Hows your horses Liver?

Have you wondered why you can have one horse affected by toxins and not others in the same herd? Or if your horse is overly sensitive to pasture toxins.  

A congested and sluggish liver and/or kidneys can be the underlying reason why one horse is impacted and another not.  

Recently Mimi my white Arab paint x developed mud fever on her pasterns.  She has never presented with this previously in the 10 years or so she has been with me, so i was a little shocked!.  None of her herd mates with white socks developed any.  She receives Foundation + Assist, however over the holiday period she didn’t receive this 6-7 days a week like normal (bad horse mum!).  With both back on board daily and together with a round of James Hart Detox 10ml daily and a couple of sporadic applications of Equine Super Goo and a quick impromptu partial Bowen treatment, the mud fever is vanishing.  

Rather than going through the motions of 10 different lotions or washes to deal with the external symptom, i looked to what imbalance is happening internally to create this. So why her and no-one else? Mimi injured her leg badly 18 months ago and had prescribed medications - topical and ingested to help with the initial pain and then preventing proud flesh.  These can take a toll on the cleansing or filter organs in the body if not addressed, combined with the assault of pasture toxins - creates congestion that needs help to move.  I usually do a Detox treatment a couple of times a year, but some horses require a little extra depending on their exposure to toxins (of any kind). Think of the filter in your washing machine - it accumulates gunk over time and eventually it gets so clogged it can’t do its job properly, unless it is regularly cleaned.

The HHIO recommended herbal detox product is James Hart Detox, but any good quality herbal detox - ideally tincture as they are faster absorbing, will help keep your horses liver and kidneys healthy and able to better manage the toxin load they are subjected to everyday.

In my experience, the one most commonly overlooked toxin related symptom is a cough.  If your horse has a cough that is unresolved or has developed a cough this can very likely point to a toxin related issue. You can learn more about fungal toxins here, how they affect your horse and what other symptoms you may see and how to address it.