colic
May 2009 Horse Health Article American Association of Equine Practitioners The number one killer of horses is colic. Colic is not a disease, but rather a combination of signs that alert us to abdominal pain in the horse. Colic can range from mild to severe, but it should never be ignored. Many of the conditions that cause colic can become life threatening in a relatively short period of time. Only by quickly and accurately recognizing colic –... Read More »
Category : Digestive Health | Health & Management | Tips and Topics
Gas colic is one of the more common types of colic and one of the least serious. It is caused when excess gas collects at some point in the horse’s intestinal tract, causing it to become distended. The distended gut stimulates pain receptors within the intestine, which then signals the horse’s brain that trouble is brewing. During a bout of gas colic, the abdominal pain may come and go, causing the horse to exhibit severe discomfort for... Read More »
Category : Digestive Health | Health & Management | Tips and Topics
By Gayle Ecker, Director of Equine Guelph The fall is a time of lovely colours, family get-togethers and winding down the busy show season. However, fall is often a time of increased colic calls to veterinarians. While not all colic can be prevented, paying attention to your management of the horse can go a long way to decrease the incidence, and the suffering of episodes. Colic, which is actually not a disease itself but a sign of stomach... Read More »
Category : Digestive Health | Health & Management | Tips and Topics
Bugs? What bugs? Horses are hindgut fermenters. In other words, the hindgut portion of your horse’s digestive tract contains millions of beneficial bacteria and yeast, often referred to as microbes or “bugs.” These bugs have the ability to break down otherwise indigestible fiber into digestible compounds through a process called symbiotic microbial fermentation. Both the horse and the bugs benefit from this process. By joining forces, the bugs and... Read More »
Category : Digestive Health | Nutritional Minutes | Tips and Topics
Dietary energy dictates body condition in healthy horses. Too little energy and the horse loses weight; too much energy and the horse gains weight. Typical diets of pasture, hay, and concentrate often do not supply sufficient dietary energy to horses that have increased calorie needs. Such horses include hardworking performance horses, lactating mares, and aged horses. The fat in rice bran contains more calories per mouthful than pasture, hay, or... Read More »
Category : Fat & Fiber | Tips and Topics
What is laminitis? Laminitis occurs when the tissues that connect the coffin bone to the hoof wall, called the laminae, become inflamed and the blood supply is compromised. Laminitis varies in severity depending on the amount of damage inflicted on the laminae. Mild cases usually result in very little permanent damage to the laminae, while the more severe cases can result in founder, or the sinking of the coffin bone. There are several factors that can... Read More »
Category : Digestive Health | Nutritional Minutes | Tips and Topics
For years, horsemen have believed that the surefire way to sidestep gastric ulcers is full-time grazing. However, that widely held theory was challenged recently. Researchers at the University of California at Davis set out to determine the prevalence of gastric ulcers in broodmares. Results of the study indicated that pregnancy was not a factor in the development of ulcers, but the sheer number of ulcers found in these pasture-managed mares was... Read More »
Category : Digestive Health | Tips and Topics
Is Fiber a Carbohydrate? In Clarifying Carbohydrates Part I, we reviewed simple carbohydrates and in Clarifying Carbohydtrates Part II we looked at rapidly fermentable carbohydrates. This Nutritional Minute describes slowly fermentable carbohydrates (fiber) and discusses the concerns associated with all carbohydrates in the equine diet. Slowly Fermentable Carbohydrates Slowly fermentable carbohydrates, or fiber as they are commonly called, are... Read More »
Category : Digestive Health | Nutritional Minutes | Tips and Topics
Clarifying Carbohydrates Part II There are many types of carbohydrates in equine diets, including simple carbohydrates, rapidly fermentable carbohydrates, and complex, slowly fermentable carbohydrates. Your horse digests each type of carbohydrate differently. Some types of carbs are better for your horse than others. Click here for Clarifying Carbohydrates Part I for information on simple carbs. This time we will reviewing rapidly fermentable... Read More »
Category : Digestive Health | Nutritional Minutes | Tips and Topics
Clarifying Carbohydrates Part I There are three different types of carbohydrates utilized by horses: simple sugars and starches, rapidly fermentable carbohydrates, and structural carbohydrates. This part of our series will deal with simple sugars and starches. What are carbohydrates and why are they important? Carbohydrates are substances made up of the elements carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O). Various forms of carbohydrates are made through... Read More »
Category : Digestive Health | Nutritional Minutes | Tips and Topics
Your horse is a home The digestive tract of your horse is home to millions of microorganisms that aid in the digestion of feedstuffs. The sheer size of the microbial population shows their importance to your horse’s health. Leading equine nutritionist David Frape once wrote “…the bacteria cells in the digestive tract of the horse number more than ten times all the tissues cells in the body.” Think about it: There are more microbes in the gut... Read More »
Category : Digestive Health | Nutritional Minutes | Tips and Topics
What are electrolytes? Imagine you are riding your horse on a hot summer day. If you do more than walk, you both begin to sweat. After a good workout your horse’s coat is soaked and in some places even frothy. As you remove your helmet, the sweat runs down your face and you taste the saltiness on your lips. That salty flavor is from the electrolytes that, along with water, make up sweat. Electrolytes serve multiple functions in your horse’s body. The... Read More »
Category : Electrolytes | Nutritional Minutes | Tips and Topics
Veterinarians and horsemen recognize the harmful effects of gastric ulceration in their horses. Colic, chronic diarrhea, decreased appetite, and weight loss are documented clinical signs of gastric ulceration. Anecdotal reports point to changes in behavior as well, including depressed attitude or a surly, sour disposition. Fortunately, scientists and nutritionists identified the frequency in which gastric ulcers occur in horses and formulated products... Read More »
Category : Digestive Health | Tips and Topics
What is a fructan? Fructan is a type of sugar found in cool-season grasses. Instead of being digested in the foregut, fructan passes into the horse’s hindgut, where it ferments and causes the production of lactic acid. If too many fructans are consumed at one time, high levels of lactic acid can accumulate and cause the pH of the hindgut to drop. Even small changes in pH can negatively affect the delicate microflora that live in the hindgut and aid in... Read More »
Category : Digestive Health | Nutritional Minutes | Tips and Topics
Do you believe gastric ulcers affect only high-performance athletes such as racehorses or Olympic contenders? Do you believe it takes weeks and perhaps months for gastric ulcers to develop? Do you believe gastric ulcers don’t derail performance? Once thought to be a menace only to elite equine athletes, gastric ulcers can develop within five days of exposure to a recreational show or event, according to a recent study. Signs of gastric ulcers... Read More »
Category : Digestive Health | Tips and Topics
