We often get asked why we only provide Pro-Dosa BOOST in syringes and not in a bulk form?
Pro-Dosa BOOST is provided in an 80 ml syringe for a number or reasons including the following:
- It is easily administered, with no wastage;
- The precise quantity of recommended daily nutrients are assured in every dose, where as bulk formats may settle, providing more at the bottom and less at the top;
- It is safe and secure because a capped syringe prevents contamination;
- It is stable as a syringe allows no ‘free air-space’, limiting oxidation (degradation) of nutrients; and
- It is compact and convenient, allowing for easy storage (especially when travelling).
Supplements are available in other various forms like liquids in bottles, powders in buckets or bags, and pastes in bulk to be administered via a drench gun. When using supplements like these, you must be careful that you don’t deliver less or more than your horse may require.
- Nutrients (minerals, vitamins and amino acids) provided in powder, liquid and paste form will generally start to settle in layers, with heavier nutrients slowly moving to the bottom. This process is known as sedimentation. It is caused or facilitated by movement and occurs over time. When product sedimentation occurs, it is nearly impossible to know how much of each nutrient is actually contained in a scoop or dose. You can’t guarantee that each of the nutrients are administered in the correct quantity, and even if they are provided in the bucket in correct ratios, imbalances may result.
- Powders placed in feed often create palatability issues and can cause feed refusal. Horses may try to eat around the powder, if not fully mixed, or refuse to eat any of the feed provided. The result is wasted feed, supplement, and money.
- When product is used from a bucket or bottle, more ‘free space’ is left and filled with air. Where air contacts the surface of product, oxidation can occur. This is a form of degradation which can affect the quality of the nutrients.
- Powders can absorb moisture from the air, causing molding, clumping, and hardening, making them more difficult to use or rendering them entirely unusable.
- Contamination can occur when a lid is left off a bucket or bottle. All manner of contaminants could fall in, quite unnoticed. Bacteria, molds, and even other products or pharmaceuticals, accidentally introduced, when fed to your horse could potentially lead to illness, product viability issues, or positive drug tests.
- Using a syringe or drench gun from a bulk container can facilitate the spread of illnesses and viruses throughout a stable. ‘Double dipping’ the syringe from horse to horse or back to the container of liquid or paste is it not the most hygienic practice. While most manufacturers would recommended the thorough cleaning and disinfection of drench guns between horses, in a stable setting, this is rarely done.
It is important to remember that the body needs a full complement of nutrients in careful balance to achieve optimum health, performance and recovery. We feel that providing Pro-Dosa BOOST via a syringe is the easiest, most reliable, safest, most hygienic, and most cost-effective way to provide your horse with complete and correctly balanced nutritional support. You can be assured that Pro-Dosa International Ltd have and always will continue to produce a secure product with unsurpassed quality.
If you would like more information on what to look for when reading a supplement label make sure you read our blog articles from the Reading Labels series.
From an environmentally friendly perspective, we would love to provide Pro-Dosa BOOST in a bulk format, but we just can’t compromise the quality, safety, and security of our product. We have, therefore, sourced packaging that can be recycled or reused. The shrink-wrapping that seals each box is fully recyclable. The boxes can be flattened and recycled. The syringes and caps can be re-used for other things in your stable, but please ensure you wash them before using them at a later date. Our current syringes are recyclable, even though the recycling symbol isn’t stamped on them anywhere. Our new syringes, that will be available from January 2019, will be stamped with the recycling symbol and plastic grade. They can be cleaned out and dropped in your recycling bin if you aren’t going to use them again. The labels are plastic and can also be recycled.
