Alternative Cold Therapy Systems

[tatertots]

Game Ready, Ice Horse Continuous, Ice Vibe, Jack’s whirlpool boots, all products that pop up when you start talking about equine cold therapy solutions; whether for injury treatment or preventive measure. But boy are they pricey!
I’ve read a number of forums on COTH and across the interwebs that mention using the human-equivalent and modifying for equine use. In fact, Donjoy Iceman & Ice Horse Continuous are the same manufacturer. The main differential between systems seems to be the active compression, that GR units provide.

I found the BREG Cothera VPULSE unit, which (based on what I’ve read), may just offer the “same” continuous cold + compression that GR has but for a whole lot less mooo-lah. Only potential downside seems to be the inability to treat more than one leg at once. Anyone have experience using this system?

If it comes down to it, I may just put my friend’s GR unit on one leg, and Vpulse on the other to test it out on myself

[Scribbler]

I know nothing about these products specifically but if I were comparing human and equine versions of a gadget, I would consider

1. The area size treated and the configuration of the gadget. If you want to wrap a cannon bone securely that might be different from just setting a cold pack on the body of a cooperative human.

2. The electrical supply. It’s good if things around the barn are outdoor rated plugs as there’s always a possibility of water. Also length of cord.

3. General sturdiness, if it gets knocked around

4. Noise levels

They could very well be interchangeable products but there could also be extra sturdiness and safety built into the horse product that you might or might not care about.

[tatertots]

@Scribbler

I know nothing about these products specifically but if I were comparing human and equine versions of a gadget, I would consider

1. The area size treated and the configuration of the gadget. If you want to wrap a cannon bone securely that might be different from just setting a cold pack on the body of a cooperative human.

2. The electrical supply. It’s good if things around the barn are outdoor rated plugs as there’s always a possibility of water. Also length of cord.

3. General sturdiness, if it gets knocked around

4. Noise levels

They could very well be interchangeable products but there could also be extra sturdiness and safety built into the horse product that you might or might not care about.

All very valid questions and potential downsides for the “knock off” version. Based on the COTH threadsI read prior to posting, the human systems seem to be fairly bulletproof and the costly GR units are notorious for repairs. And the universal pads are useable for the basic front/rear leg wraps.

I found a cheapo unit on eBay, and am going to give it a try. I have a friend in the barn with the GR unit, so I can try for a side-by-side comparison

[Simkie]

Wow, that breg looks interesting. Which wraps does it use? It looks like the connectors might be the same as game ready?

I have a game ready for myself, as well as a couple non compression ice machines friends have passed on (I think one is a donjoy, one is a kodiak?) They just DO NOT compare to the game ready in any way.

But that breg with compression really might be a viable alternative to game ready. Come back and tell us what you think! I’ve been tempted to use my game ready on my horse who’s prone to cellulitis, but don’t want to risk it in the barn…

[tatertots]

Will do, @Simkie! The unit I got comes with the large knee pad, and the 2 DVT calf compression pads (which won’t be useful). We’ll see how it works!

[Simkie]

@tatertots

Will do, @Simkie! The unit I got comes with the large knee pad, and the 2 DVT calf compression pads (which won’t be useful). We’ll see how it works!

Ah, so you can’t use the game ready equine pads with it? That’s a bummer. For me, the game ready wraps are just light years better than the other brands, and that matters. (But obvs don’t know anything about this fancy breg.) Maybe it’s not such a big deal with a horse, since you really just need a rectangle to wrap a leg?

Really curious about your experiences, can’t wait to hear your review!

[tatertots]

@Simkie

Really curious about your experiences, can’t wait to hear your review!

The breg gets 2 thumbs up from me!
Granted, I haven’t been able to test it side by side to a game ready unit, but I’m very impressed in the couple of times I’ve used the unit! I even tried the unit on myself first, and loved the compression aspect. It’s really relaxing actually 🤣.

The knee pad I got is large enough to cover from knees to pastern on front legs, and is configurable enough to use the same pad for the hocks and other legs. It’s a super quiet machine (my trainer said it sounded like the typical hospital machine with the ho-hum from the motor), and the hose is not too short to need an extension. You will need an extension cord, unless you have power within 6ft.

A few downsides: The “warm up” (or rather cool down) time, takes about 5-10 to start to chill the leg. The pad isn’t as quick to cool down a leg as straight ice boots, but it is designed to be to be left on longer than 15minutes. It depends how much time you have.

The other is that it can only treat 1 leg at a time. But for the price, I could really just find another unit to treat 2 legs!

[Simkie]

Hey @tatertots I’m SO glad you posted about this because I’m now in cellulitis season. I picked one up!

How are you wrapping the pad to the leg? Under a standing? Or maybe a polo? I find this unit to cool immediately (I’m sitting in it right now :lol:) Did you figure out your wait time issue?

”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹Any tips now that you’ve had it for a little while?

[tatertots]

@Simkie - glad you found one! I won’t hesitate to use it myself if I need it, it’s quite relaxing and even my horse falls asleep in the cross ties with it!

• For wrapping, I found the large knee wrap has all the necessary straps to wrap around the whole leg, but you could add a standing over the top if necessary. Once the air compression starts, the wrap is quite secure around the leg and cools from above the knee to the fetlock joint.
• For the leg cooling issue, I figured this out by chance – make sure the leg is wet! I had wrapped the leg after a quick hose off, and the leg was nice and chilly after only 10 min. You could also wrap a wet paper towel around the leg as well if you don’t want to get the foot wet.
• Use ice cubes vs the reuseable ice containers. The containers do not get the water nearly as cold as ice. I fill the container with ice and then add water.
• To help keep the hose from getting stepped on, tie the hose up. I used a long piece of theraband around the neck, but will probably get creative w/a polo if I need to wrap the hind legs. (pictured above)