What can COTH tell me about this product? Got a big bucket of it for free, thinking about trying it. It’s essentially bentonite clay - so in a way, I feel like I’d be feeding him cat litter… :lol:
I’m a little skeptical of the “ulcer relief” label, but I have a guy that I just really upped the work load on after a nice winter of just walk/trot. I’m wondering if I should give it to him on the premise alone that his workload has increased and we will be competing soon. But the more literature I read the more it sounds like a calming product? Horse in question doesn’t need to be more calm… http://www.redmondequine.com/shop/daily-gold-stress-relief-25lbs/
Well the good news is, if it doesn’t do anything as a supplement, you can mix it with water and make a poultice or add it to your cat’s litter for extra clumping.
[QUOTE=Texarkana;8575983]
Well the good news is, if it doesn’t do anything as a supplement, you can mix it with water and make a poultice or add it to your cat’s litter for extra clumping. :)[/QUOTE]
LOL. I was just sitting here looking at the freebie pack of this stuff that I got at a horse expo in the fall . . . and thinking I should post to COTH to see if anyone else thinks feeding bentonite clay would be good for ulcers or digestion?
“Unique molecules attract and bind toxins that cause stomach trouble”: that is the sort of claim that makes me wary
and it is also supposed to lower the acid level.
A quick Google shows that kaolin clay (similar to bentonite) was used in the past for antacids and diarrhea (hence the name kaopectate) but has been replaced by other substances for human use. All the top hits for bentonite are from natural foods/natural medicine sites.
[QUOTE=Scribbler;8576043]
LOL. I was just sitting here looking at the freebie pack of this stuff that I got at a horse expo in the fall . . . and thinking I should post to COTH to see if anyone else thinks feeding bentonite clay would be good for ulcers or digestion?
“Unique molecules attract and bind toxins that cause stomach trouble”: that is the sort of claim that makes me wary
and it is also supposed to lower the acid level.
A quick Google shows that kaolin clay (similar to bentonite) was used in the past for antacids and diarrhea (hence the name kaopectate) but has been replaced by other substances for human use. All the top hits for bentonite are from natural foods/natural medicine sites.[/QUOTE]
Yes - their claims don’t exactly hold water, do they? I prefer the type of supplement that provides boring, tome-like literature to the supplements that offer arid, vague claims of greatness.
Since I have it, I’m feeding it one way or another. Once I’m out I will let the COTH population know!
I got a free sample of it a few years ago. I also got the rock, which was a clay rock too I guess?
I tried it on my gelding who was on stall rest at the time. He would go out and graze and eat a massive pile of dirt which concerned me at the time. He was on ulcer meds so that shouldn’t have been the issue. Anyway he wouldnt touch the brick but ate the supplement. He stopped eating dirt so I guess it worked for that. Otherwise I didnt see much of a change.
I’ve had experience with bentonite clay. Many years ago, my horse was displaying some classic ulcer symptoms. Ulcers weren’t discussed as widely as they are these days, omeprazole wasn’t on my radar, so I opted to try bentonite clay. Did a full 8 or 10 week course, including tapering on and off, and my horse responded REALLY well to it.
About a year later, same horse experienced a succession of stressful situations - off the farm trips, increased training, colic resulting from vaccinations, etc. I worried about a flare up, I had some left over clay, so I gave him a short course.
A few months later, during a hot September, my horse rather suddenly started displaying signs of extreme fatigue and panting. Turned out to be thumps, which pointed towards an electrolyte imbalance.
I truly have no idea what caused the imbalance, but I always wondered in the back of my mind if the sudden short course of bentonite clay could have caused it.
I would follow the manufacturer’s directions explicitly.
I feed both the Redmond Rock salt, and have fed the stress Relief. I notice when she runs out of the rock in her stall, and shes on the stress relief during the summer with the increased work load and travel, and I’ve noticed a difference.
[QUOTE=DoubleDown;8576875]
I feed both the Redmond Rock salt, and have fed the stress Relief. I notice when she runs out of the rock in her stall, and shes on the stress relief during the summer with the increased work load and travel, and I’ve noticed a difference.[/QUOTE]
Curious as to how fast your horse goes through her Redmond Rock salt lick? Mine can finish up the seven pound block in eight weeks, and she is also getting a tablespoon of plain salt in her mash every night. So she is putting away about a pound of salt a week! Winter and summer. She is totally healthy, I think she just likes having something in her mouth.
I think I have the only horses on the planet who don’t like their Redmond rock salt lick.
I bought one on a rope and hung it up in the shed two years ago. Still there… yet they’ve gone through at least four large white salt blocks outside and another brand’s small mineral block. shrug
Curious as to how fast your horse goes through her Redmond Rock salt lick? Mine can finish up the seven pound block in eight weeks, and she is also getting a tablespoon of plain salt in her mash every night. So she is putting away about a pound of salt a week! Winter and summer. She is totally healthy, I think she just likes having something in her mouth.
the first couple of times I gave it to her, it lasted MAYBE 4 weeks which the rep told me is about normal. Now they last her about 2-3 months depending on the time of year. Just got her a new one today in fact.
I know this thread is old, but was looking for others’ experience with the daily gold stress relief - I noticed a difference in terms of classic “ulcer-pain” behavior in my OTTB. When I first got him almost 5 yrs ago, I treated him twice for ulcers (omeprazole and ranitidine with tums) - the ranitidine and tums did the trick. Over time, he would display the “ulcer” discomfort and be super girthy off and on - not really sure the trigger. He has an easy leisurely life in a 3/4 acre pasture with a pasture buddy, 24/7 grass hay and alfalfa 3x/day… - pretty chill life… his tell tale sign is if you barely touch his chest, he nips rather violently at his chest - it hurts to even be touched. I have had 2 farriers “swear” by this stuff so I tried it - and I was impressed - two days after starting this I noticed a difference and I started slow, and now that I am at the daily recommneded (2 ounces/day) - I can touch his chest and girth area - I can actually brush under his tummy!
My mare was touchy on her chest for a while but I think it was very tight pectorals. They actually felt knotted up. Over time with occasional leg stretches and massage they loosened up.
Nope, that’s a behavioral issue. Horses don’t like when you are in their chest area as they can’t see that area because of the location of their eyes. These same horse will put their ears back when you duck under their necks. You literally disappear from view in one eye and pop up in the other eye. It’s just a weird vision thing. When you touch their chest, they have no visual “warning” that you are going to touch their chest, hence the reaction.
You can fix the pissy attitude in a horse that has ulcers. You are not doing anything to cause the ulcers to bother them more or less just by putting a blanket on or touching them. Since you are not causing pain, you can get rid of the behavior pretty quickly.
Uhhh. Nope, it’s a physical issue. Girthiness is a symptom of ulcers. It’s not a “pissy attitude”.
While some cases may need to be addressed behaviorally, it is a physical issue that manifests because of a physical problem. It has nothing to do with their behavior, them not being able to see you, whatever - it has to do with how sore they are and you’re doing something that hurts them.
Being girthy is not, in the realm of things, something you should ever punish a horse for. At that point you’re just fueling the fire and not addressing the root of the cause, which is physical discomfort. They’re telling you in the only way they know how that they’re in pain. They don’t need an “attitude adjustment”, they need a management adjustment.
Punishing a horse for expressing it is in pain is a great way to make a defensive, reactive horse.
I don’t punish horses for pinning their ears. YMMV, but I’ve never found or seen it fix anything even with excellent trainers - of course, I would love to hear how you Magickally fixed a “behavioral” issue such as girthiness that was caused by ulcers. My experience has been no amount of discipline works, you need to fix the underlying problem which is pain.
They’re expressing an opinion, which they are allowed to have especially if what you’re doing is hurting them.
I’d say by my envelope estimations, 90% of the time once you treat the ulcers with omeprazole and/or raniditine/sucralfates, the girthiness around the flank and chest goes away. Not because you magically fixed their behavioral issues, but because you fixed the physical discomfort and the horse no longer has a reason to express they’re in pain.
re: “You’re not doing anything to bother them more or less by touching them” - this statement really suggests you have no experience at all with horses with ulcers. Everything hurts when you have an ulcer. Tightening up a girth definitely hurts a really ulcery horse. As does putting on blankets.
Ulcers really hurt and the pain is not limited to the stomach. They also affect the entire body much more than people realize. I’ve had (boarder) horses with major ulcers have really bad back pain that cleared up after a round of UG/GG. Some others have really sensitive chest and barrels, probably because they hold themselves a specific way to protect their stomach and in doing so, cause major body soreness.
Hmmm, no. Ulcers do not cause chest sensitivity. But we will just agree to disagree, and I will successfully use humane and ethical training methods to get a horse to be calm and well mannered, and you can do what you do successfully.
I can’t imagine the environment you are in that so many horses have ulcers and so many horses are so miserable that they hurt all over. Those poor horses. Especially if you are causing so much pain just by putting tack on them.
I hang out at the racetrack where probably some of the horses have ulcers, horse shows, where probably some of the horses do have ulcers, and with my own little herd, which probably don’t have ulcers. We use humane and ethical training methods to deal with the behaviors, and if ulcers are suspected, they get treated for ulcers. We’ve had horses with confirmed ulcers who absolutely do not hurt all over and you can touch them where you want without them getting upset. They stay in training and get handled just like all the other horses. Over the past 4 decades I don’t know how many horse’s I’ve been involved with that have ulcers - I don’t keep count. But our horses don’t behave in the miserable manner you describe, so maybe I missed something.
I’m starting to think you’ve never touched a horse if you argue that an ulcery horse can’t possibly be sore anywhere but the stomach. I’ve known enough horses with ulcers (scoped) to know that one of the things really ulcery horses don’t like is blanketing.
YMMV. I’ve worked in UL barns and they work just as hard, if not harder, than race horses and ulcers is unfortunately part and parcel with UL, extreme work and stalled, controlled living.
I like that you try to put ad hominems in my management but perhaps the difference with you and I is that I am surrounded by conscientious people that scope & treat their horses when they notice their horse’s behavior change. You’d be surprised how many working horses have ulcers… and race horses are hardly free from ulcers – most race horses have ulcers. They live one of the most ulcer-inducing lives there is: young, extreme workload, limited turnout, high octane feed… so I hardly think that ulcers aren’t common where you are; rather, it just must be a subject you know very little about since you don’t recognize the signs, how could you recognize a horse purportedly in your care does/does not have ulcers?
You continue doing you, but I also remember you’re the person that thinks a flipper is the same as a rearer (among other things), so I should probably just quit while I’m ahead.
