Dear Dr Getty,

I only just found out about your website, fantastic. I also noticed you sell the products I use, and that free of shipping, fab, I shall certainly make use of that from now on.

I've got an 18.2hh warmblood that used to suffer from muscle spasms in his gaskins when picking up a hindleg and as a result I couldn't even pick out his feet.
He's been on 1 oz Quiessence for 3 months now with splendid results.
My question is now, as he's also arthritic in his back, I have put him on the Acti-Flex powder, combined with devil's claw & yucca (B L Pellets - Equine America) and I seem to think it has really helped him.
I was just wondering if it is safe to use devil's claw long term (by which I mean for up to a year for example) and is it safe to combine it with the Quiessence?
Or would you think that white willow bark would be a safer option?

I also have another question on him. I've had him 1,5 years now and he always stocks up in his hinds when stalled for more then 8 hours. Obviously I ride him daily, turn out daily etc, but I still feel I have to bandage him when in, else we have HUGE hind fetlocks.
I didn't realize that Cocosoya could trigger an inflammatory response. He's been on cocosoya for more then a year now, so after having read this on your website, I shall for sure stop supplementing him with cocosoya.
But I was wondering if there is some sort of natural diuretic I could feed him to help him with the stocking up?

And finally I tend to pour a little unsweetened unfiltered applejuice over his Dengie to make it more palatable. Could that do him any harm? That should be safe enough to feed daily, not? I use about 100ml a day.

My apologies for this long email and many thanks for any reply. Greatly appreciated.
Kind regards, Patsy.

Where are you from? Milford, NJ, USA

How did you locate this forum? link I found on Chronicle of the Horse Forum

Hi Patsy,

Dengie Hi-Fi is an alfalfa-based product and an excellent addition to the diet.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Hi Patsy,

I'm delighted that you found my site!

You mentioned that you are feeding Actiflex for arthritis -- this already has Yucca in it. So, I would not add more Yucca. And be careful not to add too much Devils claw. It is generally safe to use on a daily basis (but not with a horse that has ulcers) but long term safety has not been established.

Willow bark, however, has a higher potential to cause ulcers, so its use should be on an as-needed basis.

Actiflex and Quiessence are safe to feed together.

About the stocking up problem -- this is due to standing for so many hours in one place. You should not need a diuretic, but instead, make certain that the quality of protein in his diet is adequate. Low quality protein can cause a shift in water balance. The best way to assure a high quality protein is to mix grass pasture and/or hay with a legume such as alfalfa or soy.

About the applejuice -- that is fine. You can feed that every day as long as he is not overweight and is healthy.

Hope this is helpful!

Dr. Getty

Super. Thank you very much for your reply.

I'm glad he can continue on the daily applejuice, he loves that so much and it's nice to give them some healthy treats.

I didn't realize Acti-flex already contains yucca, so I will not be feeding him the B L pellets anymore in that case. Perhaps I'll try to find a devil's claw root only product.

I do try to give him as much exercise and movement as possible, because he's just very prone to stocking up. I never thought of changing or looking into his diet for that, I'll try to do some reading up on that. He's currently on the Purina Equine Adult, 12% protein, with loads of Dengie Hi-Fi and ad-lib good quality timothy hay and of course grass turnout.

Again thanks for your help.
Kind regards, Patsy.

Where are you from? Milford, NJ, USA

How did you locate this forum? link I found on Chronicle of the Horse Forum