Herbal Horse | Local business

Herbal Horse

Phone: +61 408 896 041

Add/Update information

Reviews

Tags

• Local business

23.01.2022 In case any one is keen to help, or may need some help. Herbal Horse will donate $5 from every bottle of my colic formula, While you Wait, sold between now and when Thomas and Vee leave.

22.01.2022 It’s my birthday, so you save on my well used colic formula...

21.01.2022 For the second time in a fortnight this week, our gastroscopy service at EVDS has proved that not every horse with symptoms of gastric ulcers should simply be ...treated without evidence through scoping. This horse an 8 yo stock horse gelding , had a dull rough coat, 9 ribs showing , would seem hungry but then stand for 5 hours without eating grass. He also didn’t want to eat his carrots and was girthy. The option to just treat him properly for gastric ulcers was considered and would cost upwards of $600 for 4-8 weeks of treatment. But the better option of scoping him was chosen and revealed that he did not have ANY ulcers - in the pylorus or non glandular stomach - but he had a gastric impaction ! Gastric impaction is diagnosed as a hard ball of feed that should have passed after a suitable period of fasting. This horse had the standard pre-scoping protocol of fasting for 18 hrs and no water for 6 hrs. His stomach should have been close to empty! Gastric impactions can last weeks to months and cause symptoms similar to stomach ulcers. Causative factors include gulping/rushing of feed, feeds that swell, teeth problems, and stalky hay/straw being fed. This horse had 3 of those factors, plus was only been fed once daily in a paddock with little grass. Treatment of these involves administering large volumes of diet coke and water , over several hours to days, and rescoping until the hard ball has dissolved and passed. This horse received 4.75 ltrs of diet coke over 3 tubings and 4 hours and that did the trick. He was scoped again yesterday to check his pylorus and non glandular stomach and all was good. No impaction. The reason diet coke works is that is has a pH of 2.6 from the phosphoric and carbonic acid, so the acid, along with the bubbles, help to penetrate and break up the cellulose fibre impaction. Regular coke has far too much sugar and could cause the horse to get laminitis. There were NO ill effects from the diet coke or the scoping and fasting procedure. Even within a week, this horse’s coat, body condition and energy levels have improved a lot. He has continued to gain weight and be very healthy in the 3 wks following the treatment. If you have found this post interesting and would like to see more like it, PLEASE LIKE our Facebook Page.

21.01.2022 Handy info to know.

19.01.2022 A chance to save some dollars on this great product, that is proving itself to be a very valuable item, in everyone first aid kit.

18.01.2022 A good video for those that use rope halters.

18.01.2022 What is the longest a horse can safely go without food? More and more I see horses and ponies stood for long periods of time with no hay or haylage. Usually un...der the guise of a weight control diet. So how long can a horse be without food before damage is done? And what damage is done? For those with a short attention span, I’ll give you the answer to begin with - 4 hours, maximum. Why? Horses are grazers. They are designed to eat constantly. They have no way of storing their acids and digestive enzymes, they’ve never needed to. They have no gall bladder to store bile and their stomachs release acid constantly, whether or not there is food in the stomach and intestines. A horses stomach only holds approximately 8-15 litres. Depending on the substance eaten, it takes on average 4-6 hours for the stomach to completely empty. After this, the acids and enzymes start to digest the inside of the horses stomach and then the intestines. This causes both gastric and intestinal ulceration. It has been estimated that 25-50% of foals and 60-90% of adult horses suffer from ulceration. But I won’t go into detail about this, there is a lot of information around about ulcers. So is that it? Are ulcers the only concern? No, having an empty stomach is a stress situation for a horse. The longer they are starved, the more they release stress hormones, cortisol predominantly. Cortisol blocks insulin and causes a constantly high blood glucose level. This stimulates the body to release even more insulin, and in turn this causes fat tissue to be deposited and leptin resistance. Over time this causes insulin resistance (Equine Metabolic Syndrome). All of these mechanisms are well known risk factors for laminitis and are caused by short term starvation (starting roughly 3-4 hours after the stomach empties). Starving a laminitic is literally the worst thing you can do. Over longer periods, this also starts to affect muscle and can cause weakness, and a lack of stamina so performance horses also need a constant supply of hay/haylage to function optimally. Let’s not forget horses are living, breathing and feeling animals. We talk about this stress reaction like it’s just internal but the horse is well aware of this stress. Door kicking, box walking, barging and many other stable vices and poor behaviour can be explained by a very stressed horse due to food deprivation (we all have that Hangry friend to explain this reaction). Next time you shout or hit a horse that dives for their net, remember their body is genuinely telling them they are going to starve to death. They know no different. But surely they spend the night asleep so they wouldn’t eat anyway? Not true. Horses only need 20mins REM sleep every 24 hours (jealous? I am!). They may spend a further hour or so dozing but up to 22-23 hours a day are spent eating. So if you leave your horse a net at 5pm and it’s gone by 8pm, then by 12am their stomach is empty. By 4am they are entering starvation mode. By their next feed at 8am, they are extremely stressed, physically and mentally. Now I know the cob owners are reading this mortified. I can almost hear you shouting at your screen if I feed my horse ad lib hay he won’t fit out the stable door in a week!! I will say that a horse with a constant supply of hay/haylage will eat far less then the same horse that is intermittently starved. They don’t eat in a frenzy, reducing the chance of colic from both ulcers and over eating. Cobs included. However I’m not suggesting you sit your cob in front of a bale of haylage and say have at it! There is a difference between ad lib and a constant supply. There is much we can do to reduce calorie intake and control weight whilst feeding a constant supply. The easiest is small holes nets. There are many. Trickle nets, greedy feeders, nibbleze, trawler nets etc. My personal favourite is the Shires Soft Mesh 1. They don’t cost the Earth, they are easy to fill and they don’t have knots so are much gentler to the teeth. Now often I suggest these types of nets to owners and the owner tells me Oh no, *** won’t eat out of those this is nonsense. If he was left it, he would. Remember, you can give a normal net and one of these for them to nibble at after. Better than leaving them with nothing at all. A few other tricks, hang the net from the ceiling/rafters, it’s harder to eat out of a net that swings. Soak the hay, a minimum of 4 hours to be effective. Mix with straw but be sure to introduce the straw slowly and make sure it’s top quality and a palatable type eg Barley or Oat, otherwise they won’t eat it. Don’t forget exercise. The best way to get weight off a horse is exercise. Enough exercise and they can eat what they want! And lay off the bucket feed and treats! Horses on a diet require a vit/min supplement in the form of a balancer but that’s it. The odd slice of carrot or suede won’t do any harm but no licks, treats, treacle, molasses, cereal based rubbish. Even if it says low sugar or the marvellously misleading No added sugar! Your horse would rather have a constant supply of hay, I promise. Written by Vikki Fowler BVetMed BAEDT MRCVS A few edits for the critics- Firstly, feeding a constant supply does not mean ad lib feeding. It means use some ingenuity and spread the recommended amount of daily forage so the horse is never stood with out food for more than 4 hours. I am not promoting obesity, quite the opposite, feeding like this reduces obesity and IR. This can be done whilst feeding your horse twice a day as most horse owners do. Just think outside the box for your own situation. Secondly I am in the UK and this post is UK specific, use some common sense when reading. Yes in warmer climates, soaking hay for 4 hours is dangerous and studies show 1 hour is plenty in hot weather but in the UK’s arctic climate, a minimum of 4 hours is required. Equally the UK feed exclusively grass hay. I can not comment on other types. Thirdly, yes every horse/pony and situation is different, but this is a law of nature and all horses have this anatomy and metabolism. How you achieve this constant supply is individual, the need for it is not. Fourthly, the use of hay nets in the UK is very very high. I’d estimate 95% of horses I see are fed this way and very very few have incisor wear or neck/back issues as a result. Yes, feeding from the ground is ideal, but a constant supply, I feel trumps this. Again with ingenuity both can be safely achieved. Finally, straw can be fed to horses safely, introduced very slowly, with fresh water always available, plus a palatable and digestible type of straw which will depend on your area. Again many horses in the UK are bedded on straw and most of them eat it. This is not a new concept to us.

17.01.2022 Shop online here - https://whileyouwait.myshopify.com/

16.01.2022 Only a few hours left...

16.01.2022 Don’t wait until you need it to wish you already had it...

14.01.2022 A good time to get some of this colic formula for the first aid kit. Has been used in conjunction with veterinary meds, has a long shelf life and is super simple to use.

13.01.2022 Something I’ve always said... chemicals sprayed on to our horses feeds/hay, may have residual effects and can cause other issues. I always like to give mine a liver cleanse as well.

09.01.2022 I do love hearing good reports about WYY. It is such a useful product to have on hand, I can’t believe more people don’t have it for emergencies, or even when... the horse is just off colour. For $55/50ml or $88/100ml, includes free postage Aus wide and Afterpay, LayBuy, PayPal and Credit Card are all available. https://whileyouwait.myshopify.com/ Thank you Donna for your feedback. Hey I have just used you formula, for the first time, on my 17 WB, who was projectile pooping and had cramping stomachs contractions and within 10-15 minutes he had had a firmer motion and had stopped contracting and was so much calmer and less stressed. Within 30 minutes he was back to normal and eating hay. Just thought I’d let you know how impressed I was with your product. Thank You

07.01.2022 Get in quick and save... It may also save you a vet bill and possibly your horse.

07.01.2022 ALL GONE... but keep an eye out for other specials in the near future. *** ONLY 2 BOTTLES LEFT *** 120ml/$70, including post Aus wide, when you enter BLUE as the discount code... only 4 bottles left!!!!... https://whileyouwait.myshopify.com/discount/BLUE

06.01.2022 I do love this formula. Simple yet effective... Order here... https://whileyouwait.myshopify.com/

05.01.2022 Horses don’t care if you compete, just walk/trot etc... as long as you treat them well and have their best interests/health at heart, it shouldn’t concern anyone else what you do with your horse.

04.01.2022 For a bit of light hearted humour, here’s a good friend of mine doing her version of the Git Up Challenge. I think she’s done a damn good job of it.

03.01.2022 Now with the devastating fires, this fundraiser is even more needed for those suffering. Don’t forget that Herbal Horse will donate $5 from every bottle of my colic formula, While you Wait, sold between now and when Thomas and Vee leave. Order here ... https://whileyouwait.myshopify.com/ Afterpay and Laybuy are both available.

02.01.2022 Gotta love Friday the 13th... time to share the love with a flash sale.

01.01.2022 A very handy product to have in the cupboard.