Novel treatment uses unique delivery
When Bill Vetter’s wife lost her prized Arabian mare to Strangles, a highly contagious bacterial infection she contracted while being hauled in a trailer, he began searching for more effective and less toxic ways to prevent infections and treat wounds in horses.
“The mare was struck with infection, which invaded her intestinal lining and her stomach ruptured. Within a period of six weeks, she died,” says Vetter. “I knew there should be something I could do.”
Vetter, a chemist, worked in the pharmaceutical industry at the time. He researched all the possible products that were effective for killing the horse’s infection and found nothing but very toxic products.
“At that point, I set out and developed the BIOCYN® line of products,” he says.
Developing a line
Developed in 2005, the BIOCYN® line combines the best antimicrobial ingredients that nature has to offer with a scientific manufacturing process to produce products that are 99.97 percent natural.
“Bio- means nature, and cyn- means science,” explains Vetter. “BIOCYN® is where nature and science connect.”
“We extract and integrate natural components from plants with extremely low levels of scientifically derived components,” he continues. “We balance the best that nature has to offer with the best science to produce these natural products.” “Before the time of large pharmaceutical companies and drugs, the components for infection fighting agents were derived from plants,” Vetter says. In this day and age when ‘drugs’ are no longer working, we have revived an age-old technology and are using its benefits without the hazards.”
The science component, notes Vetter, helps to chemically “tie” the compounds together and facilitate the natural chemistry of the products.
Vetter’s first product was a disinfectant spray, utilized to disinfect trailers and stalls. He notes that after starting with the spray, they quickly moved into wound care products.
Delivery system
“Our flagship product,” notes Vetter, “is the patent-pending BIOCYNVETTM Wound and Hoof Penetrating Foam.”
By combining the basic chemistry of the BIOCYN® formulation with a novel delivery system, the foam allows for easy treatment of wounds.
“Animals – whether we are talking about horses, dogs, cats or cows – have hair and hide that is designed to repel water,” he says. “Any type of wound product that is water-based will simply run off. Solvent or alcohol based products are bad for the skin and animal.”
However, the foam is unique in that it stays on wounds and is absorbed into the wound.
“It is also temperature-activated,” Vetter continues. In any infection, heat surrounds the infected area. Ingredients in Vetter’s wound and hoof foam are capable of sensing temperature.
“As the temperature increases, the absorption rate of the foam increases,” says Vetter. “Hooves with an abscess absorb the foam almost immediately. For wounds, the foam is absorbed into the wound itself.”
However, if the area isn’t infected and no heat is being produced, the foam absorbs much more slowly.
Advantages
“Our delivery system is unique,” Vetter notes. “Because the delivery system is so good, customers need to use very little of the product.”
As a result of the quick absorption directly into the target site, Vetter says that the product works more quickly than others on the market.
“We see a wound response within one to three days,” he comments. “Because very little product is required to be effective, it also lasts much longer and with a shelf life of three years, it is an exceptional value.”
“We are all about the performance, convenience and economics of our products,” Vetter adds.
Vetter also mentions that the line features top-of-the-line ingredients.
“Animal cells are the structurally similar to ours,” he explains. “They have the same requirements for health, so if ingredients are good for our cells, it should be good for theirs.”
The ingredients utilized in BIOCYN’s® hoof conditioner feature similar ingredients to many human cosmetic lines, including jojoba oil, shea butter, highly refined coconut oils and healing essential oils.
“These are all ingredientsthat heal and condition the skin, but many people don’t expect to see them in animal products,” Vetter says.
Additional products
In addition to their hoof and wound foam and hoof conditioner, Vetter also notes that they manufacturea portable product called the CompanionTM that is designed to be easy to transport. It is about the size of a credit card but provides up to 75 treatments.
“People aren’t going to carry a big bottle of spray to the mountains,” says Vetter, “so we made something that was more convenient. The best part is that it can be used on the horse, the dog or the rider.”
Vetter’s company also markets a human line of products, called BIOCYNCLEARTM and a natural cleaning products line called BIOCYNCLEANTM.
Above and beyond
In developing these products, Vetter notes that they paid particular attention to utilizing ingredients that conform to the wide array of guidelines provided by the animal health industry. They also comply with regulatory measures when making their products.
“We are constantly in contact with all of the operating regulatory organizations – whether it be for cattle, dairy or horses – to make sure there are no ingredients that are banned or controlled,” says Vetter, explaining that herbs and ingredients acceptable for human use are sometimes controlled for animal use. “We are very careful about the ingredients and concentrations that we use to comply with regulations.”
“Most importantly, we look for superior performance in our products. All of our products are lot tested by a third-party FDA-registered laboratory,” says Vetter. “When we make a claim, their performance is confirmed.”
While he notes that it is more expensive to manufacture by that route, they strive for a product that will perform the same way every time it is used so their customers get exactly what they pay for.
“Our products are not cheap, but they are superior in performance and extremely cost effective,” says Vetter. “Producers will use very little product to see fast results and they last a long time. “Quite simply, the BIOCYN® products just work.”
Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at saige@wylr.net.
