Anyone used Regumate or progesterone injections?

[Ginn]

Hoped someone with a comp mare might be able to advise to apologies for double posting...

As title...

Trainer, mother, sister and me are now pretty much convinced extremes in behaviour, mood swings etc are all primarily down to hormones. We have spent 3 years tracking them and there is very definately a pattern. From spring-end sept we go through a repeating cycle of normal for a week, vile for a week, cuddly for a week, normal for a week, vile for a week, cuddly for a week..... Come October she is beyond vile and while reasonably normal to hack (excepting extreme separation anxiety if left by hacking partner) she is quite literally impossible to school and is just generally unusually highly strung and grumpy for a solid 6 weeks.

Spoke to vet a year ago and he wanted to see how she went over this last year. He is due up next month so I'm now wondering whether I'd do as well to have him up a month early and get her put on Regumate or similar.

Trainer said there is an injection which does the same thing but only needs administering every 3 months, anyone heard/used this as it's meant to be cheaper and I'd rather have 4 jabs a year then feed a supplement daily??

 

[Sarah_Jane]

I had a mare I evented off regumate. She wasn't affected by hormones over winter and it is unusal for mares to have problems in the winter. I started her in Feb and usually stopped after the last event. On regumate she was a lamb off it she could scare me with her bucking and leaping. If hormones are a problem and something like regumate does help you will notice a difference by the end of the first week. May be worth trying a bottle of regumate to see if it helps and if it does then work out whether injection or regumate would be better.

 

[druid]

Try the regumate first - the injection is an off label use and made by a compounding pharmacy so it will depend on your vet if they'll get hold of it for you.

 

[Ginn]

Right, will give vet a buzz tomorrow and see if he'll do me a perscription to try for a few weeks, if it does the trick then will review it just before he comes up for annual MOT etc and see where to go from there. Would prefer 4 jabs a year tbh as I loathe feeding supplements but if I does the job I guess I can't complain.

 

[druid]

You need to be seriously careful handling Regumate...and wear Nitrile gloves not latex when administering it The jabs are much handier but I'mnot entirely sure they're available in the UK. The one I know of is compounded in the USA by BET and called Altrenogest BioRelease.

 

[Ginn]

Ok, can it go in feed or does it have to be syringed straight down their throats? Do you know if it has much of a taste? Would deffo prefer jabs but makes sense to try her on the oral stuff first to see if it helps.

 

[RachelFerd]

Another thing your vet could advise you on would be 'mare marbles', I think they are basically inserted into the uterus to simulate pregnancy and therefore preventing in season behaviour. I know a few racehorses that have had them, and they have made a significant positive impact on their behaviour. Much cheaper option than regumate, as only about £70 for the entire year.

 

[Thistle]

Floss was on regumate last year, much improved behaviour.

This year seasons started in Jan so tried a marble. Improved for a while but still having seasons which built back up to horrendously painful. Back on regumate again and she is happy again. Will stop at end of oct.

 

[Saf]

My mare is on regumate, been awful for the last few years without me even realising but when I look back it was so clear......this year we have qualified for Scope jumping although could not go because of work and qulalified for both the regionals and pet plan at ele, she will be coming off it after the first few hard frosts and start again feb time. Costs a bit but boy has it been worth it a HAPPY mare lol x
Good luck .......as for the marbles yes cheaper but some mares spit them out sucess about 60%

 

[KatB]

The injection is very very effective... know someone who swears by it, and has told me her vet will do Lucky if needed, but tbh I don't think Lucky is effected by hormones, she is just her! She has had a lot of good experience with it though, and pretty much has an entire yard of mares...

 

[icestationzebra]

With regard to the injections, I think I would like to see a bit more research. There is certainly a concern over long term use in humans relating to bone density issues.... it may turn out to be very minimal but it would concern me given the physical demands we make of our horses in competition.....

 

[KatB]

Thats very interesting re. bone density ISZ... the drug has been licensed in Aus, NZL and the US, but it would be interesting to know WHY it is being slow to be licensed here...

 

[druid]

Right, will give vet a buzz tomorrow and see if he'll do me a perscription to try for a few weeks, if it does the trick then will review it just before he comes up for annual MOT etc and see where to go from there. Would prefer 4 jabs a year tbh as I loathe feeding supplements but if I does the job I guess I can't complain.

We syringe down the throat but you can add it to feed

With regard to the injections, I think I would like to see a bit more research. There is certainly a concern over long term use in humans relating to bone density issues.... it may turn out to be very minimal but it would concern me given the physical demands we make of our horses in competition.....

I would imagine the difference in life spans between horses and humans might make any effects negligible?

 

[NR99]

Hi

Just another thing that may or may not work for you! The chestnut mare in my siggy has been a bit of a cow with seasons and has the mood swings you describe, incredibly loving to mardy mare and also suffered in season with pain behind the saddle which really affected her way of going. Having tried lots of different things including Regumate (which did work but was difficult to administer as not on our own yard and other comp horses to consider) I had just about given up and accepted that that was the way she was to be at 17, when I saw some info about a product that intrigued me and noticed another HHOER was mentioned as trying it for her mare. I contacted her and have been using it on both our mares one 6 one 17 for about 6 months now and it has transformed both of them. They are a pleasure to deal with, no longer kick the door, paw the ground or throw themselves about and the youngster had a real issue concentrating in the dressage arena and this has improved massively too, could be worth you looking at the info - it is a totally different concept to the magnesium calmers. The Company owner Malcom is also really helpful and it is worth you talking to them. As I say no guarantee it works but have suggested it to friends, one with a mare and the other a TB gelding and both are having great results. Loader pack seems expensive but actually lasts ages and you get (or did) 25% discount on first order if a BE member.

It is www.equifeast.com we use Winning Edge Silver.

Feel free to PM if you want any further feedback and just to say both girls look really well on it too so also works as an all round feed supplement.

 

[Ginn]

Thanks for replies.

Had long chat with vet and have decided to try her on the injectable progesterone (partly as he felt long term it was the best option financially which was good of him!).

Nickirhia - have tried her on various herbal supplements and asked vet Friday if there are any (I haven't yet tried) to try her on. He said no point as if its hormone levels then hormone treatment is the only thing which will firmly knock it on the head.