7 Signs Your Horse May Be In Pain & What You Can Do About It

December 26, 2022

Horses are incredibly stoic animals, which can make it difficult for their owners to tell when they are in pain. However, it is important to pay attention to your horse’s behavior and body language, as chronic pain can have serious negative effects on their overall health and well-being. Here are the top 7 signs to look out for that may indicate your horse is in pain:

Changes in behavior-

If your horse is suddenly acting out of character, this may be a sign that they are in discomfort. Because animals are unable to deal with pain and discomfort on their own like humans can, they may begin to act out in different ways; Much like a toddler would. For example, they may become more anxious, aggressive or reactive, or they may become less responsive to commands. Horses will also paw the ground, lay down and roll, or lay down and look at their sides.

Changes in appetite-

A loss of appetite or a decrease in the amount of food and water your horse consumes can often be one of the first subtle signs an animal is in pain.

Changes in movement-

A horse in pain may be reluctant to move, or they may begin to move in ways that are uncharacteristic of them. For example, they may have a shorter stride, or they may be unwilling to turn or bend.

Lameness-

Lameness, or an abnormal gait, can be a sign of pain and inflammation in the legs or in the feet.

Swelling-

Swelling, especially in the legs or in their hooves, can be a sign of inflammation or injury and should be addressed immediately to avoid irreversible damage.

Changes in posture-

Another sign of a horse could be in pain is starting to hold their head or tail differently. For example, they may suddenly begin standing with their head down. Horses will also pin their ears back if you get to the source of the pain. This can be an effective method for diagnosing the areas where they are experiencing pain.

Vocalizations-

Lastly, a horse in pain may begin to whinny more or make other vocalizations more frequently; So be on the lookout for that as well.

Actions You Can Take-

If your animal is found to have an injury where some kind of medical intervention is needed, there are essentially two types of medications that are widely prescribed by the medical establishment. Selective and non-selective COX-2 Inhibitors, or “NSAID’s” (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs.) If you’re interested in learning more about what they are and what they do, you can GO HERE.

I’ll be writing a much more technical article on these drugs in the future where I go into them at length, but for the purposes of this article I’d like to keep it as short and to the point as possible. For those of you who are interested in facts and science, THIS ARTICLE is a great one to read. THIS ONE is also a fantastic resource on the topic.

A Quick Summary On Available Treatments, Plus A Safer New Alternative-

If I were to distill down the above articles into a single cohesive narrative, this is what I’d say. The pharmaceutical industrial complex has been the dominant player in this space for a very long time, and for anyone paying attention to what’s transpired over the last few years, it should be abundantly clear that although it may be full of well intentioned good hearted people trying to help make the world a better place. It’s a massive and slow moving behemoth that may or may not always have the best interests of the end consumer in mind.

This industry is soley responsible for the creation of endless drugs that were deemed to be safe by regulators and yet have proven over and over again that this is simply not the case. They’re constantly having to remove drugs off the market after enough evidence comes out that these drugs were in fact not safe at all after prolonged use in the population; far after the damage has already been done. They pay their little fines while we, our loved ones and our beloved animals pay the ultimate price. Rinse and repeat.

With the constant lobbying to keep safe and natural alternatives outlawed to prevent them from ever seeing the light of day, and flat out refusing to study them and their potential benefits with what amounts to essentially unlimited funding. It’s an ongoing battle that includes the complete and utter annihilation of careers of what were once respected and decorated DR’s and scientists if they dare to even mention or suggest we research promising natural alternatives.

With the looming threat of being ostracized from their community and loss of funding if they pursue anything that might be a conflict of interest to their funding sources (Big Pharma), researchers have made little progress in the research of side effect free natural alternatives for fear of biting the hand that feeds them and committing career suicide.

All that said, if you’d like to learn how to jump off the proverbial merry-go-round of drugs with side effects to counteract drugs with other side effects, please continue reading.

A Ray Of Hope-

As slow as the scientific world is to evolve and to adopt new approaches to health through natural alternatives, significant progress has in fact been made on this front from independently funded laboratories. No thanks to the Pharmaceutical Industrial Complex.

While Big Pharma has been in their vicious cycle of creating drugs to combat the negative side effects of their other drugs in a never ending negative feedback loop of the death and destruction of true health and vitality, others have been taking a very different approach.

Enter Nature’s Healing HerbA-

Nature’s Healing Herb, and more specifically it’s precursor Nature’s Healing HerbA are incredible compounds that may be as powerful and possibly even more powerful than dangerous aforementioned NSAID’s and even Opiates such as Oxycontin; without the negative side effects associated with these pharmaceuticals.

Let me give you a quick summary before this turns into a dissertation.

There are now numerous credible studies on both Nature’s Healing Herb as well as Nature’s Healing HerbA citing the fact that they have some pretty astounding health benefits, with more and more coming online all the time.

Though there are many, one area of particular interest to us is the COX-2 inhibition from Nature’s Healing HerbA. It’s now been proven to act in similar ways as a selective COX-2 inhibitor, and without any of the damaging side-effects of NSAID’s

You have to understand that this was never before possible from any other existing compounds, Pharmaceutical or otherwise. It truly is a miracle compound. If you’d like, you can read about that HERE.

But wait you say, it’s been proven that NSAID’s are “safer” if given with Proton Pump Inhibitors, so it’s no big deal. Well, then please explain THIS, THIS and THIS.

**Potential Side Effects Of Proton Pump Inhibitors**

Basically what they’re saying is that there “may be” a number of dangers ranging from increased risk of bone fractures, dementia, cancers, gastric disorders, diabetes and more; especially if there are unaddressed underlying health concerns not yet recognized. However, “more data is needed.” But not to worry, you simply need to take other things to counteract the side effects. What a surprise.

We could go on and on here with studies, but the point I’m really trying to get across is that with all drugs there are dangers and unknown potentially irreparable damage until we have “enough data.” Well folks, that “data” is you and your animals.

Are you really comfortable continuing to take part in their little, not so little mad science experiments, or do you think you, your loved ones and your animals deserve better?

How many Pharmaceutical commercials do we have to listen to where the list of side effects is longer than the ad? How many commercials do we have to listen to from law firms asking us, “if you or your loved ones have been harmed by,” Phen Phen, Acetaminophen, yes Aspirin or even Talcum powder for crying out loud.

At what point do we start to look for better natural alternative solutions?

Conclusion-

If you notice any of the 7 signs of pain in your horse mentioned in this article, it is important to consult with a reputable Equine Therapist and/or a qualified large animal veterinarian as soon as possible.

Early intervention can help prevent the pain from becoming chronic and can help ensure that your horse is comfortable and healthy. And when medical intervention alone isn’t enough, or isn’t the path you want to take, finding great alternatives to drugs with potentially dangerous long term side-effects could be a tremendous source of help. Whenever you’re ready to join the natural alternative revolution, you can start for free right HERE.

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