Hello,
Interesting conversation here. There are all sorts of issues that I think I can address here. Firstly- the drugs you see on the market that are approved are not necessarily safer than the U.R. product. Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPI) should not be used continuously by man or beast. Despite the fact they have been on the market for over 30 years, they can cause electrolyte imbalances and heart issues. These have been verified, as have kidney failure, liver issues, and bone fractures. PPIs are not long term drugs - they should only be used for a couple weeks at a time. These issues have been reported in clinical and medical studies. The second thing to note is that the FDA has approved slippery elm as a "safe" drug, with the usual caveats. I would not give this drug to a pregnant animal as it is an abortifacient. Also the PPIs do decrease the efficiency of the gut. This is not at all reason to not use PPIs, just realize they are definitely not a long-term fix. I've read the label for the U.R. and, for an animal like a horse, this would appear to be a safe product. That's a decision you may make for yourself and your horse with the proper research. One can go to major Animal Product Companies (will not name names) and see products that are also not "clinically" studied, but because they are from a major pharmaceutical company, they are deemed "OK." It takes millions to go through FDA certification so you are only going to see Clinical Studies done on products that are made by companies that can afford to run the studies, unless the government decides to fund its own study. Also, there are drugs that have been used in Europe for a very long time that will not get authorized in the USA because of the expensive and extensive process. For example, IRAP is contraindicated for tendon/ligament injuries, but is used extensively for this very injury, not because it's been proven not to work, but because no one wants to fund the study, in the USA, to see if it actually does work. Yet vets all over (I've discussed this with vets at major veterinary colleges) use this very method for tendon/ligament issues because, in the field, it appears to work. And it is used successfully in Europe in both animals and humans. People will fly to Europe so they can have this treatment done on knees.
Also, as we have seen from quite a few drug-related deaths in humans, drug trials have a built-in "acceptable" failure rate. This means that they can cause rare but fatal side effects in a percentage of animals that take them. (I use "animals" here, but that includes humans) So, the gist of this post is that you must do your due diligence with any and all drugs. And do not simply think that if the money was there to get it through the FDA that it's the best product. And please, don't leave your horse, or yourself, on PPIs indefinitely. Those are absolutely risky drugs despite the length of time they've been circulating. They do make billions of dollars though. And finally, I have an advanced degree in animal nutrition and have examined both the making of feeds and supplements and the effects of feeds and supplements on various species. Interesting fact, some of the ingredients in animal feeds are byproducts of distillery operations. The stuff that can't be used in the making of the alcohol makes excellent filler for feeds.
Thanks !
