies for Prevention of Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome
Pharmaceutical and Alternative Treatment Options for Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome
Equine Ulcer Supplement Options
EGUS, Endurance, and the AERC
A Fair Question: Equine Athletes, Equine Ulcers
Bringing it Home: EGUS Prevention at In the Night Farm
Q & A: Aloe and MSM as Alternative Therapy for EGUS
_________________________________________________________
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Friday, January 16, 2009
Bitless Baby
Check this out:
That's me in 1981, already exploring bitless options on my first-ever ride. My dad emailed me the photo this morning with a note that it was taken in Diamond Lake, Oregon, and the horse was called Polka Dot. I don't remember ever seeing the photo before, and I certainly can't recall ol' Polka Dot...but he seems to have made a lasting impression on me.
Speaking of emailed photos of bitless horses, meet Fritha. This young, half-draft mare and her person, Kessira, are the lucky recipients of a Crazy Ropes Indian bosal/halter combo they won it in the Best of the Barb Wire Contest last November. I'm jealous of the fancy-stitching on the noseband... methinks I'll have to help Aaruba keep up with the Joneses!
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Related Posts
Why Ride Bitless?_________________________________________________________
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Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Shot in the Dark: Ambition
Some people say, "There's nothing I really want to do." And they don't. Other people begin wistfully, "I've always wanted to..." They fill in the blank, then gaze hopelessly into nothing. Still other people announce, "I'm going to..." They fill in the blank, then take a tiny step toward their goal -- then another, and another -- and at the end of life, they say, "I did."
Which kind of person are you? Which do you want to be? Is ambition intrinsic and immutable, or can it be acquired? Is it blessing or curse?
Which kind of person are you? Which do you want to be? Is ambition intrinsic and immutable, or can it be acquired? Is it blessing or curse?
Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity.We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand
-- and melting like a snowflake.
~ Marie Beyon Ray
_________________________________________________________-- and melting like a snowflake.
~ Marie Beyon Ray
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Related Posts
Applied Physics
Shot in the Dark: Achievement
Related Posts
Applied Physics
Shot in the Dark: Achievement
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Sunday, January 4, 2009
Winter Wind a-Whining
Aaruba is snoozing in his paddock just now, his jersey cooler rippling in the wind, having enjoyed a post-workout meal of beet pulp and alfalfa. After two weeks' weather-enforced layoff, I'm not sure whether he or I was more enthusiastic about hitting the conditioning trail.
We went 19 miles yesterday -- seventeen at a trot and canter, and the final two at a walk. Though his attitude was game as ever, Aaruba's aerobic stamina has clearly declined since we last enjoyed a regular conditioning schedule in October. I tried not to be disheartened by this fact as, today, we took our time traversing 12 miles of rolling hills.
I knew this was coming, after all. And, I confess that I enjoyed our white Christmas almost as much as did Aaruba.
Still, after spending most of New Years Day completing my conditioning and training schedule for 2009, I feel impatient. Spring is still at least three months away!
Ah, well. At least I have perfected my winter riding wardrobe: heavyweight Patagonia long johns under cotton tights and half chaps, Bridgedale snow sport socks (best socks ever!), silk blend turtleneck, REI windproof fleece, Columbia down vest that makes me look like the Michelin man, fleece riding gloves, and a thin stocking cap under my helmet.
That ensemble kept me warm for two hours today, with temperatures in the low 20's and 15 mph winds that make it feel like 10 degrees out there. According to the forecast, said wind is bringing more snow. Hooray. _________________________________________________________
Related Posts
Buying Time
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Thursday, January 1, 2009
New Year...New Dream...New Blog
Oh, dear.
I have an idea.
Another idea. A big one.
When I get big ideas, they turn into big dreams.
And when I have big dreams, I always make them come true.
That's an excerpt from the introductory post of my new blog, From Where the Sun Now Stands. I'm up to something (heaven help me!). You're welcome to come read about it, if you like.
_________________________________________________________
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I have an idea.
Another idea. A big one.
When I get big ideas, they turn into big dreams.
And when I have big dreams, I always make them come true.
That's an excerpt from the introductory post of my new blog, From Where the Sun Now Stands. I'm up to something (heaven help me!). You're welcome to come read about it, if you like.
_________________________________________________________
Are you enjoying this blog? Subscribe to The Barb Wire
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