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Conventional Care for Horses
Author: Dr. Madalyn Ward, DVM [Back to Article List]
Article:
After years of practicing both conventional and holistic
medicine for horses, I decided to compare the cost,
effectiveness, and net results of managing and treating horses
holistically versus conventionally.
In this article I compare results for the average trail horse
that is ridden about 2-3 times a week. I have used average feed
and veterinary costs for my area (Austin, Texas), and drug and
supplement costs from a major horse supply catalog.
I then discuss the issues related to each area of care,
including feed, supplements, vaccines, dewormers, and first aid.
Stay tuned for different profiles in coming months, when I will
compare horses in difference disciplines, young horses, older
horses, and broodmares.
>>> Holistic Horse <<< Oats (2 lbs/day): $131 Hay (3
bales/week): $780 Super Blue Green Algae (1-2 tsp/day): $156
VEWT, West Nile Vaccinations: $48 Spectrabiotic Natural Wormer:
$115 2 Fecal Exams: $32 Acidophilus (for occasional immune
support): $7 TOTAL ANNUAL COST: $1269
>>> Conventional Horse <<< Oats (4 lbs/day): $262 Hay (2
bales/week): $520 Hoof Supplements and Dressings ($30/month):
$360 VEWT, West Nile, Flue, Rhino, Rabies Vaccinations: $80
Dewormer (6 times/year): $92 2 Bottles Penicillin: $20 A Course
of Sulfa Antibiotics: $32 Fecal Exams: $32 12 Grams Bute: $10
TOTAL ANNUAL COST: $1408
COST DIFFERENCE: Holistic care costs $139 less per year DAYS OFF
FOR ILLNESS: 3 days for holistic care versus 21 days for
conventional care
<><> Feed Costs <><> Grain is slightly cheaper to feed and
easier to store than hay, which makes the conventional horse
slightly cheaper to feed on the one hand. On the other hand, the
holistic horse, which has access to more hay, stays happy and
entertained and is less likely to develop expensive habits and
vices such as chewing on wood, cribbing, or weaving.
<><> Supplements <><> In the past, hay and oats provided all the
nutrition a horse needed, but these days common farming
practices do not produce feeds that are high in vitamins and
minerals. Hoof quality is the first area to be affected by such
poor nutrition, and few horses can maintain healthy feet on a
diet of hay and oats alone. If you doubt this, just check any
horse supply catalog. The one I checked offered 22 topical hoof
conditioners and 28 separate supplements. Cell Tech's Super Blue
Green Algae offers a wide range of vitamins, minerals, amino
acids, and antioxidants in a whole food form. It is inexpensive
to feed, promotes healthy feet, and supports the horse in all
aspects of health.
<><> Vaccines <><> Some people will choose not to vaccinate at
all while others will choose to use more vaccines than the ones
I've listed in the trail horse comparison. I believe that
over-vaccination is one of the most common triggers for chronic
diseases such as laminitis and uveitis, and contributes to
allergic conditions. Stressing the horse's system with
over-vaccination can also affect the digestive system, leading
to mineral deficiencies. Stress also decreases the amount of
healthy bacterial flora in the gut, increasing the likelihood of
colic.
<><> Dewormers <><> We are fortunate to have some fairly safe
chemical dewormers such as Pyrantel and Fenbendazole, yet some
people still prefer using natural products to support the
horse's digestive and immune systems rather than using chemical
dewormers. Regardless of which method you use, it is wise to
double check your program with fecal exams at least twice a year.
<><> First Aid <><> When I practiced strictly conventional
medicine I found that most horses suffered from minor injuries
or infections at least several times a year. These minor
emergencies kept me busy, and because they were so common most
of my clients started keeping drugs on hand and learned to treat
these conditions themselves.
When I began to treat my patients more holistically, with fewer
vaccines and better nutrition (including the use of probiotics
such as Acidophilus), I noticed that the horses had less and
less need for drugs. My patients no longer needed bute or
antibiotics for minor cuts and punctures. These wounds healed
quickly and easily with no loss of riding time. Gone also was
the aggravating chronic nasal discharge that often kept horses
out of work for weeks at a time.
A holistically managed horse with a healthy immune system will
often run a fever for a short period of time when exposed to a
virus or bacteria. This response slows the pathogen's growth and
deprives it of nutrients. A short course of probiotics will help
support the horse during this time. Once the fever breaks, the
horse bounces back quickly with little nasal discharge or cough.
These horses then go right back to work without concern about
relapse. Conventionally managed horses taking
anti-inflammatories and antibiotics will often get better in the
short term, but then relapse or develop a chronic nasal
discharge.
<><> The Results Are In! <><> The trail horse example I have
used above precisely demonstrates what I have experienced in my
practice. While it costs about the same to manage a horse either
conventionally or holistically, I've found that holistically
managed horses are much healthier overall, which means fewer
chronic problems and more days of riding time. In fact,
conventionally managed horses have about 7 times the number of
sick days as holistically managed horses.
About the author:
Madalyn Ward, DVM, co-author of "Holistic Treatment of Chronic
Lamintis", is certified in Veterinary Homeopathy, Chiropractic
and Acupuncture. Through her website, Holistic Horsekeeping,
(http://www.holistichorsekeeping.com), she publishes a free
monthly newsletter, offers the Healthy, Happy Horse resource
group, e-books, holistic horsecare products and information for
horse and mule owners.
Disclaimer
Opinions expressed in articles on this website are those of the author(s)
of each story or article and not necessarily those of Shadow
Ridge. Shadow Ridge does not necessarily agree with, support, or
endorse any definitions, treatments, opinions or statistics stated by
these authors. They are entirely responsible for the content of their
respective story(s) or article(s).
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