Thoughts

After recently attending a nationally known equine event over the past week, I have become very aware of several things. First, as a veterinarian, one develops an "eye" for horses in terms of overall health as well as lameness. In many instances this past weekend during the event, I was stunned at the obvious stress that these equine competitors were displaying. It was readily noted just in their mannerisms from the eyes to the ears as well as hearing in the background, several horses kicking at their stall walls and vocalizing frequently. I am not sure if this behavior was recognized by the owner, rider or even the groom, but it was obvious that nothing was being done to improve the situation for the animal aside from a brief walk around the premises. Now, you have to realize that I was at this event not as an onsite veterinarian, but one representing our Cur-OST line of products. During many instances of talking with interested riders and owners, I was continually amazed at the amount of, as well as the dependance on usage of various prescription medications. One in particular is a common and well known injectable joint medication. Many of the horses owners had commented to me that this medication was being injected at least once weekly if not twice weekly. This truly blows my mind in more ways than one. This medication, when first introduced, was to the best of my knowledge meant to be injected at the most every other month for in need horses after an induction protocol. To be injected on a weekly or even bi-weekly basis signals a real problem to me with that particular animal. This concerns me as the end result of stress are inflammation, not to mention a deterioration in overall health. Its logical, really. Look at how stress impacts human health, contributing to cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer....the list goes on and on. Everyone experiences the jitters, but the level of stress that these guys were under is unhealthy.
While at this same event, I was a spectator at a laminitis research event, in which the investors were being informed of how research dollars were being invested and what was being accomplished. What was obvious, but not new to me as a veterinarian, was that the research money was not being spent wisely. They were discussing the development of research models and inevitably how there would be patient variation in terms of causes in the real world. They were focusing on models, when in fact they should be studying the patient themselves. As a result of these models, pharmaceuticals are being developed which inevitably impact only a small percentage of patients and really don't change the course of the disease. I have been a veterinarian for over 16 years and the bottom line is that despite this research, the treatment for laminitis has not changed since my days in vet school.
We need a more logical approach to diseases such as laminitis and one that implements what research has already shown us. Inflammation and oxidative stress are huge factors that are being ignored. The inflammatory process is very complex and no one prescription medication can address it completely. Then on the other arm of the problem, we have oxidative stress, which is not evaluated or treated. Stress has been shown in human research to contribute heavily to inflammation, not to mention contributing to oxidative stress. The irony is that no matter how much research is completed, the bottom line is that the solution is not in pharmaceuticals, but more so in nature. Nature, in the form of herbs, addresses both inflammation and oxidative stress with no side effects. Food for thought.

Be healthy and wise,

Tom Schell, D.V.M.