Has anyone tried this yet? I am wondering how it compares to an Adequan series. This is made by Perfect Products. This mode of delivery makes sense to me for horses, just wondering how effective it is.
the ingredients aren’t remotely comparable to Adequan IM
Additionally, none of the studies cited are worth anything related to this product
Not everything is absorbed well (or at all) by the mucus membranes. The mode of delivery is very iffy for horses - even if it does get absorbed well, what if 30 seconds after you deposit it, he poops? Do you have to wait for a big poop, then deposit it, on the chances it’ll be 1-3 hours before he poops again?
If it typically takes a loading dose (double the maintenance dose) of most oral joint products for 7-14 days to start seeing results the fastest, there’s no way 1 suppository of this could show results in 12 hours. Not happening, these ingredients don’t work that way
And $675 for only 30 doses???
The study cited for the combination of CS and GLU working better than either alone, was done on cartilage taken from a trochlea
And WORSE, the study cited for “suppository uptake effectiveness is similar to IM or IV injections” was done on metronidazole, and ENTIRELY different product.
The ridiculousness of their “proof” alone turns me off LOL
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I wondered that very same thing!
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Thanks for that. The results they are claiming ARE similar to Adequan (for event prep). I do understand that the ingredients are not the same. I wondered how the body processes nutritients from a suppository, but it made sense to me that someone would research this since it bypasses stomach acid. I should have just asked AI, which gave me this answer:
No direct evidence that horses can extract nutrients from a suppository
[Horses have an innate appetite for fiber, and their digestive system is specialized to efficiently process and extract nutrients from their diet]
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Hi Cowgirl,
I have just started my 19 year old QH mare that I purchased a year ago on Flexsyn. She was only trail ridden, but had high/low hooves and is in general super, super stiff. She definitely has some arthritis in her pasterns. Since I had bought her I have had the vet out for acupuncture, and had body workers work on her. We got some improvement. 14 hours after her first dose of Flexsyn there was a marked difference. She moved more readily, more easily and fluent. Her attitude also had a slight change, she was more interested. I followed the loading dose and am now at maintenance. She continues to improve, moving better than at any other time during the year I have had her. Not only is she moving better, she is a lot less reluctant to move. During the loading phase (one suppository every 4 days for 3 doses) I could see she got a little stiffer after 3-4 days. But really promptly after about 12-14 hours of receiving her next does she had improved again. Now I don’t see that decline after 3-4 days anymore, suggesting it is cumulative. To JB Schoolmaster I can say that: try it. Because I can tell you I did see improvement in 14 hours after administration. I have a friend who is working with this mare. She hadn’t seen her in 2 weeks and was astounded at her improvement. Can’t tell you why, but it has worked.
Yes, they recommend that you observe your horse having a bowel movement and then administer the suppository. It absorbs within 15-20 minutes.
I saw my 19 year old mare transform through the use of this product. I took a leap of faith and tried it and it works. Can’t say whether it works for all horses, but it did for mine. Horses in general are way more efficient in absorbing minerals and nutrients from their digestive system than humans or dogs. I can tell you that 14 hours after her first suppository her decrease in reluctance to move was very noticeable and so was her improved attitude.
Can you point me to some research showing that?
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Thank you for sharing your experience, Smurf!
JB–I was unable to find any research that concludes that nutrients or supplements can be absorbed in the rectum of the horse. The majority of nutrients are absorbed through the small intestine where it is broken down into molecules that can be absorbed. The rectum doesn’t have a similar function (unless there are perhaps bacteria that can break down the nutrients into molecules). However, I did find research that indicates that some drugs may be administered to horses as a suppository and the drug dose is higher than orally due to the lack of bioavailability. Rectal Drug Administration - ScienceDirect
I don’t know where FlexSyn stands here. The ingredients listed are chondroprotective nutraceuticals, not molecules like, for example, is in Adequan. However, there does appear to be anecdotal evidence.
Hi JB,
No, I don’t have any specific studies. I studied horse nutrition under Dr. Kellon and I could look back into my lectures to find more details, but I am a bit short on time. Horses absorb minerals like magnesium oxide, zinc sulfate or copper sulfate really well. Whereas in humans, for example, magnesium oxide is poorly absorbed. There is no need for “fancy” or chelated mineral supplementation in horses for it to be effective. Also, in general, herbal dosages for horses are not proportionally bigger than those for humans. A horse’s effective dose would be at least ten times that of humans, but they are not. Dogs, for example, require a larger dose of herbs per kg of bodyweight than horses. I don’t know why that is, but it could suggest better utilization. I am a very research driven person myself, but what I have learned that just because some studies exist doesn’t make them true. I know that pharmaceutical companies tend to not fund research into supplements (and yes, they fund the universities doing the research). I work in the medical field and I can tell you that science is far from being able to explain the wonders of the mammalian body. Western perspective on medicine is often hindering meaningful research that does not fit into their view. That said, studies are important. I have found that there are numerous drugs that absorb well in the horse’s colon and others do not. So it is not impossible for drugs to be absorbed by the colon. They find out by measuring blood or tissue levels of the substance after administration. But you can only measure something if you have a test for it. How would you test hyaluronic acid, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate levels? Are they testing for the free substance or total (which includes chemically bound ones, that are not available to the body for use). I don’t know, just wondering if we even can measure it reliably. And just because it is in the blood does not mean it is available to the body. That is a fact very much so overlooked by Western medicine. Ask me how I know. Blood serum levels are a very poor indicator of what the body is actually using or is able to use. Bottom line is that is why I called it a leap of faith when I tried the product because studies supporting it are not there. But my vet who has competed for years, and his wife also, and who specializes in lameness in sport horses recommended it. So I tried it and I can say without a doubt (because I did not change any other variables) it has helped. I have tried another product from the same company that makes Flexsyn and have not observed measurable improvement. Maybe I didn’t give it enough time.
I just bought two doses and will trying them out soon (upcoming clinic).
I did a search on pub med and found a couple studies measuring the efficacy of rectally dosed medications. Not this specific product, not measuring the effectiveness. So far all I see are measurements of blood or urine pre and post and checking levels.
and
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35895797/ (this one does look at other measurements to gauge efficacy)
I wouldn’t expect there to be any 
I DO suspect there’s research showing certain medications can be effectively absorbed across that specific mucus membrane, but I’m not going down that rabbit hole (for now 
) For all I know, you could use dormosedan gel that way (but why would you?)
I know that mag ox is much better absorbed by horses than people. Do you have the research showing the others? That’s just 3 minerals, there are many others, so still not any implication here of “generally”
But horses required a lot smaller dose of firocoxib than dogs
HA serum levels have definitely been tested
I didn’t go look for CS
I’m not implying that directly correlates to effectiveness, I agree with you there, only that yes, you can absolutely test blood levels
But none of that means horses are “generally more efficient” in absorbing nutrients than people or dogs.
Medications are different from nutrients Every species evolves to absorb nutrients at various points along the way of its digestive system, and it wouldn’t make sense for any of that to be at the end where “useless” fecal matter is being expelled. I’m not say it can’t happen, just that it’s not likely it’s a lot of them or that it’s very effective.
There are definitely medications which are effectively absorbed transdermally, Lidocaine and metronidazole are 2, Things like dormosedan gel are absorbed as well, both through the mucus membranes and skin (which is why people need to not get it on them!) assuming they’re formulated for that. But there are many meds which are not absorbed either of those ways at all
Some nutrients can be absorbed transdermally, if they’re in the right form. Magnesium is one.
