Previously Published to Benzinga: The following post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, a common occurrence for sleep disorders in horses comes from environmental insecurity.
Innovative hemp company Generation Hemp (OTCQB: GENH) is providing a new and effective way for companies and individuals with the need for animal bedding to have a better option. Animal lovers and investors alike are taking notice of Generation Hemp and its subsidiary Rowdy Rooster Hemp.
An Example of How the Lack of Sleep Can Even Affect Horses
“Pain or physical discomfort. Lyme disease. Environmental insecurity. Monotony. Aggression issues. Sleep terrors. These are all things attributed to a lack of sleep in horses and other warm-blooded mammals,” said Dr. Joseph J. Bertone, professor of equine medicine at the Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine.
A horse he treated suffered from severe weight loss and frequently collapsed when engaging in everyday activity. The horse had scars on the dorsal surface of its fetlock joints of both forelimbs, the result of the horse falling down — from sleep deprivation.
“There’s a misconception that horses can have the full range of sleep while standing, and that’s not true,” states Bertone. “Horses can have certain cycles of sleep standing, but they cannot normally enter the paradoxical sleep phase in which rapid eye movement occurs.”
One of the best ways to maintain animal health and hygiene is to provide plenty of fresh, clean, and absorbent animal bedding.
Why Animal Bedding Is Important
Bedding should provide comfortable footing for an animal’s feet and joints, a soft landing spot for chickens to lay eggs, somewhere to nurse babies, and a place to escape the heat.
Manure, urine slush, and dust-carrying bacteria cause disease and chronic conditions in different animals and pets.
Additionally, the caustic and corrosive nature of ammonia is problematic because animal urine and feces end up in bedding areas and cause issues such as pulmonary edema, congestion, hemorrhaging, excessive mucus, E.coli, and even keratoconjunctivitis.
Choosing the Right Bedding Could Be Crucial
The improper storage of bedding materials can attract pests and accelerate the growth of mold, dust, and bacteria that could dramatically lessen the quality of life for pets or strays.
Animal bedding should be kept in a dry environment, above ground, and safe from moisture. If placed near feeding and watering areas, equine stalls can become like a petri dish to the worst kind of bacteria.
Poor hygiene and filthy sanitary conditions can zap the immune system. Ticks and mites lead to a whole slew of additional problems.
Bedding can also create excessive moisture retention. Some types prevent microbial activities; others encourage it to flourish.
Understanding the maintenance requirements of materials is essential:
- Can excessive wastes be cleaned up?
- Will the cage or stall stay dry until the next cleaning?
- Is there adequate ventilation?
- Is heat or humidity a concern?
- What’s the risk of flammability?
Animal bedding should have the following qualities:
- Soft and absorbent
- Low-to-dust-free
- Resistant to pests and bacteria
- Able to control odor and trap wastes
Knowing the differences in bedding material is crucial — choosing the wrong material or misusing it can sometimes even be fatal.
Popular bedding isn’t always the safest. It can create serious cuts and abrasions or attract mold that could become detrimental to the respiratory system. Other bedding types are dangerous when ingested, leading to serious digestive problems.
Animal Lovers Favor Alternative Bedding Materials
Industrial hemp is stealing the hearts and minds of animal lovers everywhere. And, it contains no hidden chemicals.
Bedding made from hemp is comfortable, ultra-absorbent, and highly efficient. It’s biodegradable, compostable, and sustainable to use. Hemp bedding has excellent odor control, minimal dust, and is mold and pest-free — meaning no ticks, fleas, or mites.
Hemp is antibacterial and antifungal, and it poses no serious threat if ingested (although not recommended for small tortoises who have fragile digestive systems). There are very few if any cons. Plus, it lasts much longer than traditional bedding materials.
A Healthier Way of Life Depends on a Good Night’s Sleep, and a Good Night’s Sleep Depends on Better, Healthier Bedding
Places like Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), Chewy (NASDAQ: CHWY) and Walmart (NYSE: WMT) sell bedding made out of hemp materials. Even Tractor Supply (NASDAQ: TSCO) promotes the use of hemp-derived animal bedding.
Newcomer Rowdy Rooster Hemp has recently sparked demand with its line of U.S. grown and made hemp animal bedding. On average, Rowdy Rooster sells 25% cheaper than competitor brands of hemp bedding — most of which are outside the U.S. This all-American brand of animal bedding comes from 100% hemp hurd, freshly cleaned and processed by its 48,000 sq. ft. parent facility in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.
To learn more about Generation Hemp, visit GenHempInc.com.
Check out RowdyRoosterHemp.com to find out more about Rowdy Rooster Hemp, and its brand new line of animal bedding products, as well as “Research Shows That Animals, too, Need a Good Night’s Sleep” to learn how much sleep animals need for optimal health.
As a side note, Gary C. Evans, CEO, and founder of Generation Hemp will be speaking at Texas Hemp Convention on November 20 and 21, where his company is also a sponsor.
The preceding post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga. Although the piece is not and should not be construed as editorial content, the sponsored content team works to ensure that any and all information contained within is true and accurate to the best of their knowledge and research. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice.
Jessica N. Abraham owns one or more of the above stocks.
