Do's & Don'ts of Detoxing Your Horse

A Sequel to

Glyphosate Toxicity In Equines

Our horses, like us, are exposed to myriad of environmental toxins on a daily basis. From commercial feeds to soil contaminants to the air pollution and even precipitation, unfortunately, there is no escaping this harsh reality.

One common toxin that is incredibly prevalent is glyphosate. If you haven't already, I encourage you to take a look at my earlier article on glyphosate toxicity in equines. Other toxins are mycotoxins (from molds), heavy metals in their vaccines (mercury), hay and soil (lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury), and even chemicals from pesticides and herbicides. What's more is these toxins do not easily break down and plague our horse's lymphatic, immune, and nervous systems.

What can we do to address these toxins?

I highly recommend a strategic cleansing protocol for toxins like glyphosate. Heavy metals can be chelated from the body, using strategic nutrition. For the sake of keeping this article on topic, we'll focus more on eliminating chemical and environmental toxins from the horse's body.

Success begins with strategy:

Detox should be done carefully and you should always inform your veterinarian in case your horse is on any medications or products that can be negatively influenced by the detoxification process. Throwing any number of detox products at the horse all at once is ill-advised because this can be stressful to the horse's system. I have found that simple and slow is always best with equines, so here are a few "DO" items for your detox:

DO

• Get get in touch with your veterinarian before beginning a detox.

• Make sure that any ingredients involved with your detox don't contraindicate with anything else you're feeding/using on your horse.

• Consider going the natural, organic route. After all, adding more toxins to the body would be counterproductive.

• Go in phases. See my example detox below.

A few "DO NOT's" for your horse's detox:

• Don't choose random "all in one" products. There are many detox products on the market and you may be surprised at how some are not helping the horse at all. It is best to choose single, pure products rather than a pre-made mixture.

• Don't just wing it with Google. Consult with a professional who fully understands how detox works such as a naturopath or nutrition expert. Detox should be taken seriously.

• Don't use a detox protocol while your horse is on medications, including dewormer. A good protocol will include binders that can easily absorb the horse's meds, causing your horse to excrete them rather than absorb and utilize them.

• Don't detox a pregnant horse without first consulting your veterinarian.

• Do not detox with loose powder charcoal -- this can cause severe respiratory problems if inhaled and is not easy for your horse to swallow.

Phases of Detox for Equines:

Because every horse is unique, I recommend detoxification programs that are designed specifically for that animal. But here is a general example, to give you an idea of what a good, strategic detox will look like.

A good detox will include antioxidants, binders, amino acids, and supportive herbs that cleanse the organs/systems. It will address multiple systems of the body, and you'll introduce new herbs slowly not all at once!

Phase 1 - Liver: Detox the horse's liver using a binder like charcoal, bentonite or French green clay FIRST. I do NOT use Diatomite. It is too risky. I follow this up with naturals like dandelion, milk thistle, and/or spirulina as I move into Phase 2. (Don't combine binders with herbs or the binder will counteract the benefits of the herbs).

Phase 2 - Kidneys: Once the binder has been used for a two-week period, and you've started the herbs for the liver for one week it is time to address the kidneys. I use dandelion again, artichoke, stinging nettle, and marshmallow root for their natural diuretic properties.

Phase 3 - Lymphatic drainage: During this phase I recommend adding glycine (an important amino acid) and natural (not synthetic) Vitamin A*& Vitamin E* (powerful antioxidants). *Note: If A & E are already adequately addressed in horse's diet, there may not be a need to add extra. Cleavers, exercise, compression therapy and acupuncture will all help address the horse's lymphatic system, which is the horse's way of eliminating waste from the body....like taking out the garbage. Lymph can become "backed up" with toxins accumulating in the body, as often these toxic materials do not break down fast enough, and some won't break down at all.

Phase 4: Microcirculation: Addressing the circulatory system should actually be applied the entire time a horse is detoxing. After all, blood flow equals life as it carries out the old damaged cells, and stimulates the regeneration of new, healthy cells. I like to use Mugwort is great for promoting blood flow. I like to use BEMER therapy (when appropriate) for promoting microcirculation as well.

This may seem like 'overkill' and it does involve multiple steps, but I encourage equine caretakers to remember that the toxins the equine body is fighting are aggressive, and they are not easily broken down, and so we must be strategic and effective in our approach to adequately detox them. The step-by-step detoxification protocol in the above example is actually quite gentle yet efficacious, as it is introduced progressively with the horse's systems in mind.

Have questions about detox, glyphosate, or other toxins? I'm here for you. Reach out any time to hilltopequineconcepts@gmail.com.

Be well. Be horsemen. Be you.

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