Links

Listed below are some links to organisations that recognise the benefits that Eco Animal Bedding has in comparison to traditional animal bedding products.

Facts

Eco Animal Bedding is the result of extensive research and testing for a healthier, alternative animal bedding and is recognised by veterinarians, trainers and owners.

We have included reference material from various journals for your information.

Extract from World Equine Veterinary Association Congress

The World Equine Veterinary Association aims to develop and maintain international relations between various specialists of the horse world, to improve healthcare and well being of the horse. To do this, equine clinicians and researchers around the world meet every two years to discuss the latest findings in research and clinical practice. Following is a report on some of the interesting research presented at this year's Congress.

Cardboard is a Good Bedding Material for Reducing Dust and Allergens in Stables
In spite of the need for a permanent minimum-dust environment for horses suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), many owners fail to maintain suitable long-term management regimes and many affected animals continue to show signs of respiratory problems. Researchers in the UK and Belgium have conducted a trial to assess the suitability of a new commercial cardboard bedding product for horses with COPD. The airborne dust level and concentration of common aeroallergens were measured and data was compared to values obtained for more traditional bedding types such as wood shavings and straw. Total airborne dust concentration and concentration of aeroallergens in cardboard bedding was significantly lower than those of wood shavings and straw. This result suggested that cardboard bedding would be a useful alternative to traditional beddings to minimise dust and airborne allergens in stables.

C Roberts, I Sbaï, S Vandenput, T Art and P Lekeux The Use of Cardboard Bedding (Ecobed™) as Part of a Minimum-Dust Stable Regime for Horses with COPD Centre for Equine Studies, Animal Health Trust, Newmarket and the Laboratory for Functional Investigation, University of Liège, Belgium.

ASABE Technical Library

Evaluation Of Approaches For Composting Horse Manure And Commercial Cardboard Bedding

Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org
Citation: Paper number 044068, 2004 ASAE Annual Meeting. @2004
Authors: Harold M. Keener, D.L. Elwell, K. Wimbush, R. James
Keywords: Cardboard, Composting, Bedding, Horse manure

Studies on composting horse manure and a commercial cardboard bedding, based on full scale, pilot, and simulation experiments, are described. Chemical, physical, and kinetic data on composting materials that allows rational design and operation of composting systems are summarized. Results showed a compost mix of 45.1 lb horse manure and 9.5 lb bedding had desirable chemical and physical properties for composting. At the start of the full-scale composting process moisture contents were 56% and C/N ratios were about 33. On day 90, the end of windrow composting, moisture content had dropped to 48% and C/N ratio decreased to 17.3. From the full-scale studies with non-aerated windrows the compost mix was shown to compost significantly and without odor. Sizing of composting system for various horse stable sizes were done for both windrow and block composting systems using a computer simulation program that incorporated the pilot scale kinetic data. Results for a 1000 head horse stable were found to be 0.81 acres based on a composting time of 180 days, 28 days windrow composting and 152 days curing. Compost generated by the facility would be 5.5 ton per day @ 44% moisture. Mass reduction would be 80% base on wet weights. The finished compost looks to be favorable as an organic amendment for potting soils, topsoil manufacture, or direct land application.

Extract from the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science

The use of cardboard bedding as part of a minimum dust stable regime for horses with C.O.P.D.

Roberts C, I Sbaï, S Vandenput, T Art and P Lekeux.

1) Centre for Equine Studies, Animal Health Trust Newmarket UK:
2) Laboratory for functional investigation, faculty of veterinary medicine, University of Liège, Belgium.

In spite of the need for a permanent minimum dust environment for horses suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (c.o.p.d.), many owners fail to maintain suitable long term management regimes and many affected animals continue to show signs of respiratory dysfunction. One reason for this is the unpopularity of low dust feeds and bedding materials among horse owners. To assess its suitability for use with c.o.p.d. horses, the airborne dust level and concentrations of common aeroallergens in a new commercial cardboard bedding product were measured in vitro using a Ripon particle counter and an Anderson sampler, respectively (Vandeput et al.1997). Data was compared to values obtained from more traditional forms of bedding, i.e. woodshavings and straw, using the same techniques. Total airborne dust concentration and concentrations of Aspergillus fumigatus, Faenia rectivirgula and Thermoactinomyces vulgaris in the cardboard bedding were significantly lower than those of wood shavings and straw. This study suggests that, due to its low concentration of airborne dust and aerollergens, cardboard bedding may be useful in the provision of minimum dust management for horses with c.o.p.d.

This is an extract from the table of data produced by the University of Liège Belgium when using cardboard bedding.
Respirable dust particles by litre of air and viable spore concentrations (colonies forming units (cfu)) in 1.5 cubic foot of air of Aespergillus fumigatus (A. fumigatus), Faenia rectivirgula (F. rectivirgula) and Thermoactinomyces vulgaris (T. vulgaris) in different types of bedding and supplement (Mean ± standard deviation).

	Respirable dust	A. fumigatus	F. rectivirgula	T. vulgaris
	Particles/ litre of air	cfu/ 42.45 litres of air	cfu/ 42.45 litres of air	cfu/ 42.45 litres of air
Values with no common designations are significantly different (p < 0.05) (Mann-Whitney statistic test).
Wood Shavings	31492 ± 12910	710 ± 124	53 ± 29	79 ± 59
Good Straw	11571 ± 4897	402 ± 214	18 ± 17	33 ± 17
Flax Straw	9251 ± 1776	104 ± 23	10 ± 9	60 ± 13
Cardboard	6744 ± 1925	1.1 ± 1.9	0 ± 0	0.1 ± 0.4

An Abstract from The Veterinary Journal, Volume 163, Issue 3, May 2002, Pages 319-325

Cardboard bedding has been proved to be a most successful alternative to straw or wood shavings, particularly for horses affected with 'heaves' a chronic inflammation and obstruction of the lower airwaves.* The major contributors to chronic respiratory problems in horses are the fungi Aspergillus fumigatus, Faenia rectivirgula and Orital Thermoactinomyces vulgaris, all of which commonly found growing on conventional bedding. These spores cannot live on cardboard. Respiratory problems are exacerbated by the dusty nature of conventional bedding. Supa-bed has been dust extracted.

Regular Article

The Use of Cardboard Bedding Material as Part of an Environmental Control Regime for Heaves-affected Horses: In Vitro Assessment of Airborne Dust and Aeroallergen Concentration and In Vivo Effects on Lung Function.

N. Kirschvink, F. Di silvestro, I. Sbaï, S. Vandenput, T. Art, C. Roberts and P. Lekeux

Laboratory for Functional Investigation, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium

Centre for Equine Studies, Animal Health Trust, Newmarket, UK

Accepted 21 July 2001. Available online 29 June 2002.

Abstract

This study aimed to test whether shredded cardboard is an appropriate minimum-dust bedding material for heaves-affected horses. Results of standardized in vitro measurement of airborne dust and aeroallergen concentrations of cardboard bedding were significantly lower than those of common bedding materials. Six heaves-affected horses in clinical remission after pasturing were stabled for two months on cardboard bedding and fed grass silage. Pulmonary function tests (PFT: ventilatory mechanics, arterial blood gases, airway inflammation scoring, bronchoalveolar cytology) were performed before, during and after this period and after stabling the horses in poor hygienic conditions. PFT values measured during and after the stabling period on cardboard bedding were not significantly different from those recorded after the period at pasture or from those of healthy horses, but were significantly different from those recorded in poor hygienic conditions. On basis of the in vitro and in vivo results it can be concluded that cardboard bedding, used in conjunction with low-dust forage, may be appropriate in the provision of minimum-dust management of heaves-affected horses.

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