Milo already receives Cosequin ASU for joint support, as advised by the vet after our boughts with sore hocks. But he receives no other nutritional or mineral aid, aside from his white salt lick, that is still only a quarter licked down in over a year and a half. I asked Sarah to help me make an educational choice for what path to start Milo on.
Sarah checked over Milo's "points" after our lesson last Friday. She came to determine that he is "a little warm" (ie the liver, I believe) but not hot. "Low on magnesium," as she held her hand on the underside of his rear belly, and "Pretty good in calcium," with her hand at his girth. I wish I had magic fingers like that! Joking aside, I know there is a practice behind this and years of education to back her findings.
What will be the nutritional route for Milo then? Milo needs to have a thirty day detoxifying cleanse, provided by Dynamite's Excel™. From Dynamite's site, "Excel is a digestion catalyst, toxin neutralizer and pH stabilizer". Sounds good and makes sense. Who knows what is going on his Milo's digestive tracts and the knowledge of a "fresh slate" is a great place to begin in my road to health with him. I plan to be the most imformed and proactive horse owner I can afford to be. Knowing what is in my horse's system, what can benefit or hinder him, as well as a chronological account for everything is something I strive to have for him
Supplementing the digestive, toxic, and pH balancing and cleanse, is Dyna-Pro™. "A biological feed additive to maximize digetive efficiency." A probiotic, these microbes assist in vitamin production and help prevent harmful bacteria from entering and multiplying in the digestive tract. It is a great additive after antiparasite products have been in place. Now's a great time to start getting Milo on track with these products as it coincides with my new-found parastie control schedule depicted in my post, A Chat With The Vet - Parasites. The Dyna-Pro™ is to be used in conjucton with the Dynamite Excel™ in the thirty day detoxifying cleanse.
What about regular vitamins, and those needed to supplement Milo's apparent low magnesium and calcium levels? Thats where the original Dynamite® for Horses comes into play. Their "high selenium supplement" it is favored for use in "hard-working" horses. Now if Milo is considered one of those "hard-working" horses I'm not sure. However, I can attest to the fact that he is worked at minimum four times a week with routine exercises demanding physical labor. Does this fall into their category of a hard working horse? Hard to tell. But versus their Dynamite Plus™ supplement, this is the one adviced for Milo from Sarah. A whole slew of ingredients decorate it's nutrition label, but most striking for Milo's case is the needed Calcium at 4.3% per pound (4300mg) guaranteed and Calcium Max inclusive of Biotin at 5.0% per pound (200 mcg), and Magnesium with Vitamin B6 at 0.75% (160mg). Not the high levels of Magnesium as provided for Calcium, however. We may still need to supplement something else for the magnesium levels. Will this new proactive route for Milo's health break the bank? I dont think so. Excel™ in its smallest container of one pound offers 90 scoops, only a half scoop (teaspoon) recommended daily. This makes for 180 days of product, priced at $26.00 a pound breaks down to only $0.14 a day. Not to mention, I really only need thirty days for cleansing, which means (so long as expiration doesnt impede) the product could be used again in the fall, when another suggestive digestive cleanse could be anticipated, as well as a third time in the Spring. Thats a lot of bang for $26.00.
Dyna-Pro™ is cost effective as well, with a maintenance route of only 3 ml daily, suggested, by Sarah, for a period of thirty days. The smallest portion is in 16 oz/472 ml. That makes 157 maintenance servings, for only $0.22 daily. Again, a large "bang for buck" at $34.95, which also can be drug throughout three worming seasons (a year and a half) so long as experations allow.
Dynamite® retails at $45.00 for a five pound container with a recommendation of 1 scoop daily, 75 scoops in the five pound container. I had been told by a fellow Dynamite user that she only feeds it roughly 4-5 times per week, as she believes it isnt needed as an every day provider. If this is the case, of course, it would last somewhat longer. But based on the math that the company provides, 75 scoops per $45.00 five pound container makes it $0.60 a day. Not a bad price considering I spend $2.00 daily on his Cosequin ASU.
What would this total to for a daily payment? Well, inclusive of the thirty day cleanse, it makes it almost a dollar a day at $0.96, $2.96 inclusive of his already receiving joint supplement, totaling $88.80 a month (this is the thirty day cleanse). That sounds like a lot, but since Im already spending $60.00 on joint supplements alone, $28.80 is the addition of the Dynamite products, only a third of what I'm currently spending monthly.
At a maintenance level at only ten months out of the year, as two months given as cleansing in conjuction with worming schedule, this route (inclusive of current joint supplement) costs $2.60 daily, and $78 montly. Only a $10.80 change for a cleansing month, that sounds extremely do-able. Now if only I can find a joint supplement that is as inexpensive, and as productive, as the Cosequin ASU, then my financial worries wouldnt be existent! For that reason, I do not want to add up yearly costs.
So, the first step is to cleanse Milo with the Excel™ and Dyna-Pro™ in a span of thirty days. Sarah said to coincide this with the full moon, which is when cells are most open and maliable, open to change and cleansing. A fellow boarder is picking up more Dynamite products from a local supplier on Friday, so I can officially start him either Friday if the times work out, or Saturday when I'm out to help with the barn's Spring Cleaning. Saturday marks the day before a half moon, nine days later a full (which is where I would then worm with half a tube) then finish the cleanse. Unless I wait until May first, where the full moon cycle will be exactly halfway through the cleanse. Not sure which route is better....but in any case, I need to get the fecal examination done for Milo to inform which wormer I need to use on the full moon. Its just so dang hard when Milo is kept with Jake, I literally have to wait until I see it drop from his rear, then make it out to the vet clinic within two days, refrigeration needed as necessary.
I don't put this much effort (even a quarter of this effort) into my own health! Such is life with horses, right?
3 comments:
I tend to take better care of my horses than myself too. I guess that's probably not good when they depend on us for their careso they wouldn't be in a good place without us BUT it's hard to remember that sometimes when the dollars are tight.
I'm the same way too! It just feels better when I'm spending the money on my horse instead of me. Sounds like a good plan for Milo. I've taken a much bigger interest in Lilly's nutritional needs as well. We never stop learning, do we?
Story, I actually want to become an Equine Nutritionist! After getting my AAS degree, then hopefully my BA (in Social Sciences, major in English minor in Criminal Justice) then I want to find a few courses to get a certification in Equine Nutrition. I think I would love having it as a side business!!
Post a Comment