By Catie Staszak/Catie Staszak Media
When veterinarian brothers Drs. Scott and Stuart Pierce created their popular Conquer Liquid in 1999, it sparked the launch of an entire company.
Scott was working at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, KY, using animal health care products in both practice and research. He began experimenting with hyaluronic acid, used in joint injections, and discovered he could make an oral form of the joint-repairing glycosaminoglycan (GAG). The resulting product added a groundbreaking nutraceutical to the market. Conquer Liquid, backed by a peer reviewed scientific clinical study, remains the only oral hyaluronic acid that is proven to be effective in treating joint swelling. Today, it is available in paste, powder and liquid formulas.
And it remains a best-selling product for Kinetic Vet, which grew out of Conquer Liquid’s development. After running separate practices, Scott and Stuart teamed up to continue the process of developing animal health care products backed with clinical research and evidence-based medicine. Kinetic Vet develops and manufactures supplements, pharmaceuticals and disinfectants for veterinarians; the products are also available online through animal health providers like FarmVet, Heartland Veterinary Supply and Pharmacy, and Valley Vet Supply.
“With the science behind Conquer Liquid, it kind of started it all,” said Lindy Napier, Kinetic Vet’s head of sales and marketing. “It’s the most hyaluronic acid at the lowest cost on the market … and in 1999, it was the first.”
Kinetic Vet, based in Lexington, KY, remains primarily a tight-knit, family-owned company; more than 20 products have been developed for equine health in the categories of biosecurity, bone health, hoof care, joint health, skin and coat, wound management and weight management. Scott and Stuart act as company reps, drawing upon their own experiences, as well as communicating with veterinary professionals in the field to determine where there is a need for a new product.
“Kera-Mend Hoof Crack and White Line Paste was one result of that,” Napier said.
Kera-Mend resulted from Scott Pierce’s work with Dr. Scott Morrison, who oversees the Rood & Riddle Podiatry Center. Morrison identified a need for a product that stayed in place and helped with hoof cracks. Kera-Mend is a multi-use paste that provides an antiseptic and antifungal barrier for hoof cracks, white line disease and resolving foot abscesses.
“They developed it, and both brothers have farms, so they started there with testing the products,” Napier said.
Treating allergies was a request met by customer feedback, which led to the creation of EquiShield SA (Skin & Allergy) Powder. “There were studies on how quercetin, a natural antihistamine, worked for horses, but there was nothing out there containing the ingredient, so they developed this great product that is helping tons of horses. EquiShield SA is all natural and also supports healthy immune function.
The EquiShield line began with EquiShield CK Shampoo, which can be used for any condition that causes dermatitis, including fungal and bacterial skin conditions. It was soon developed into a myriad of different forms, including a Salve and Spray to support horses in different climates.
“In the winter, it can be too cold to use the shampoo,” said Napier.
Kinetic Vet’s expansion has also included product development for other species, with two joint care products for humans. Moreover, the company’s SA Soft Chews were designed for equestrians’ other most important companion: their dogs.
“All these horse owners that used the SA powder would call and ask, ‘Can I give this to my dog?’ We didn’t recommend that, so we came up with the SA Soft Chew,” Napier said. “Dogs get allergies, too!”
Research remains the driving force behind Kinetic Vet. A member of the National Animal Supplement Council, Kinetic Vet tests all of its products through independent laboratories for potency and purity prior to being released for commercial sale. But while the research is scientifically thorough and complex, the solutions are always meant to be simple; each product is developed with the aim to provide a common-sense solution for a common ailment.
“We’re a small, family-owned, veterinarian-owned company,” Napier said, “and we’re in the middle of the Bluegrass State in horse country. We really care about the customers and what is needed. It’s where all our products have come from. It’s personal; what people say that they need is what we work on. I think that helps; we come up with great products that work.”
To learn more about Kinetic Vet and read into the research behind their products, visit KineticVet.com. Contact your veterinarian or animal health provider for more information on how to begin using Kinetic Vet products for your horse or equine companion.
*This story was originally published in the April 2021 issue of The Plaid Horse. Click here to read it now and subscribe for issues delivered straight to your door!
