Horse owners and caregivers who keep equines stalled for any amount of time are probably familiar with the unpleasant odor produced by the ammonia excreted in equine urine. However, most of us do not realize ammonia is more of a threat than just a bad odor; it can pose a serious health risk for your horse’s respiratory system.
According to sweetPDZ.com, even low levels of ammonia can precipitate upper respiratory illness in your horse, including a risk for pneumonia, heaves, COPD, and other respiratory issues. Foals are especially susceptible to these respiratory illnesses molds and fungi can create when left exposed to damp, ammonia-soaked stall bedding. Many products are available commercially that can mask this odor, but Sweet PDZ is the only one that removes, neutralizes, and absorbs the ammonia, creating a healthy, fresh stall environment you and your horse can enjoy.
What sets PDZ apart from other bedding refresher products is the “Z”, or zeolite, in PDZ. A naturally occurring mineral found in the earth in the western US, formed by the reaction of volcanic ash and an alkaline water source, zeolite, when under pressure, takes on a porous 3-D structure. This framework is important, as now the zeolite can act like a sponge, absorbing and capturing microscopic ammonia particles.
Tom Menner, President of PDZ Company, LLC, believes his product has surpassed all other stall refreshers and deodorizers because of its performance. “Sweet PDZ does exactly what it claims: it neutralizes and removes ammonia and other toxins from your horse’s bedding. It is not just hiding or masking the odor,” he states.
In addition to Sweet PDZ Horse Stall Refresher, PDZ Company also produces Healthy World Pet Deodorizer, which is safe and very effective for use with goats, dogs, cats, rabbits, and nearly every other type of small critter species that is kept indoors or outdoors. PDZ Company also collaborates with Lucerne Farms with their Koop Clean Chicken Bedding product, which is becoming a fast favorite with backyard chicken keepers coast to coast.
Founded in 1983 by Tom’s father-in-law, Wally McGregor, Sweet PDZ is a tightly held, family-owned business that is focused on the health of your equines and other pets by promoting health-driven, all-natural animal habitat hygiene. Having a “lean and mean,” as Tom calls it, workforce, Sweet PDZ has overhauled the equine bedding deodorizer industry during the past forty years. In the mid-80’s, PDZ was really ahead of its time, according to Tom. Lime was the only alternative for moisture removal at this time and was preferred because “It’s what Dad and Grandad always used.”
In this aspect, Sweet PDZ was really a “pioneer during its inception in the early 90’s,” Tom explains. Proving why PDZ was better than the traditional mining mineral, lime, and thus, more expensive, was a real challenge in Sweet PDZ’s early years. Over a decade, as more and more customers began using Sweet PDZ and realizing its superiority as an actual odor neutralizer, not just a drying agent like lime, the company was finally able to break through that lime-only mentality.
Sweet PDZ’s “sustained power and leading position stemmed from establishing and maintaining a presence through advertising, marketing, and trade shows” early on in the company’s history, Tom states. Although now available online through Chewy, Amazon, and other retailers, Sweet PDZ sells most of its products in brick and mortar retail, such as TSC and regional agricultural farm supply chains. Notably, Tom and his team realize “the value of family-owned, independent farm and feed stores and how critical they are to the longevity of the brand.”
The development of the PDZ brand stands as a true testament of the Sweet PDZ Company. “Other zeolite-based products from other companies have come and gone,” Tom says, “but when we were the first zeolite company in and the first to do it right, we’ve been able to face off against those competing elements and remain first.”
There is an ongoing desire to grow and expand the brand and product line at Sweet PDZ. As mentioned, the company recently collaborated with Lucerne Farms, a family-owned hay growing operation, of Fort Fairfield, Maine, “to make a truly unique and superior performing chicken bedding for backyard chicken farmers” called Koop Clean, as the website states. Not only does Koop Clean provide odor neutralization and moisture absorption, the calcium content of the product makes it a safe and beneficial grit as well. Sweet PDZ remains committed to producing bedding enhancement products that promote animal health.
There are other benefits to using Sweet PDZ in your stalls, trailer, coops, and litter boxes than just the premium, pure quality of the zeolite contained in their products. Sweet PDZ’s zeolite is a green earth mineral that is non-toxic, organic, recyclable, and compostable: a truly full-circle product. In addition, Sweet PDZ is 100% American-made, from the zeolite sourced in the American West to the packaging of the products. Perhaps the most beneficial aspect of using Sweet PDZ in and around your barn is knowing you are promoting good barn hygiene and respiratory health for your equines.
For more information on how to use Sweet PDZ products, videos, where to buy, and testimonials go to www.SweetPDZ.com.
