Product Review- Winergy Ventilate

Trooper has had a cough on and off for many years. It is usually at the end of the winter just before he starts going out over night. Over the years he has seen the vet and been given Ventipulmin and Sputolosin to open his airways and help bring up any mucus. This year when I got back from university for the summer he was also quite fat and his cough had become worse than usual. My Mum had called the vet out to him but she said his chest sounded clear. Despite this, I could barely trot him without him coughing and stretching his neck out to try and get more air. He had also developed a heave line along the side of his body which is a symptom of RAO. I am sure the fact he was over weight was making it worse but I couldn't get him to loose weight very well because of his cough. So I searched on the internet for a supplement to give him that would hopefully improve it. I came across Winergy Ventilate and people had said their vets had recommended it as an alternative to Ventipulmin.

My box of Winegy Ventilate.

When I looked into the product I saw it had some research into it. It claimed to have extensive trials published by WALTHAM (the worlds leading authority in pet care and nutrition) in collaboration with the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket which found in as little as 4 weeks the horses receiving the supplement had higher levels of antioxidants. Antioxidants have been found to improve the lung health of horses. I don't want to go into it in too much detail but antioxidants help to prevent damage from free radicals that occurs in the lungs. In horses they have been found to significantly improve exercise tolerance and significantly reduce an inflammatory score (Kirschvink et al, 2002).

The product says it is proven to support lung health. It has a unique antioxidant blend, powerful nutrient support and is scientifically proven. It is suitable for horses competing under Jockey Club and FEI rules. The product is quite expensive as it is around £32-£38 for 2.8 kg which is a months supply. It also comes in a larger bag of 10 kg for around £125. I just worked this out on a calculator and it isn't actually cheaper buying it in the bag. There might be cheaper bags out there than the one I just looked at though.

Photos of the side of the box.

There is a guide on the side of the box of how much to give to your horse;

• Up to 14.2hh and up to 450 kg they should have 50 g a day which is one measure.
• 14.2 hh- 16.2 hh and up to 600 kg they should have 2 measures a day.
• Over 16.2 hh and over 600 kg they should have 3 measures a day.

As for the ingrediants it is said to contain a combination of antioxidants such as vitamin E, vitamin C and selenium along with dried herbs and spices such as garlic rosemary and nutmeg. I'm not sure what else is in the product though.

Sooo, does it actually work? I started giving my horse 2 scoops a day as this is the category he fell in. The scoops are only small so he had them mixed with his half a scoop of Happy Hoof that he normally has in his feed. Within 3 days of giving him the feed in the morning he had stopped coughing. This may just be a coincidence but I really do think this has helped him. After about 2 weeks I decided to reduce the amount he was having to 1 scoop a day and he started coughing a bit again. Now I give him 1 scoop a day but if he does  cough one day I will give him 2 scoops in his feed. As he had stooped coughing I was able to ride him properly again and help him to lose weight which will have also helped to stop his cough.

It comes in small pellets which can be seen in the photo below.

The small pellets with the scoop.

Another thing which might be a plus for people with fussy horses (Trooper will eat pretty much anything) is that he seems to love it. It smells of herbs and when I open the box in our locker to make his feed even the cat comes to try and eat some. It's got to the point where I have to keep his feed covered at all times so she wont  start eating it!

Pixie the cat trying to eat the feed while I was taking the photos!

The only downside is the price and after this box I might try him without it for a while and see how his breathing is. As he is 22 years old now it might be good for him to stay on it anyway, especially through the winter.

Here is a link to their website http://www.winergy.com/Products/WINERGY-VENTIL-ATE/ . I am on my second box now and have bought both from http://www.4dobbin.com/p-Ventilate-Winergy.html as I found this to be the cheapest website. I was very impressed with this website as both times it arrived within 24 hours.

All in all I found Winergy Ventilate to be a very good feed supplement and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has a horse with breathing problems.

Love Laura
xxxx