Equine Supplements & Treats

I read somewhere that the ground flax in Omega Horseshine can replace psyllium husks for routine prevention of sand colic in horses (as opposed to using Sand Clear™). Is that right?
Yes, the premium, stabilized, ground, fortified flax seed used in Omega Horseshine, Omega Antioxidant and Omega Grande contains a high mucilage (soluble fiber) content that swells and takes on a gel-like consistency, helping prevent sand colic and impaction. Flax mucilage traps and suspends sand, carrying it out. The flax also acts to buffer excess acid and aids in the stabilization and modulation of blood glucose. You can discontinue psyllium, if you supplement with Omega Horseshine every day -- plus your horse will have the benefit of Omega-3 essential fatty acid for a beautiful coat and optimal health.

I am trying to find a supplement for my equine diagnosed with diabetes - not Cushings. He drinks 45 gallons of water a day. I have him on daily electrolytes, yeast, vitamins. He is on high fat grain. Do you have a supplement that I can add?
We consulted with Eleanor Kellon, VMD -- Veterinary Editor of The Horse Journal -- with regards to your question. Following is her answer. We encourage you to join her Yahoo Equine Cushings group to learn about additional successful strategies:

"A few ounces of Omega Horseshine will be fine, certainly not harmful, and may be helpful. However, the dietary management of these horses is VERY complex and involves controlling the simple carbohydrate level in their diet (absolutely no grain whatsoever of any type, etc.), regular exercise if they don't have laminitis already and very, very strict balancing and supplementation of key minerals. To accomplish that, they need a hay analysis. High fat diets are also NOT a good idea! If this horse is actually diabetic (elevated blood sugars), he may indeed have Cushings. You might want to suggest to your customer that they join the Yahoo Equine Cushings group - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EquineCushings/ - I am a moderator. The horses there are dealing very successfully with these issues - whether they are Cushings related or not."

We're always excited about finding and sharing information that will help our customers and their animals obtain optimal health. We have the advantage of being part of an extensive network of experts who provide up-to-date, cutting-edge nutritional knowledge.

Is the relationship between the supposed suppression of thyroid function and cyanogenic glycosides in flax a valid concern in supplementing a 1,200 pound horse with 1/2 cup ground flax seed (Omega Horseshine) per day?
Flax contains cyanogenic glycosides. Under extreme conditions (pH1 or less), cyanide can be produced - but has never been reported to happen in mammals. Instead, cyanate is produced which is non-toxic. The US FDA did a study in which they fed 10, 20, and 40% of the diet as flax and found no harmful effects of any sort

Within the context of everything else a 1200 pound horse would be eating, there is very little likelihood 1/2 cup of ground flax seed will have any significant effect on thyroid function. Even less likely if the diet is properly fortified with selenium, which is required to detoxify the antithyroid factors. Frankly, if suppression from a dietary factor is suggested, you should be much more suspicious of soy.

If you are still concerned, would simply suggest that you monitor thyroid function tests before starting and six weeks after starting, with no other dietary or management changes in between.

Some flax products are genetically altered such as in the case of a product called "Golden Flax". Is your product genetically altered in any way?
ENRECO™ is very proud that we have always have and always will continue our commitment to use only non-GMO ingredients.

Would it be okay to feed your Omega Horse Products to our dogs, cats and goats?
Actually, both dogs and goats (and pot-bellied pigs or rabbits if you have them) would do very well on our Omega Horseshine™ -- fed at the rate of 1 teaspoon for every 20 pounds of animal weight. Your cats will only need a very little sprinkled on their food to get the benefits. All your animals would also benefit by getting an Omega Nibblers™ treat!

I'm looking for something to bring out some shine in my horse's coat:
Omega Horseshine™ will definitely give your horse's coat a beautiful bloom!

When I feed Omega Horseshine™, is there any chance of over supplementation if I'm also feeding another probiotic/vitamin/mineral supplement
The biotin and vitamins and minerals are a value-added addition to Omega Horseshine™ to enhance our product. They are not intended to be the daily required amounts. Three should be no problem adding a 1/2 cup serving of Omega Horseshine™ as a supplement to your horse's current diet. If you're looking for a more complete supplement that does contain Omega-3 and the daily requirements for vitamins and minerals, please take a look at our product Omega Grande™.

Is flax sold for animal purposes lesser quality than for human purposes, ie is it safe for human consumption when sold for animal consumption? What is the difference?
ENRECO™ flax is premium, non-GMO, high-quality, cleaned to 99.9% purity, human-grade flax. Our business has made the decision to use only this highest quality flax for all of our human and animal products. Feed-grade flax is a lesser quality flax that contains different percentages of Omega-3 and has a high percentage (up to 8%) of dockage. Dockage is debris from the field and can be toxic and bad tasting weed seeds, dirt, bugs, or even manure. Perhaps this is how some companies can offer such low prices.

I have a horse with allergy problems and Omega Horseshine™ has been recommended:
The mention of your horse's allergy problems brought to mind an interesting testimonial we just heard last week. One of our dealers in Wyoming, called to say that one of this customers is a veterinarian for Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl's horses at Senator Kohl's ranch in Sheridan, Wyoming. The vet tried our Omega Horseshine™ on a horse troubled with allergies. The symptoms disappeared! Then he took the horse off Omega Horseshine™. The symptoms reappeared!  Needless to say, he put the horse back on Omega Horseshine™ and is a very satisfied customer.

Are there any side effects from feeding your horse supplements?
The only side effect is that your horses will be taking a step closer to optimal health.

My horse gets an allergic reaction to molasses. Will he have a problem with the sorghum in Omega Antioxidant, since molasses comes from sorghum?
Since molasses is made from the juice from the sorghum plant, and ground sorghum seeds are used in Omega Antioxidant there would be less probability of any allergic problem.

I have a question that I hope you can help me with. How much flax seed oil would you give a 1000 pound horse to help with skin problems? Thanks for your help and I hope to hear from you soon.
Thank you for your interest in helping your horse's skin problem with Omega-3 rich oil. We promote the use of whole ground flax seed because the whole seed offers not only the Omega-3 essential fatty acids, but also more nutrition. Lignans (powerful antioxidants) and dietary fiber (soluble and insoluble) are not present in flax oil. Yet, in the seed, these are found in generous quantities. Flax oil is very unstable and prone to oxidation if not kept refrigerated at all times. The special premium flax seed we use in all our products is stabilized before it's ground to give it a one-year shelf life at room temperature

You can save yourself some worry and effort by using our ENRECO™ Omega Horseshine™ One-half cup per day is the recommended maintenance amount for a 1,200 lb. horse. The per-serving cost is very low, because there are 320 servings in a 50 lb. bag. You can have confidence in the ENRECO™ Premium, Human-Grade, Non-GMO, 99.9% Pure, Stabilized, Ground, Fortified Flax we use in our Omega Horseshine™ formula. Following are several reasons ENRECO™ Flax has a one-year shelf life.

1. ENRECO™ contracts for a specific stable palatable variety of flax containing more Omega-3.
2. We use our own patented stabilization process to provide a stable, fortified flaxseed composition as a rich source of Omega-3 in the diet.
3. ENRECO™'s stabilization process binds (chelates) the naturally occurring lignans (powerfull antioxidants) in the flax seed to those wonderful essential fatty acids. Therefore, when the seeds are ground, the antioxidants serve to protect the integrity of the essential fatty acids for a year, and they get transferred to your horse's blood serum.
4. Another part of our stabilization process includes the inclusion of B-6 and Zinc when the seeds are going through the grinding process. B-6 and Zinc not only enhance the stabilization of the essential fatty acids, but also fortify the ground flax seed with the nutrients used by the horse's digestive system when flax seed is being metabolized.

ENRECO™ has never compromised the quality of our products and we never will. Horses also love our Omega Nibblers™ treats and you can feel good about giving them -- they're packed with Omega-3 and natural antioxidants!