Nutrition


Melanoma Info
Over the years of investigating nutrition for horses I have learned quite a bit. Especially when it comes to having a gray horse with the dreaded “M” word… Melanoma. That word can strike fear into the hearts of gray horse owners all over the United States. Just like with humans and other mammals they can be malignant or benign. Usually when removed by a vet and tests are done they are harmless, yet they always seem to return. Not to mention when they do return it seems like they are more aggressive and seem to metastasize sooner spreading more bad cells through out the body.

Through my own personal studies I have found a particular feeding regimen combined with N’zymes products that has either halted formation of new melanomas, made melanomas dry up and fall off, shrink in size and/or make them disappear. Not all cases of melanomas are the same, just as in humans with cancer. Some cases are more aggressive causing huge explosions in an area distorting the skin or it can be tiny pea sized polyps. What ever your case might be, it can be a tad unnerving to know your horse potentially could develop a fatal amount.

The cause for melanomas is still stumping veterinarians. They rely on just leaving them alone, removal or injecting drugs into it to see if it will go away. To me that is not right! They are treating a symptom and not the problem directly. There had to be a problem first in the body to allow bad cells to exist. Throughout my research it became blatantly obvious that it has to do with the immune system. You are what you eat and that carries over into the animal world too. A lot of people are under the misconception that it could be caused by the sun’s rays. Sounds logical as horses are out in the elements day after day, but research has found in gray horses to not be true. Mainly because the formation of the lumps typically are in areas where the sunlight never shines or has very little sun contact to begin with. Some examples of places typical of lumps are the crest of the mane, under the tail, around the anus, sheath of male horses, around the vulva of mares, eyes and inside the mouth to list a few. Then of course they can just pop up anywhere through out the rest of the body as well. Another interesting thing that also supports my opinion on melanomas being caused by a low immune system is the fact that Trinket (a horse in the N’zymes testimonials) gave birth to a foal and that’s when things got very bad. Under her tail developed huge masses not too long after birthing and it’s because of her taxed immune system.

Through trial and error over years and experimenting on my own gray horses I have found that feed, supplements and physical activity plays huge roles in how horses deal and develop melanomas. What I am going to share with you is something I have tried and suggest to people dealing with melanoma issues, BUT this feeding is not just for horses with melanomas. This can be used on regular pleasure horses as well.

Because melanoma thrives off of sugars, carbohydrates, and excessive protein these are all things that need to be eliminated from the diet. Sweet feeds are totally out of the question. I do not believe in Senior feeds in the least. They are full of fillers and sugars to make them palatable to the horse. I feel that the sugar in the product gives the horse a false high making it seem as though the horse’s physical condition has improved. I have an older gelding and I refuse to feed senior. He happens to be a flea bitten gray Arabian that had melanomas when I adopted him from TIER Rescue. Since I have had him one melanoma on his leg erupted and over a course of a couple weeks dried up and fell off. I feel because I have him on a double dose of the Nzyme’s and sprayed the Oxy-Drops on it daily it contributed to the body getting rid of the bad cells by itself.

Carrots, apples and horse cookies can also be an enemy to gray horses. They all contain sugar and can also contribute to melanomas. If you give your horse carrots make sure its in small doses. Believe it or not if you give carrots and apples in large amounts you could be killing your horse with kindness. Other alternatives to treats are broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, dandy lion greens and other green vegetables. My horses happen to like all of those suggestions.

Alfalfa hay is a legume hay and is very rich. I consider it cow feed even if the grower cuts lower protein level hay. Even at a lesser level it’s still far too high for a horse to eat. It can lead to many serious health issues if used as a primary feed including laminitis/founder, stones, colic, tie up and it contributes to growth of melanomas. Not only can it cause physical issues, but also since it can be considered a “hot” feed I have noticed unnecessary behavioral issues. Horses tend to take much longer to get into a working mindset and it takes more physical activity to tire them so you aren’t riding on a 4-legged rocket! Keep in mind this is for a pleasure horse. Horses in highly physical sports or a mare in foal or lactating have different needs. That’s when I might suggest adding some alfalfa into the diet for supplemental purposes and variety. Those circumstances are really the only time I would feel ok with feeding alfalfa.

Better choices of feeds that I feel are safe to feed are grass hays. Here on the West Coast some choices consist of Timothy, Orchard and Oat to list a few. I consider these very good forage sources that are needed to keep horses happy. Easy to digest and lower in protein is far safer for horses to eat for a main diet. If you choose to go to an all grass hay diet you will need to offer supplements in order to maintain the proper body balance.

The following is our current feeding program: Timothy hay as a main forage Orchard and Oat in a small amount added for variety.

Supplements:
Nzyme’s – Immune System Booster
Bac-Pack – By N’zymes and is used as a probiotic for restoring good bacteria back to the gut for better digestion and can help settle upset stomachs.
Pure C by VitaFlex for pure Vitamin C – Pure Vitamin C has some very large benefits to combating melanoma.
Flaxseed – Whole seeds soaked NOT ground or dry. Soaking brings out the nutrients and also keeps the intestines and colon clean.
Garlic – Help naturally keep intestinal parasites under control and can detour flies from biting.
Source – This is a great supplement to get kelp meal. Kelp has many health benefits in horses and people as it is packed with nutrients.

We mix these supplements into a wet mash of hay pellets. We use Mountain Sunrise brand. It’s a 100% Timothy pellet that turns to a mash if enough water is added to them. We add all the supplements let it sit for 10-20 minutes, then serve in a large rubber dish or bucket and our horses are in heaven. They LOVE their mashes we make for them. It’s easy this way so you know the horse is ingesting all of the supplements you are giving and they have something to look forward to every night.

One last thing we strongly suggest is getting natural salts and minerals to offer by free choice to horses. We buy a brand by the name of Redmond Salts/Minerals and they are all natural right out of the ground. Mineral blocks I have come to find out are useless as they are man made and don’t offer what most horses are needing/lacking. We have had great success with these minerals.

This recommended feeding program is based off of my own personal experience and opinions with my horses as well as other people that have come to me with melanoma issues. It has proved to be successful thus far. As said earlier – Not all cases are the same. Some horses improve faster than others do because every Body is different. Thank you for reading up on my melanoma management-feeding program. N’zymes can truly make a difference in your horse. If you would like more information on Natural Horse Care I suggest Pat Colby’s book which addresses melanomas along with various other illnesses that plague the horse industry. It’s worth giving a look.

Thank you N’zymes!
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