by Nikki Alvin-Smith
The advent of a topical joint application to remedy inflamed joints and pitted cartilage that works using nano based biotechnology is a gamechanger for the health and happiness of the horse. As a professional horse trainer and competitor/coach/clinician I know that doing everything possible to facilitate our equine partners’ physical comfort and mental well-being is an essential component to our noble beasts reaching their full performance potential.
There are many advantages to administering a topical product as it offers a non-invasive treatment protocol either instead of or in addition to joint injections or feed supplements to reduce joint inflammation.
As trainers we are aware that an individual horse’s conformation may accelerate the wear and tear factor on certain joints. Also, that rehabilitation and recovery for our horses following an injury requires ongoing support for specifically diagnosed areas of damage.
Being able to apply a workable and effective treatment modality to a defined area of need on a simple, easy to address basis is a boon for us as horse trainers and also for our team members such as grooms and therapists. It offers a method to assuage the pain and discomfort that joint inflammatory issues pose in our performance horses.
Many years back the best topical remedies we had to hand were lotions and potions to be zealously rubbed on the joint pre and post work out. I fondly recall utilizing the eventers’ mantra of using both a camphor-based lotion slathered and zealously rubbed on a joint such as hock or stifle, and then (paintbrush to hand) brushing DMSO liquid across the joint being careful to wear disposable gloves to avoid contact with the DMSO on our own skin. A whole other type of ‘garlic breath’. Yes, I think these efforts helped improve joint mobility in our horses, but the medical profession has much more to offer us on the stable table now.
The advent of nanoscience is truly a tiny but powerful miracle in many medical genres for horse, humans, dogs and cats and all pets. And while the use of non-steroidal and steroidal drugs, injectables and a myriad of MSM, hyaluronic acid and similar products are marketed to target the joint inflammation issue our beloved horses suffer, we are aware that with every injection comes a big expense and a risk of joint infection.
The willy-nilly use of feed supplementations can adversely affect the overall gut health of the horse. Different qualities of ingredients, their stability for use and the individual horse’s ability to properly utilize the components provide a laundry list of variables that can negatively affect their success level on a particular horse.
What does nanoscience offer us that we haven’t seen before in the realm of horse care?
As with many horse products the heavy research and development costs, clinical trials and eventual field marketing of manufactured topically applied joint inflammation treatments started out in the human medical care community.
Nick Hartog, owner of the leading equine feed supplement producer Grand Meadows, has been working hard for the past 4 years to bring the advantages of a nano based joint inflammation treatment to the caring hands of the horse owner. With his over 25 years’ experience in the equine feed supplement business, Hartog is very excited about the results reported from the trainers that have thus far utilized the fruition of his labors, Nanoflex.
Nanoflex is different from other joint inflammation treatment protocols due to its use of the nano biotechnology factor. This product is constituted of Ultra Deformable Sequessome Vesicles™ {UDSVs}, a complex engineering of fatty lipids that are able to change their shape to penetrate the skin and synovial membrane of the joint. Millions of UDSVs then go to work to provide a new source of biolubrication for the joint. This replenishment then helps the joint to move more freely resulting in improved flexibility and mobility.
Each individual horse will have a different degree of joint damage or pitted cartilage. Application of the topical product does not require rubbing the product into the joint, and utilizing the suggested amount is sufficient to accomplish the desired results i.e., more is not better.
Nanoflex is not a ‘light bulb’ product, meaning it can take anything from 3- or 4-days application to see results or 3 to 4 weeks depending on the amount of therapeutic joint fluid replenishment needed by the patient. The accumulation of the fatty lipids in the joint will take some time to accomplish depending on the severity of the loss of joint capsule fluid.
Here’s the backstory on how this product came to life and how it works as explained by Hartog:
“I was lecturing at Royal College of Agriculture in Cirencester on performance supplements, and Dr. Kate Gandee, Head of Equestrian Dept, told me of recent trial on a topical product that was very successful.
The product, under brand name Flexiseq, had only over been sold for use in humans and the company was curious to see if it would work on animals. Currently Grand Meadows is the only company globally selling the same product for animals under the brand name Nanoflex.
Nanoflex is composed of phospholipids that are engineered using nanotechnology to change their shape and pass through the dermal layer and ultimately into the joint space.
Inside the joint space millions of the slippery Ultra Deformable Sequessome™ Vesicles start to accumulate on the cartilage surface itself to provide a completely new source of lubrication that never existed before. The root cause of most joint problems start with friction in the mechanical action of the joint which creates friction which creates heat and then the release of anti-inflammatories. Nanoflex creates a more friction-free environment.
The human product was the subject of a multi-country published trial into human with osteoarthritis by which reported a significant effect. In the short time the product has been available for horses and pets in the US there has been a steady stream of positive results.
On the equine side there is the added attraction that the product is FEI/USEF clear and many riders are using the Nanoflex through shows to give extra support. Funnily enough Grand Meadows estimates that half the sales are for riders who are using it on themselves!”
Learn more about Nanoflex and the one billion reasons to use it to secure better joint health for your horse here. Its formulation and method of delivery is not one to be missed. While professional horse trainers and riders embrace its use for their top performance horses there is every reason for the backyard horse owner to explore its benefits too. After all, every horse and pet deserves the opportunity to enjoy improved mobility.
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About Grand Meadows: Founded in 1989 by visionary Angela Slater, Grand Meadows is a leading horse health product and equine supplement manufacturer driven by the guiding principle of providing affordable, extremely high-quality science-backed horse products to help ensure horses look and feel their best.
For the past 35 years the company’s mission has been honored and developed further, by President Nick Hartog, who among other accomplishments is one of the founding members and current board member of the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC), an organization that has a profound impact on the safety, transparency, and legitimacy of the animal supplement industry.
Grand Meadow products are widely used and trusted across the entire horse community from Olympic medal winning competitors and successful horse racing trainers to backyard horse owners. Their equine supplements are highly regarded for their excellent quality resourced ingredients and completely accurate labelling and effective formulations. Learn more at https://www.grandmeadows.com/
Grand Meadows, Orange, CA
Media Contact: NAS@NikkiAlvinSmithStudio.com
Tel: 607 434 4470
https://www.grandmeadows.com/
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