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Feeding the thin horse
Feeding the thin horse
38th BEVA Congress British Equine Veterinary Association September 12-15, 1999 Harrogate, England
Horses that are thin in the absence of disease eitheJ" are not being fed enough, are being fed a poor-quality diet, or cannot reach the feed because of problems with competition. Typically they are bright, alert, and eat ravenously when feed is provided. Lactating mares, hard-working horses, and growing stock have high nutritional requirements and are particularly susceptible to feed deprivation. In my experience it is the growing horse that suffers first when feed is short. In a group-feeding environment young horses are low in social standing and are easily muscled away from the feed. One major problem in rehabilitating this type of horse is the ability of the owners to make the necessary management changes. The most important nutritional concept is that rehabilitation should be gradual. Seriously thin horses have adapted to the lack of nutrients in a variety of ways. These include a reduction in metabolic rate and changes in digestive function and capacity. The more chronic and severe the problem, the greater the adaptation. In consequence, increased nutrient intake should be gradual, over a period of at least ten days. Initially one should aim for a diet that would meet the horse's needs if it had an ideal bodyweight. Once the horse has become adapted to this diet, further improvements to meet weight gain and improve condition may be made. Too rapid dietary changes are all too common and can result in laminitis, diarrhoea, increased weakness, and may even contribute to the horse's demise. Dr. J.M. Naylor
712
Speaking at the recent BEVA Congress, Dr. J.M. Naylor, co-author of Large Animal Clinical Nutrition, said the answer as to how to feed a thin horse might be "more," but in reality this simple solution is complicated by special needs imposed by the underlying disease processes and host adaptations to the shortage of nutrients. In some cases the amount of feed is not the problem, it is its physical nature or nutrient content. In addition, some of the marketing ploys used by feed companies serve to confuse rather than assist in decision making. Since the rate of changes in a very thin horse's condition through nutrition is slow, it is important to support the horse in other ways while adaptation is occurring. The big problems for very thin horses are competition from other animals, weakness, and susceptibility to hypothermia. These problems can be reduced by penning the thin horse separately, or with other horses in similar condition, and by providing shelter and blankets for warmth. In general attention to the disease is the most important part of management but nutrition can be of some assistance. Thin, diseased horses fall into three categories: those that are interested in food but cannot ingest it because of problems with their teeth, mouth, or esophagus; those that are toxemic and only eat small amounts of feed (the largest category); and those that eat ravenously but have compromised digestion. Because of the wide variety of underlying problems, a variety of solutions are required. Horses with teeth problems can benefit from a diet that requires tess chewing. This usually means soft mashes made from soaked grass or alfalfa cubes, possibly with some rolled oats. This can be quite a rich diet, so there is potential for problems with laminitis if it is too rapidly introduced. It is best to tolerate a few days of poor intake of a mash made from pelleted hay and only then to add grain if the mash is still not eaten. Grain intake should never be increased at the rate of more than 0.5 kg per day. This type of diet, or pasture, can also be beneficial for horses recovering from choke. A reduced esophageal diameter as a result of inflammation and spasm at the site of stricture, and fibrosis in very chronic cases, can result in repeated episodes of choke if a fibrous diet is fed. Horses that are thin as the result of reduced feed intake from toxemia pose nutritional challenges. Poor feed intake can be compounded by increased metabolic demands as a result of fever and loss of exudates. These horses can be offered palatable, energy-dense diets such as those based on alfalfa hay and concentrates. Some horses may eat these diets and thus improve their nutrient intake. Others prefer poorer quality hays or even straw bedding. It is best to offer a variety of feeds and see what the horse prefers. Fresh grass is often the most palatable feed for a sick horse and has a good nutrient density. Tackling the source of toxemia and the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce fever and pain are also helpful in restoring feed intake. Horses with chronic malabsorption problems often carry a poor prognosis. Nutritional management can be helpful and usually consists of improving the quality of the roughage by switching to alfalfa hay which is more digestible and has a higher protein and mineral content than grass hay. Grain may be fed if the problem is confined to the large intestine, the majority of grain being digested in the small intestine.
JOURNAL OF EQUINE VETERINARY SCIENCE
38th BEVA Congress British Equine Veterinary Association September 12-15, 1999 Harrogate, England
Horses that are thin in the absence of disease eitheJ" are not being fed enough, are being fed a poor-quality diet, or cannot reach the feed because of problems with competition. Typically they are bright, alert, and eat ravenously when feed is provided. Lactating mares, hard-working horses, and growing stock have high nutritional requirements and are particularly susceptible to feed deprivation. In my experience it is the growing horse that suffers first when feed is short. In a group-feeding environment young horses are low in social standing and are easily muscled away from the feed. One major problem in rehabilitating this type of horse is the ability of the owners to make the necessary management changes. The most important nutritional concept is that rehabilitation should be gradual. Seriously thin horses have adapted to the lack of nutrients in a variety of ways. These include a reduction in metabolic rate and changes in digestive function and capacity. The more chronic and severe the problem, the greater the adaptation. In consequence, increased nutrient intake should be gradual, over a period of at least ten days. Initially one should aim for a diet that would meet the horse's needs if it had an ideal bodyweight. Once the horse has become adapted to this diet, further improvements to meet weight gain and improve condition may be made. Too rapid dietary changes are all too common and can result in laminitis, diarrhoea, increased weakness, and may even contribute to the horse's demise. Dr. J.M. Naylor
712
Speaking at the recent BEVA Congress, Dr. J.M. Naylor, co-author of Large Animal Clinical Nutrition, said the answer as to how to feed a thin horse might be "more," but in reality this simple solution is complicated by special needs imposed by the underlying disease processes and host adaptations to the shortage of nutrients. In some cases the amount of feed is not the problem, it is its physical nature or nutrient content. In addition, some of the marketing ploys used by feed companies serve to confuse rather than assist in decision making. Since the rate of changes in a very thin horse's condition through nutrition is slow, it is important to support the horse in other ways while adaptation is occurring. The big problems for very thin horses are competition from other animals, weakness, and susceptibility to hypothermia. These problems can be reduced by penning the thin horse separately, or with other horses in similar condition, and by providing shelter and blankets for warmth. In general attention to the disease is the most important part of management but nutrition can be of some assistance. Thin, diseased horses fall into three categories: those that are interested in food but cannot ingest it because of problems with their teeth, mouth, or esophagus; those that are toxemic and only eat small amounts of feed (the largest category); and those that eat ravenously but have compromised digestion. Because of the wide variety of underlying problems, a variety of solutions are required. Horses with teeth problems can benefit from a diet that requires tess chewing. This usually means soft mashes made from soaked grass or alfalfa cubes, possibly with some rolled oats. This can be quite a rich diet, so there is potential for problems with laminitis if it is too rapidly introduced. It is best to tolerate a few days of poor intake of a mash made from pelleted hay and only then to add grain if the mash is still not eaten. Grain intake should never be increased at the rate of more than 0.5 kg per day. This type of diet, or pasture, can also be beneficial for horses recovering from choke. A reduced esophageal diameter as a result of inflammation and spasm at the site of stricture, and fibrosis in very chronic cases, can result in repeated episodes of choke if a fibrous diet is fed. Horses that are thin as the result of reduced feed intake from toxemia pose nutritional challenges. Poor feed intake can be compounded by increased metabolic demands as a result of fever and loss of exudates. These horses can be offered palatable, energy-dense diets such as those based on alfalfa hay and concentrates. Some horses may eat these diets and thus improve their nutrient intake. Others prefer poorer quality hays or even straw bedding. It is best to offer a variety of feeds and see what the horse prefers. Fresh grass is often the most palatable feed for a sick horse and has a good nutrient density. Tackling the source of toxemia and the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce fever and pain are also helpful in restoring feed intake. Horses with chronic malabsorption problems often carry a poor prognosis. Nutritional management can be helpful and usually consists of improving the quality of the roughage by switching to alfalfa hay which is more digestible and has a higher protein and mineral content than grass hay. Grain may be fed if the problem is confined to the large intestine, the majority of grain being digested in the small intestine.
JOURNAL OF EQUINE VETERINARY SCIENCE