Warm Horses and Stress-Free Dogs for the Winter

by Tigger Montague · November 30, 2015

With winter and the holidays upon us, it’s the perfect time to introduce two new members of the BioStar family: Thermal EQ Topper™, and Thera Calm K9™.

The story behind Thermal EQ:

All the horses on my farm are retirees. Most of them have spent their lives as show horses and two, including my beloved Lionheart, as competitive dressage horses. Wintertime is always a challenging period with older horses, so I wanted a supplement that would help circulation while also providing support for the hindgut while addressing stress and cortisol. I also wanted to support the horses’ immune systems.

It was important to me to make it easier to feed all these nutritional components without having to open five jars or supplement bags several times a day. Since I am in Florida most of the winter, I needed to create a formula that would be easy for Peter to feed in my absence.

Based on the Ayurvedic principles of warming and balancing foods, Thermal provides organic pumpkin seeds, rBGH-free colostrum, hawthorne berry powder, organic cinnamon, organic mung dal (yellow lentils), butternut squash, organic holy basil, organic orange powder, and a blend of S. boulardii and S. cerevisiae yeasts.

Thermal EQ isn’t just for older horses. It provides the warming and balancing foods that are beneficial for all horses dealing with winter. You can feed it every day, or just when the temperature changes, or a storm rolls in.

The story behind Thera Calm:

Stress and anxiety are common problems in dogs. Sometimes there is temporary stress that manifests during thunderstorms, or via carsickness, or apprehension over vet and groomer visits. Stress indicators can be: diarrhea, panting, excessive barking, aggression, excessive licking, pacing, digging, sweaty paws, drooling, and tense muscles.

My personal experience with temporary stress in canines is through my youngest dog, Crockett. He is the only dog I’ve ever had that gets carsick. I tried various supplements on the market, designed to reduce stress and anxiety and carsickness. None of them helped him. And then I stumbled upon an ingredient called Lactium from milk casein that reduces stress and improves sleep. I wondered, if I just use casein from milk, add some adaptogenic plants like ashwaganda and holy basil, could I reduce car sickness in Crockett?….the answer turned out to be yes!

We mixed the ingredients and made bite-sized, little bars for easy hand feeding, or simply added to a meal.

Thera Calm at higher doses will put a dog in blissful sleep for a few hours. I have found this particularly beneficial on those rainy days when the dogs aren’t outside because of the weather and can get amped up trying to amuse themselves. The higher dose of Thera Calm will have them sleeping within 45 minutes for at least 3 or so hours.

At a low dose, Thera Calm just takes the “edge” off, which is helpful for the competitive dog who can get either a little amped up at shows or introverted and backed-off. The adaptogenic herbs help to balance the body system at large, by reducing cortisol.

Thera Calm K9 contains: organic flax seeds, milk casein, desiccated liver, brewer’s yeast, organic chamomile flower powder, organic coconut oil, organic pumpkin meal, Ashwaganda, Holy Basil, and Indian Gooseberry.