SmartPak Horse Health Profiles: Immune Support Part 2
A complex, highly coordinated system of cells and molecules, your horse's immune system works to defend the body against potentially detrimental organisms. To help support immune system function, it's important to understand that the system’s strength and ability to combat disease-causing organisms varies from horse-to-horse. Different factors and different horses require different solutions.
SmartPak's immune health supplements are varied and it may seem complicated to find the right type of support. That's why we've put together a few (more!) horse health profiles to help you better understand how each formula offers support for key areas of your horse's immune system.
To see more immune health profiles, check out our first round of Immune Health Profiles from earlier this year.
Better Pasture with Butters
Living in an area with limited grass can be a challenge for any horse, but Butters was especially feeling the strain. Despite having lived in a dry, sandy climate for his entire life, his usually-shiny coat was a bit lackluster and his rider could tell Butters was just 'off' for a while. After a checkup with his veterinarian, there didn't seem to be anything physically wrong, no lameness, no soreness, no allergies, but the constant 'offness' persisted. Butters' rider decided to chat with the Customer Care Team at SmartPak and they talked about how even with access to free choice quality hay, there's a chance Butters could be missing out on Vitamin E, since Vitamin E levels are known to decrease when hay is cut and dried.
In the past, Butters had been known to be a bit of a picky eater. So while a pelleted version of Smart & Simple® Vitamin E was available, the SmartPak rep helped get Butters set up with an order of the liquid form instead. Either way, Butters would be getting a great addition to his meals to help support him looking and feeling his best! Both the pelleted and liquid forms of this Vitamin E supplement were formulated to address Vitamin E deficiencies using natural d-alpha-tocopherol, the most effective form for raising Vitamin E levels. This unique vitamin E has been converted from a fat-soluble vitamin into a water-soluble vitamin, allowing for quick absorption into a horse's bloodstream.
Brain & Nerve Nutrients with Latte
Latte hasn't been feeling so great. While she's usually very sure-footed and athletic, her balance has been off and her muscling has been decreasing. Latte's veterinarian suggested that Latte might benefit from additional brain and nerve support as they work together with Latte's owner to get their best girl back to feeling her best.
One of the ways Latte's owner is supporting her during this time is by adding SmartBrain & Nerve™ Pellets to her SmartPaks. Her vet told her that a horse’s nervous system is responsible for everything from her demeanor to behavior, concentration, and learning. With a specialized blend of potent antioxidants and nutrients specifically selected for their neuroprotective properties, SmartBrain & Nerve was formulated to support healthy brain function and nerve cell recovery.
As an important part of Latte's care team, her barn manager also added a bag of Smart & Sneaky™ Pill Treats to their next Barn Saver Shipping Day to be prepared for any additional medications they may need to have on hand.
Reliable Immune Support With Red
Red is a good boy, a very good boy. He can be trusted to take just about anyone around the trails and show them a safe time. He also lives in a great area with tons of fun parks within an easy driving distance. (Lucky, Red!) Because of that, he's a favorite of kids, relatives, and visiting friends, and is often loaded up first to hit the trails all summer long. He's a solid citizen who loves his job, and the family who loves him wants to keep it that way!
Red's family feeds SmartImmune™ Pellets with his daily dinner because it provides a comprehensive approach to supporting healthy immune function. The formula includes adaptogenic herbs, potent antioxidants, and vitamin E help to protect cellular health. Plus, since digestive and immune health are so closely related, this formula also includes prebiotics.
(It's also not unheard of for Red to find a small handful of SmartCookies garnishing his meals, too. He's a big fan of the Banana Bread flavor, especially.)
Vitamin C With Charlie
The rockstar of his lesson program is without a doubt Charlie Brown. He's easy to bridle, calm to lead, and the gentle giant every kid wants to learn to post on. He's got a great routine of lessons, turnout, and quality meals and
is generally a pretty healthy guy. It would be easy to let him trot along his merry way, but the lesson program owner thought about what was most important to her and she realized Charlie (and his fellow lesson horses) could benefit from adding a little bit of additional support to their diets. She began to research how to do this affordably and conveniently and was pleasantly surprised at what she found!
There are a number of studies available that explain how many horses need more vitamin C than they can make themselves or get from feed and forage – especially horses in heavy work. Since Charlie's program manager
learned that, he and his cohort have been getting daily Smart & Simple® Vitamin C with their meals. Smart & Simple Vitamin C contains 7,000 mg of pure vitamin C with sugar-free sweeteners and all of the lesson crew loves the bright orange flavor.
Further Reading
Looking to learn more about some of these horses' health concerns? Check out further reading in our Horse Health Library: