The Science Behind Equine Inflammation Management Supplements

By Angela Kennedy


The inflammatory response is an immune system reaction to invading microorganisms. It also occurs following tissue injury. The purpose of inflammation is to eliminate the cause of the tissue injury, remove damaged cells, and begin the healing process. The symptoms of inflammation are redness, pain, heat, loss of function, and swelling. It is possible to have too much of a good thing; more animals (including humans) die from inflammatory disease more than any other disease process. Equine inflammation management supplements may help temper the response before it causes permanent damage.

Both the small blood vessels and two types of white blood cells, the neutrophils and monocytes, are involved in the process. The bore of the blood cells enlarges, which results in an increase in both the speed and volume of blood flowing to the scene of the accident. This explains the heat and redness. The blood vessels also become more permeable, promoting leakage of water and large proteins; this process causes the observed swelling.

Along with changes in the caliber and permeability of the blood vessels, the white blood cells are doing their own thing. Some of the white cells leave the circulation and stick to the blood vessels in the affected area. They work their way outside the blood vessels and into the surrounding fluid, where they adhere to dead or injured cells. The cells then wrap themselves around the debris and neutralize it by secreting chemicals.

It doesn't take a massive injury or an extraordinary event to trigger an inflammatory response. Your horse is routinely exposed to background radiation, extremes of heat or cold, mechanical trauma, and a continuing assault by microbes. Generally, this response is geared to recognize what belongs to the horse and what is assaulting it from outside. Sometimes these controls fail and an autoimmune condition results.

Fibromyalgia is an autoimmune condition that is sweeping through western adult populations. As many as six million Americans have been diagnosed with FM; many more go undetected. The symptoms of FB include pain, sleep disturbances, debilitating fatigue, and intestinal dysfunction. Equine Fibromyalgia Syndrome and the human form are generally identical.

If inflammation goes on to long, it can cause permanent damage and serious discomfort for your horse. If this occurs, your vet may prescribe a number of different medications. You, too, can help. There are nutritional supplements out there like devil's claw, chondroitin sulfate, glucosamine, yucca and hyaluronic acid.

Devil's claw contains chemicals that ease pain by reducing swelling. Yucca, a plant native to Mexico, contains saponins, which reduce inflammation by suppressing parasites that dwell normally in the intestine. It also contains antioxidants and scavengers of free radicals. Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are building blocks of cartilage, while hyaluronic acid lubricates joints.

Your horse is vulnerable to the process of inflammation by its mere existence in this harsh world. By giving him nutritional supplements like those discussed above, you can help to keep him comfortable and reduce the likelihood of permanent tissue damage. Always consult your vet first before starting your horse on any additional new treatment.




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