Activ-8

Activ-8 is formulated to support a strong immune system which is crucial for overall health and performance.  Factors such as hard training, stress and illness can take their toll on your horse’s immune system with coughs and colds causing unnecessary down-time, health complications and potentially putting other horses at risk of infection. Kohnke’s Own Activ-8 features specific nutrients which work to improve the responsiveness of the equine immune system, ensuring optimum function to help with recovery. Horses can benefit from a course of Activ-8 following general sickness, intense competition, prior to long distance travel or when they’re at risk of exposure to respiratory viruses from other horses at events.

Activ-8 includes nutrients that have been scientifically shown to improve immune function and are critically important to equine health and vitality.  Activ-8 is a targeted supplement to give when your horse is immune challenged, ‘under the weather’, at risk of infection or when meeting new horses at competitions. Activ-8 contains a premium, organic chelated form of selenium (as selenomethionine), which has been proven as more effective to help immune function in horses than commonly used inorganic selenium compounds such as sodium selenite and selenate. Activ-8 provides nutrients necessary for optimal wound healing to help reduce secondary bacterial infections and promote skin regeneration.  Activ-8 is recommended when horses have repeated bouts of skin infections, such as ‘greasy heel’ or ‘rain scald’, which may indicate poor immune function.

Activ-8 helps the immune system function at optimum level, providing natural protection for your horse when its health may be compromised by factors such as sickness, injury, travel, intense competition, or relocation to a new property where there is a risk of cross infection.

Actv-8 helps maintain immune responsiveness during recovery from common viral respiratory illness, minimising downtime from training or competition.

The ingredients in Activ-8 include nutrients linked to skin health and regeneration and the supplement is particularly helpful for horses suffering from recurrent microbial skin conditions such as rainscald or greasy heal. We also recommend it for use post-surgery and for horses with wounds where there is a risk of secondary bacterial infection.

Older horses with reduced immunity and breeding mares recovering from illness or infection can also benefit from a course of Activ-8 to help activate the immune response.

A strong immune system is crucial for overall health and the nutrients in Activ-8 have been specially selected for the role they play in immune activity; optimising function and protecting your horse against illness.

Selenium, which we’ve included in its premium quality organic chelated form, is proven to boost activity in the immune system, especially active immune cells which protect your horse from coughs, colds and other viral illness. Due to a selenium deficiency in the soil in many regions of Australia, it’s a nutrient that horses grazing in these areas are often lacking.

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient for immune response and is contained in Activ-8 along with bioflavonoids (a natural form of vitamin C) which have an antioxidant affect, helping protect immune cells from damaging free radicals, released during times of stress, intense work or illness. Bioflavonoids also play a role in maintaining airway function which is often compromised in stabled racing and high performance horses.

Activ 8 also contains antioxidant vitamins A and E, commonly lacking in horses on a predominantly hay diet. As well as being associated with immune function, they also protect immune cells from damage and are beneficial to skin health and suppleness.

Trace-minerals including zinc, copper and manganese have roles in maintaining immune cell growth and function. They are included in Activ-8 as a ‘top up’ to support your horse during hard work, stress or poor health, which will help in conjunction with Kohnke’s Own ration balancers such as Cell-Vital or Cell-Perform.

Activ-8 is a nutritional supplement which provides co-factors to assist the function of the immune system. It is not a drug or medication, but a supportive supplement that corrects shortfalls of specific immune-active nutrients in the diet of horses.

In most cases, the extra nutritional support provided by Activ-8 should help to normalise the immune response over 7-10 days. However, we recommend continuing Activ-8 supplementation as a ‘General Course’ (as detailed in the Supplementary Guidelines), to ensure enough time for an active immune response to be normalised. 

The higher initial supplementary rate is to ensure that low or inadequate levels of supportive nutritional compounds in the diet are corrected in grazing and hand fed horses. Thus, the immune system can utilise these nutrients to help its important immune cell protective activity. Once this is achieved, a lower maintenance supplement is continued to help maintain adequate immune function.

Activ-8 is helpful for horses prior to competition, when the stress of travelling and harder exercise increases the need for immune co-factors in the horse’s system, particularly the antioxidants supplied by Activ-8.  Activ-8 also helps ensure strong immune function when horses meet other horses at competitions, as respiratory viruses can be passed between horses in the stables during the event. 

A short course of 40 grams daily for 7 days before the competition, during the event and for 5 days after returning home is normally recommended.  However, competitors who are often travelling and competing every few weeks can supplement Activ-8 at a maintenance dose of 20 grams daily during the competition season. 

Activ-8 is definitely recommended for horses who suffer repeated coughs, colds or bacterial infections of the skin such as greasy heel or rainscald.

Frequent illness can indicate a horse is suffering from immune suppression, older horses in particular are susceptible due to compromised digestive uptake of important nutrients that maintain their health and vitality.

In horses suspected to have immune suppression, Activ-8 can be used long term as a maintenance supplement to provide nutrients with roles maintaining strong immune function.  

Activ-8 is a very useful supplement in these cases to help maintain adequate immune activity in horses, especially if they are in training.  If another horse in a stable has symptoms of viral respiratory disease, isolate the horse and supplement with Activ-8. Provide the other horses with Activ-8 each day for 14-21 days, following ‘General Course’ guidelines. 

Horses are particularly prone to low grade airway disease and respiratory viral challenge when travelling, particularly when dust and airborne bacterial particles are collected in the lungs during transport.  A 7-10 day course of Activ-8 prior to travelling can be beneficial to maintain nutritional support to the immune system, so that it is able to normalise active immune defence and respond to new challenges on relocation. A course of Activ-8 can be used for horses travelling long distances by road or air, including from coast to coast in Australia. 

Activ-8 is also helpful when introducing a new horse to stables where other horses may be ‘carriers’ of viral respiratory disease, such as a training stable or agistment property. Supplementing other horses with Activ-8 if they are in close contact is also helpful following transport and introduction of a new horse with unknown health into your stable. 

Young horses can have their immune system challenged by stress or setbacks such as respiratory viral infections, especially during the weaning process or when travelling to sale from the stud.

In particular, yearlings sent for sale preparation often become infected with respiratory viruses passed around the busy stables.  Activ-8 is a beneficial supplement which can be routinely given to young horses as a general course when stress or sickness may impact their health and growth.  It is recommended to give Activ-8 relative to the current body weight of the weanling or yearling. 

Mares often suffer from uterine infections or placenitis bacterial infections during the breeding season.  In conjunction with antibiotics prescribed by your vet, Activ-8 can be a useful nutritional supplement which is complementary to drug therapy. 

Prescribed corticosteroid and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications as therapy to control inflammation and reduce lameness in joints often has an immune suppressive effect.  A short course of Activ-8 may be helpful to counteract the side effects of ‘bute’ which may reduce the immune function in some horses. 

Activ-8 has a role in helping the immune system recover after surgery, particularly during wound healing to reduce the risk of bacterial infection after the surgery.  Activ-8 is a natural supportive nutritional supplement and will not react with drugs or medications prescribed by your vet. 

Activ-8 only contains selected nutrients which have roles that are linked to optimum immune activity.  Activ-8 does not contain all the micronutrients required to meet daily needs in horses. 

Supplements in the Kohnke’s Own range have been designed to complement each other without overloading the horse’s system.  Normally, you would choose one of our comprehensive nutritional supplements, such as Cell-Vital or Kohnke’s Own Cell-Perform, to meet daily nutrient needs, then add in Activ-8 if your horse has an immune challenge or is suspected to have immune suppression.

Supplements in the Kohnke’s Own range have been designed to complement each other without overloading the horse’s system.  Normally, you would choose one of our comprehensive nutritional supplements, such as Cell-Vital or Cell-Perform, to meet daily nutrient needs, then add in Activ-8 and other supplements such as Mag-E, Gastro-Coat, Redi-Flex or Energy Gold for extra benefits, depending on the needs of your horse.

However, we recommend that you contact us if you are using other supplements not from Kohnke’s Own, as these may contain high levels of inorganic selenium, zinc or vitamin A which can be dangerous to the health of your horse is given in excess.  In these cases, or if you have questions about the balance and suitability of your horse’s ration, contact our experienced Nutritional Advisors for more information and a FREE ration analysis.  

Activ-8 does not swab.  Activ-8 does not contain any banned substances and does not contravene the Rules of Racing and Equestrian competition, making it legal to use during training, competition and racing.  However, for use in racehorses, we recommend that you follow local guidelines on use of any supplements prior to race day.

Activ-8 is a dense and low dust powder with a citrus-vanilla scent and taste.  Most horses find Activ-8 very palatable and it is easy to mix into wet or dry feed. 

However. some horses which are unwell may be unwilling to eat their normal feed or become wary of trying new supplements.  In these cases, Activ-8 can be mixed into an oil paste and given over the tongue.