dancing horses

dancing horses

Thursday, January 4, 2018

The Great Lysine Experiment

I seem to be avoiding writing my 'goals for 2018' post.

Or I am still mulling.

Let's go with mulling.

We are getting hammered with another winter storm. For us it is all rain- no snow. Which is actually more difficult as the ground is frozen and not able to absorb it. I had to make sure that it had a path to flow so that the barn won't flood. I was probably worrying unnecessarily but hey, that's me and I need to go with my strengths. If it makes me feel better to be out in high winds and driving rain sticking a shovel into frozen ground to make the drainage pathways larger who is going to argue?

Not these two.
no more snow, just water running everywhere. 

As long as I'm not late with dinner.

Hiding inside from the weather gives me time to write an update on the red headed wonder: Irish.

Back in August I wrote a post about Irish and his incontinence. I purchased the boots and they worked really well to protect his legs from the scalding. His legs healed nicely and he was feeling perkier. But (why is there always a but?) wearing them 20 hours out of 24 was not good for his legs. He started getting some rubs from the boots. They also became very foul smelling (logical I know) no matter how often I washed them. So I went and purchased the Keratix Mud Shield powder. Now I do a boots every now and then and use the powder a lot. His legs look gross but it actually just rinses right off (unlike before).

Kris at Dancing Donkey suggested that some diet changes might help. She and I exchanged some emails and she suggested lots of things, the key being amino acids. These might be lacking in his diet. I am very careful with Irish's diet - given his history of ulcers and colics I don't make changes lightly. I did a lot of my own research. One issue is that getting supplements here in Canada is difficult , especially if you want a reasonable price.

Fast forward a bit and Cathryn at Two and a Half Horses did a post about her vet recommending Myoplast to help build Annie's topline. Reading that post and all the comments led me back to exploring some options for Irish. I then found a reasonably priced source for pure lysine in Canada (apple saddlery). I purchased it and have had him on it since November 8, 2017. I took some photos to document his progress.


Within a week I noticed something pretty amazing. Irish has always been a 'fussy' eater. In the winter he gets a lot of oats, fat and fibre,  free choice hay, soaked beet pulp and  alfalfa. Essentially he had food available 24/7. Rarely did he ever complete his grain/pellet ration. Nine out of ten mornings I threw out left over feed/beet pulp/alfalfa.

Now he finishes everything and is impatient for his breakfast and supper rations.

Guys this is huge. Irish never finishes his feed or hay.

In six weeks he put on 40 pounds.

Another thing I noticed (although not as quickly) was that his incontinence significantly reduced. It's not gone but it's so much less. I also think I see a difference in his topline- even though he's not getting exercised.

This week I checked him again. He hadn't gained any more weight which I found disappointing until I realized that this is the first time he didn't drop weight when the temperatures plummeted. He's maintaining his weight at 1098 (according to my weight tape).


 I don't know if the photos show anything at all. His topline looks better to me but I also want to see it. A few weeks ago when Shanea visited and Ashley was riding she commented that he looked good compared to the last time she saw him.

I have no idea what the scientific explanation is. My theory is that he was unable to extract the nutrients he needed so wasn't interested in eating. The lysine is helping him to do that. I cannot see it as a coincidence that after 6 years at home he suddenly decides to start eating (and longer than that but he was boarded so I can't swear to it).

Letting him build up weight and topline should make it far easier for him to be worked too.




44 comments:

  1. Very cool! I'm glad you have figured out something that is working so well for Irish 🙂

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  2. My vet highly recommends lysine as a supplement. Ashke has been on 20 mg for almost six years. It helps reduce the horse’s reaction to stress, helps with protein uptake in their food, plus specifically builds muscle. The difference when Ashke has been off of it (brief moments in time when I forget why I’m feeding what I am feeding) his muscle mass has diminished. I highly recommend it. I’ve seen significant differences in body shape and muscle development. I hope you continue to see improvement in Irish’s behavior and top line.

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    1. Interesting. I don't plan to end it any time soon. Ed says he hopes that I look after him as well as Irish when he gets older. :)

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  3. Sounds like Irish is doing really well. Great research! So glad that you've found something that is helping. I think it's really great how so many bloggers from all over share with each other and help.

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    1. I tend to look for evidence first before I make changes.

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  4. That’s awesome! The proof that it works is in the fact that he’s eating more—bright eye, shiney coat, increased energy—increased appetite—all the things that signal good health.

    We’re also getting rain. The ice is very bad here, too. There was an early snowfall combined with a melt. It’s making it a bit treacherous. Sounds like you’ve got it under control.

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    1. Yes, I will keep just for the appetite change.

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  5. Glad you found something that is helping and working well for Irish!! It can be so difficult to find supplements that actually WORK.

    It's hard to take good pics in the winter too - to see changes in photos you have to really have the horse in the same lighting, angle, etc. But to me it looks like his topline has come up a bit which is huge for a horse who is older!!

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    1. It is hard to find things that work. So many of the shelf supplements don't list ingredients and/or the quantities. I think his topline looks better. He definitely looks better when he's moving

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  6. Another one to look into is Three Aminos by Herbs for Horses. I haven't needed it myself, but have seen it at my local store. I don't think it's too badly priced, but probably more expensive than just lysine. https://www.horseherbs.com/products/three-amigios

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    1. The issue is getting these things in Canada. Shipping (if it will cross the border at all) is prohibitive.

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    2. whoops! I leapt to a conclusion! I will have to check them out!

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  7. Very interesting! Impression change in a short period as well.

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  8. I've heard so many great things about this supplement from ppl I truly trust. So glad it is working well for Irish!

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    1. Well I figured it wasn't going to hurt. So far I am impressed.

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  9. All that progress and during winter too! Continue to muse about 2018!

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  10. Lysine is pretty amazing. For as long as I can remember, I've suffered from cold sore outbreaks every time I spent too much time in the sun, and even though they were just little sores, they made me feel awful, and I also felt like I was starving all the time when I had them. I tried all kinds of medications, none of which worked, until I started ingesting Lysine as a supplement. Now I never have cold sore issues. It's so nice having one less health problem preventing me from living my life.

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  11. This is really interesting! It's never occurred to me to add lysine to any of my horses' diets, but now I'm intrigued!

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    1. I know, right? It's pretty straightforward.

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  12. Interesting. I'm glad you solved it for him. It must be so nice to see him eating well. Mine get some small amount of lysine in their ration balancer.

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    1. Based on what I feed it seems that not a lot is needed.

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  13. Glad you've seen such good results with Irish!

    It's my understanding that l-Lysine supports the immune system, nervous system, metabolic and digestive health. It is one of the essential amino acids that is not created by the body, so must be consumed through food or supplementation. I take it and give to my animals as well.

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  14. He does look better! I am glad the amino acids are helping. It's amazing what a few little changes in diet can do.

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    1. I cannot thank you enough for your help. I would never have gotten onto it without your input.

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  15. He's healthier & happier & not as sticky - win/win/win!

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  16. That is so interesting! And if it works, it works!

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    1. It definitely is making a difference in him.

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  17. Amino acids are little miracle molecules. Thanks for sharing your experience with lysine! That really sucks about it being harder to find for a good price in Canada.

    My guys have been on and off it for a few years now and I have always seen positive results, though I've never taken time to quantify or track them.

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    1. well the one I found is very reasonable- it's just that I have to have it delivered.

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  18. huh! Looks like the experiment is working - thanks for being candid and sharing it with us.

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  19. Interesting. So glad its working for him

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    1. I'm happy too. I spend a lot of time on making sure Irish is comfortable.

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  20. That's so wonderful that you have found something that's working for him. It's so great about blogging too, the friends we make and the sharing and help we get from each other.

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  21. This is so interesting -- thank you for sharing!

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