Ask The Expert: Equine Health, Care and Management

  Can you comment on the ingredients and efficacy of equine digestive supplements?

• Most of these supplements will include probiotics; they include those fermentation-related factors such as naturally occurring live organisms Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium. They are found to be beneficial to the digestive tract because they produce digestive enzymes to help break down proteins, starches, fiber, fats and sugars. They also produce B-vitamins and growth inhibitors against pathogenic microbes and fungi. Carriers consist of nutrient dense fermentation solubles. Probiotics are usually intended for all situations where there is a need to restore, stabilize and maintain optimal level of the gastrointestinal micro flora, such as after antibiotic treatment, illness or surgery or other stressful conditions. They are safe for weaned and pre-weaned foals for maintaining proper digestive balance. Many researchers are simply not certain of the precise bacteriostatic roles played by antimicrobials, lactic acid and hydrogen peroxide. What is certain is that substances produced by Lactobacillus acidophilus do help establish a normal gut microflora. They do so by inhibiting the growth of disease-causing organisms within intestinal tracts. With this being said probiotics will not have much impact on the horse with an existing healthy gut flora. Yeasts are also found in some digestive aids. In scientific research, yeast has been shown to increase fiber digestion, thereby making more nutrients available for the horse to absorb; increase the availability of dietary phosphorus; normalize problem feces, including diarrhea; stabilize gut pH (acid/alkaline level); reduce level of pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria; and result in the production of higher quality milk by lactating mares and improved growth rates and health of their foals.

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Can you recommend a good fat supplement?

• I have a 24-year-old gelding and a 15-year-old mare, and they are both losing weight. Can you please suggest a good fat supplement for them, or a good sweet feed? I am giving them sweet feed, crimped oats and 2 flakes of hay each day, and I am getting a round bale brought out for them since I am worried that they are not maintaining their weight.
  
  Before I answer your question about the fat supplements, let me first ask you if you have had their teeth checked lately and are on a current de-worming schedule, especially the 24-year-old. If they are in good dental health then I would look at the amount and type of sweet feed and oats you are feeding them now. I worry that 2 flakes of hay daily may not be enough. The round bale will help by allowing free choice access, but it is important that it is kept under cover to prevent mold. If it is left out on the ground I would recommend vaccinating your horses against botulism before starting to feed it. If the 24-year-old is having trouble chewing the forage, try hay cubes that can be soaked in water to form a "mush". There are also complete feeds with increased fiber and lower calorie content meant to be fed in higher quantities to replace the lack of roughage. Most major horse feed companies make these feeds.
  
  If their teeth aren't the problem then they should be better on free choice forage, especially if it is good quality grass hay. I would steer away from a sweet feed in favor of a feed with higher fat and fiber. This will take care of your fat supplement and keep you from having to use a fat source such as corn oil or rice bran (the 2 most commonly used fat supplements). Look for a feed containing about 7% or higher fat, 10-14% protein, and over 8% fiber. Pick one – don't mix and match – and offer this feed without the crimped oats. Be sure to introduce the new feed slowly: substitute a pound of the new for a pound of the old until you get them totally switched over. Without knowing their breeds and how much feed they are currently on, it is hard to estimate the total amount they should get at each feeding. The most an average 1,000-pound horse’s stomach can handle at a time is 5 pounds. So, take a bathroom scale and weigh a scoop of what they are getting now against a scoop of the new feed. If they don't start gaining with just a feed change, you could try adding in a 2- to 3-pound "lunch" or "midnight snack". I think the lack of hay is the primary cause of the problem and simply increasing their forage quantity will help. Give them at least two weeks to adapt to the new hay and feed before you make the decision to increase their grain.

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Can you recommend a supplement program to boost the immune system?

• My 21-year old thoroughbred gelding is currently hospitalized. Hopefully he will soon be released on a relatively high dose of corticosteroids, which I know are lowering his immune system's ability to support him. He is spiking high fevers with accompanying high respiratory rates. Prior to his hospitalization, he was on Accel, selenium, vitamin E and black oil sunflower seeds. Can you recommend a program of vitamins and minerals that will help boost his immune system?
  
  The selenium and vitamin E you have him on is a good idea. These are both antioxidants that are known to have a protective effect on cell membranes, specifically protecting cells of the immune system. I would definitely keep him on the vitamin E - you could go up to 2500 IU/day on a non-exercising horse. Selenium can be a little harder to supplement because the soil around here is borderline deficient, feed companies add selenium to their products, and the selenium levels in hay will depend on where it comes from. You don't want to supplement too much selenium because it can be toxic to the system at high doses (about 18 mg/day). Just be sure to watch the amounts in all your supplements.
  
  Another antioxidant that you tend to find in mixtures for boosting the immune system is glutathione. This compound is used to protect immune cells as well and also recycle vitamin E after it has been used to fight the harmful damage itself. Vitamin C is good to use specifically around stressful times, but long-term use is not needed since the horse's liver produces its own. However, if your horse has surgery, keeping him on a C supplement (about 7 to 10 g/day) while at the hospital and for about a week after would help him in case he isn’t producing enough to combat the harmful products produced during this stressful time.
  
  When purchasing supplements, make sure you know how much of each component is in the product. Be very cautious about buying a product that claims its ingredients are “proprietary information” or does not list its ingredients. You should at least be able to know how much of each vitamin and mineral is in the mix. You need to know what you are really feeding! Many supplement companies offer ingredient lists on their websites.

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