So, I was browsing (see: hogging) the horse magazines at the library yesterday, and I came across a short article in Equus (I think) from March or April that talked about how scientists/researchers at the U of Calgary and U of Alberta had discovered that a treatment for laminitis may exist in horse spit!
Basically, it seems that some stuff in the saliva acts as a sort of natural anti-inflammatory (NSAID). How cool! Has anyone heard anything else about this/any more advancements? What do you think about it?
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Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby, to be picked up and laid down like a game of Solitaire. It is a grand passion. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
I hadn't heard about the horse spit thing, but gee what's a horse to do, lick his own boots?lol
I have been doing a bit of research about inflammation, which is involved in laminitis, in humans for my own interest as I have problems with muscle, joints etc. I have discovered quite a bit of research about certain kinds of fibre in the diet, combined with low fat. I was interested because the findings seem to jive with what is known about horses, cool eh? So if mice (or presumably horses and people) eat the right high fibre diet, and keep dietary fat low, and don't carry too much abdominal fat, there accumulates certain bacteria which use the fibre to produce anti inflammatory chemicals, also blood is kept flowing better, and inflammation is reduced. Well that seems to be it, although I may not be explaining it very well. It sort of explains why they think grains, plant sugars, and fat may mess up some horses systems to contribute to laminitis. Personally I think the diet is helping me somewhat, but I haven't been on it for very long, so can't be sure. No, I'm not eating hay, but it sure is different than my usual diet. It probably also goes without saying that the best diet in the world won't help a human couch potato or a horse who is standing in his stall all day. We all need to move throughout the day.
-- Edited by Marlene on Thursday 19th of May 2011 09:45:04 PM
Marlene, you bring up really interesting and thought provoking points. I'll have to look into what you're talking about and see what I can find; it sounds really interesting!
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Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby, to be picked up and laid down like a game of Solitaire. It is a grand passion. - Ralph Waldo Emerson