A kind reader wrote to me suggesting that I might have some success with Mama Tess by using Liquid CoQ10.

Here were her words:

This past time a FB friend did a little research and sent me a link that was interesting…I have attached an excerpt of that article for you here, along with the link.

It recommended trying CoQ10enzyme…which I just happen to take myself. I buy mine at Costco in the liquid form and I believe the bottle is 60 days (for a human) worth for around $30. So…I thought, “heck, I have some of that here, I’ll just take a bottle outside and give him the same dose I take”….well, the results were almost immediate and what I would call miraculous.

Hmmmmmm.  A message from an angel?  Or too good to be true?

So, I started doing research on this.  And, it ends up that there is no official research.  But, there is a lot of speculation and opinion.  Does it help laminitis, or doesn’t it?  Does it really help with hoof circulation?

WHAT IS Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)?

In short, it is an antioxident that goes after free radicals.  They say it really helps with circulatory health and vascular areas in humans and animals … which would greatly help MT – if it worked.

Here is the definition from a medical website:

What is CoQ10? Coenzyme Q10:

A compound needed for the proper functioning of an enzyme, a protein that speeds up the rate at which chemical reactions take place in the body. Coenzyme Q10 is used to produce energy to fuel cell growth and maintenance. Coenzyme Q10 is thought to improve the function of mitochondria, the “powerhouses” that produce energy in cells. Coenzyme Q10 is also an antioxidant, a substance that protects cells from highly reactive chemicals called free radicals that can damage cells and their DNA. The highest amounts of coenzyme Q10 are in the heart, liver, kidneys, and pancreas and the lowest amounts are in the lungs. The levels of coenzyme Q10 normally decline with age.

COQ10 AND HORSES.

It is said that CoQ10 helps with laminitis… because it attaches to free radicals and directly supports the vascular systems and circulatory systems (link to original article).

Laminitis is a classic example of free-radical damage. High levels of anti-oxidants are needed until this process is reversed, then lower maintenance levels can be used. Using low doses of antioxidants over time is like trying to put out a forest fire using a garden hose. Over the counter, combination antioxidant products rarely have enough of any one ingredient to reverse free-radical pathology.

Coenzyme Q10 is very valuable in reversing free radical damage. The therapeutic dose is 300-600mg per day for the first week or two, then the dose can be decreased slowly to a maintenance of about 100 mg per day. Coenzyme Q 10 clinically seems to be one of the best antioxidants for use in the horse, and in laminitis cases can be so effective that the horses become more comfortable rapidly. Co Q 10 is most effective in laminitis cases when non-steroidal anti inflammatories such as phenylbutazone (NSAIDs) are not used. However, in many cases the owner is using the NSAIDs because the horse is at home and the attending veterinarian prescribes them. Co Q 10 can be used with the NSAIDs but the results are not visible clinically.

MT has quite a bit of damage to the circulatory systems in her feet.

OPINION out there on the Internet… varies widely.

There was so much back and forth on CoQ10 enzyme for laminitic horses that my mind started spinning. Some said it was ‘a miracle’!  Others said they found no results.  Some said use liquid, others said to never use liquid…  it went on and on.  There was no absolute.

However, there was enough positive feedback, that I thought I would try it on myself.  If I felt better, then I’d try it with MT.  I feel this supplement falls under the category, “couldn’t hurt, could help.”

Caution:  Most articles did say to not use it with NSAIDs.  They didn’t say adverse effects… only to say ‘ineffective’.

CONCLUSION

My conclusion was that I’d try it on myself.  By that time, Tess will be off of her NSAIDs.  If I felt that it helped me, I’d try it on her.  Since the results are supposed to be very fast, I would know quickly.

HAS ANYONE TRIED THIS ON THEIR LAMINITIC HORSE?  Please let me know!