Celox

[cuttingfool]

Hi all,

I am copying this from the "introductions" section in the hope that someone(s) will respond.

There is a hemostatic (blood clotting agent: CELOX) that a company (of which I am a part) is thinking about introducing to the so-called "equestrian" or "large animal vet" market. It is a superior product and is used by the unfortunate gob by combat medics, but as a rider I have to wonder. The advice comes from a barrel racing trainer who says that horses are always getting cut. But heck - in VRH horses get cut up but I never saw really severe bleeding. The only case I ever saw where a primary threat to a horse's life was sheer blood loss, it was a horse that had been left injured for a day, not at a show. I'm interested in feedback from trainers if they've ever (let alone frequently) had the need for an agent (powder) that would stop arterial bleeding almost instantly, is hypo-allergenic and won't irritate surrounding tissues blah blah. I'm pretty skeptical, but eager to hear otherwise from anyone more experienced.

[Elana55]

The issue is shelf life vs. the infrequency of such injuries.

I knew of a horse that lost her life out fox hunting.. she was going cross country with the Huntsman and they got into barbed wire. She cut an artery and she died in the field.. too far to get her to a vet and the wound was too bad to keep pressure on and the horse was not quiet so keeping pressure was not working anyway!.

Would this rider have had blood stopper poweder on her? Unlikely.

Would such a product be useful? Yes.. if you are using a horse where it gets cut or could get cut that deeply.

Personally I think the issue is the infrequency of these injuries. The cost of the stuff vs. the benefit and its shelf life and portability are also issues. Be nice to have it around when you need it but I can say that in 40 years of owning horses I never had use for this product.. and it 290 years of owning cows I could have used it twice (72 dairy cows.. and in both cases the arterial pleeding was due to udder injuries).

It likely would not sell or resell enough to make it a profitable venture.

[cuttingfool]

in 40 years of owning horses I never had use for this product.. and it 290 years of owning cows I could have used it twice (72 dairy cows.. and in both cases the arterial pleeding was due to udder injuries).

It likely would not sell or resell enough to make it a profitable venture.

Thank you Elana, that's exactly the sort of information I was looking for. I agree that LAV is never going to be a "profit center" for anyone dealing in Celox, so the only question that remains is whether it's worth trying to put it in the hands of those who might have use for it, no matter how rare.

You do raise questions though - how did you tend those cows for the 250 years you didn't have horses? :o

Seriously though, - thanks again for your input.