kentucky equine research | Horse Racing Free Tips

Are Probiotics Worth The Hype?

Probiotics have their fair share of both devotees and naysayers. Why do the devotees keep probiotics in their medicine cabinet? For diarrhea, primarily. Approximately 80 percent of foals develop diarrhea sufficiently severe to threaten growth and, depending on its severity, survival. Adult horses develop diarrhea for several reasons, including physical and mental stress, disease, and certain medications.

Treating diarrhea medicinally may resolve the condition, but some medications have unwelcome side effects: inappetence, skin reactions (wheals, swelling), and kidney toxicity. The benefits of administering probiotics for treating or preventing diarrhea remain largely theoretical despite the widespread availability of the products.

To shed light on the actual, rather than perceived, benefits of probiotics in horses, Australian researchers conducted a thorough review of the available scientific literature. After combing through many relevant research papers, they selected 18 that examined the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of probiotics in horses and foals. Some of the key findings of this study were:

Probiotics appeared well tolerated in adult horses with few safety concerns;
Substantial concerns were noted in foals. High doses of multistrain probiotics appeared to aggravate diarrhea, particularly when products similar to those designed for humans were used. When the probiotic contained organisms more closely related to the microbes normally found in the equine microbiome, the incidence of foal diarrhea nearly halved; and
Single probiotic interventions appear less effective than multispecies probiotics.

In addition to managing diarrhea, owners sometimes give probiotics to horses whose diets contain large grain meals.

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“High-grain diets can disturb intestinal function, leading to hindgut acidosis, a condition characterized by unusually low pH in the cecum and colon. This drop in pH can change the microbiome, reducing digestibility of feed. Hindgut acidosis may result in loose manure, decreased appetite, behavior changes, colic, and laminitis,” explained Peter Huntington, B.V.Sc., M.A.C.V.Sc., director of nutrition at Kentucky Equine Research.

To combat plummeting pH in the hindgut, researchers looked at offering a probiotic to improve the microbiome and increase digestive function. However, two separate studies failed to identify any benefit in feeding a probiotic to horses given high-grain diets.

“This finding leaves room for more research and alternate approaches to controlling pH in the hindgut. Using hindgut buffers such as the research-proven hindgut supplements created by Kentucky Equine Research are potentially better than using probiotics for this purpose,” Huntington recommended.

While the role of probiotics for intestinal conditions remains unclear, researchers found beneficial effects of probiotics in exercising Standardbred horses. Specifically, those researchers stated that “administration of multistrain bacterial formulations to increase stamina in exercising horses shows promise.”

Huntington added, “Supplemented horses had lower blood lactate levels, which may delay fatigue in exercising horses. At this time, though, researchers are unclear as to how probiotics lower blood lactate levels.”

Also noteworthy, the number of studies examining probiotics in horses was extremely small compared to those for humans. As such, much of the information used to support probiotics intended for horses is actually extrapolated from human studies.

“The anatomy and physiology of the equine digestive tract are very different from that of the human, which makes data extrapolation inappropriate. Using human data for horses may at least partly explain the lack of reported efficacy of probiotics in horses,” Huntington said.

Instead of extrapolating from human medicine, scientists should consider equine-specific research, as many questions remain unanswered. For example, what species of bacteria and yeast should be included in probiotic supplements, and what multistrain products will have the most benefit? How much should be given? How long should horses be given the supplements?

Quality concerns also persist. Do commercial over-the-counter probiotics contain the type or amount of ingredient they claim? The live bacteria that went into the package or syringe may not be viable when actually fed, which negates its usefulness.

“While probiotics may exert positive gastrointestinal and extraintestinal effects, using poor-quality products or administering probiotics incorrectly may delay more appropriate treatments or interventions and are economically draining for horse owners,” summarized Huntington.

*Cooke, C.G., Z. Gibb, and J.E. Harnett. The safety, tolerability and efficacy of probiotic bacteria for equine use. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 99:103407.

Article reprinted courtesy of Kentucky Equine Research (KER). Visit equinews.com for the latest in equine nutrition and management, and subscribe to The Weekly Feed to receive these articles directly (equinews.com/newsletters).

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Stave Off Rehab Setbacks With An Equine Motion Sensor

When an injury requires a horse to be on stall rest, the owner often has more time to fawn and fuss over it. Even the most devoted owner, however, cannot monitor her horse 24/7, and this means subtle changes in movement that could indicate a potential setback during recovery might go unnoticed. An inertial measurement unit (IMU) can help owners track the movement of stall-bound horses and help owners recognize when a complication might be looming.

“An IMU consists of small, wearable sensors that record information about a horse's movement, particularly the type, speed, and step count,” explained Catherine Whitehouse, M.S., a Kentucky Equine Research nutritionist. For many injuries, successful rehabilitation depends on a certain amount of movement. “Bearing weight during rehabilitation promotes circulation by delivering nutrients and oxygen to the injured tissues,” Whitehouse said.

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Decreased mobility of an injured horse during stall confinement could be an early indication of poorly managed pain or a potentially life-threatening complication. If identified early, specific interventions can be implemented, such as improved pain management and alterations in the rehabilitation protocol.

To assess the validity of a commercial IMU, a Canadian veterinary team recruited six horses.^* Sensors were placed at three different locations on the same horse (withers, right forelimb, and right hindlimb), and the horse's movements measured on the IMU were compared to direct observation.

“The data showed that the limb sensors accurately counted steps in stalled horses,” Whitehouse said. “The IMU proved itself a valuable tool in the early detection of movement reduction that could signal pain or complications and ultimately improve patient outcome.”

Another way to support horses during layup is by offering a nutritional supplement designed to support the skeletal system.

^*Steinke, S.L., J.B. Montgomery, and J.M. Barden. 2021. Accelerometry-based step count validation for horse movement analysis during stall confinement. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 8:681213.

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Equine Grazing Behavior Offers Clues For Forage Needs As Pastures Decline

As the growing season winds down or as drought sets in, horse owners must provide horses with an appropriate alternative forage to fulfill fiber requirements. In most cases, this involves the use of hay, though other products such as haylage or hay cubes are appropriate and sometimes fed.

The question that looms large for most owners is when to offer alternative forage. The pasture reveals a couple of important clues, namely growth rate and plant health.

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Owners will know when pasture growth slows as there will be less need for routine mowing and maintenance. Depending on stocking rate—that is, the number of horses on any given acreage—pasture might withstand a slowdown in growth rate and continued grazing, so long as more land is allotted per horse. A large, seven-acre paddock that comfortably sustained five horses in peak growing season might support three as pasture growth declines.

“Observation of grazing behavior might be a tipoff, too. If horses spend more time grazing, they are likely finding less to eat. In periods of lush growth, you might catch horses resting more often, as it is easier for them to satisfy their appetites and their need to graze,” said Dr. Kathleen Crandell, a nutritionist with Kentucky Equine Research (KER).

Plant health is a more obvious indicator. As autumn segues into winter or as rainfall decreases, pasture grasses often turn brown and unpalatable, at which time growth is almost assuredly arrested. Horses will snack on these remnants, but more nutritious forage should be offered.

“Owners ought to offer hay as soon as they feel horses are not consuming sufficient pasture to meet daily forage requirement, which is about 1.5-2 percent of body weight daily,” advised Crandell.

For a 15.2-hand, 1,100-pound horse, that would be 16.5-22 pounds of hay each day. Keep in mind, though, that this amount will likely satisfy the horse's complete forage requirement.

“If the horse is still nibbling away at pasture much of the day, it might need only a portion of this. If the horse leaves hay in favor of pasture, then too much hay is probably being fed at the time. Gauge requirement through consumption,” recommended Crandell.

To maintain weight, many horses, in combination with their forage, will be consuming a well-fortified concentrate feed that supplies all of the protein, vitamins, and minerals required for their well-being. Those that do not should be fed a vitamin and mineral supplement, such as Micro-Max, developed by Kentucky Equine Research and available in the U.S. and other regions. Micro-Max supplies minerals that have been chelated or proteinated, which increases their digestibility and allows horses to derive maximum benefit from them.

One vitamin that is particularly deficient in diets composed of preserved forages such as hay is vitamin E, an important antioxidant in the horse's immune arsenal. The most effective source of supplemental vitamin E is d-alpha-tocopherol or natural vitamin E. Nano-E is a natural-source vitamin E supplement that possesses a unique delivery action, nanodispersion, which allows the vitamin to hit target tissues more quickly than other vitamin E supplements. Nano-E is available worldwide.

Don't know where to begin with supplementation? Complete a simple questionnaire and start the consultation process.

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Bone Bruises In Young Equine Athletes

Horses engaged in athletic pursuits are at risk for skeletal damage. Bucked shins, bone chips, and fractures are commonplace in the world of high-performance horses, but other problems, like bone bruises, are less ordinary.

A bone bruise is an injury to subchondral bone, which is the bone layer that abuts cartilage in weight-bearing joints. Subchondral bone is rife with blood vessels, which not only ferry oxygen and nutrients to the bone but also to the underlying cartilage. Bone bruises are usually brought on by repetitive trauma and subsequent insult during racing or training. Inflammation associated with the injury causes degeneration of healthy subchondral bone, thus compromising its strength and integrity.

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“In response to traumatic insult, the skeleton repairs itself by removing damaged bone and replacing it with more bone. Changes in bone are expected in response to training, but the difficulty lies in the fact that bones can only repair, and thus strengthen, themselves so quickly,” explained Laura Petroski, B.V.M.S., veterinarian at Kentucky Equine Research (KER).

“If insufficient time is afforded for healing, the remodeling process is disturbed, and over time the subchondral bone thickens and becomes less flexible. Repeated overloading of diseased bone results in bone bruises and pain. Damage may also occur to corresponding joint cartilage, which may compound soundness issues. As most horse owners know, destruction of cartilage leads to the development of degenerative joint disease, or arthritis,” she continued.

Bone bruises are most often diagnosed in horses trained at high intensity, such as Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds, and problems manifest primarily in the fetlocks. High-impact work exposes the horse to the traumatic forces needed for a bone to become denser and then subsequently bruise. In Thoroughbreds, bone bruises usually occur in the front fetlocks, while in Standardbreds they affect hind fetlocks more frequently. Bone bruises are observed occasionally in knees. Subchondral bone disease at any site can put horses at risk for fracture.

Horses usually present as unsound, though the lameness might range from mild to severe. “Complaints of poor performance, where the horse is suddenly not performing at the same level, are also typical and alert owners and veterinarians of a problem. The pain is localized to the affected site by using nerve blocks, flexion tests, and palpation. At that point, we recommend radiography or advanced imaging,” said Petroski.

“In the past, veterinarians have diagnosed this disease using radiography; however, we've learned changes noted on radiograph tend to be permanent changes and the disease is quite advanced at that stage,” she remarked.

Today, veterinarians rely on nuclear bone scintigraphy and MRI to reveal early signs of this disease. “This technology has been revolutionary when it comes to diagnosing, treating, and managing these horses properly. The earlier the treatment begins, the better our prognosis for returning the horse to full work.”

Treatment of bone bruises involves primarily rest and recovery. Unlike certain soft tissue injuries, veterinarians often suggest that horses with bone bruises be turned out into a small field for several months and allowed to move.

Blood flow to this area is important for tissue healing, and free-choice exercise in a small paddock is encouraged. Any forced exercise is discouraged. Other treatments include anti-inflammatory drugs, intra-articular injection of steroids, pharmaceuticals to promote bone repair, and surgery. These treatments are not universal to all horses with bone bruises, so treatment plans are devised on a case-by-case basis.

Nutrition of horses with bone bruises begins with a well-fortified diet. Many horses with skeletal damage are involved in intense athletic pursuits, so they are likely fed high-quality forages and concentrates. Calcium is a critical nutrient in any well-fortified diet, but especially those of young athletes.

“While we cannot prevent bones from laying down more calcium, it would be wise to protect other bones from becoming weaker due to insufficient calcium intakes. The body tends to take calcium from other bones if there is not enough calcium available in the blood. The loss of calcium from other bones changes the structure of that bone and weakens it,” said Petroski.

Because young, growing racehorses are often affected by bone bruises, demand for calcium within the body is high. Once a bone bruise is diagnosed and rest instituted, the diet should be adjusted appropriately to reflect the change in workload, though a well-balanced diet is important at all times. Further, targeted nutritional supplementation may help these horses.

“Triacton, a triple-action supplement designed by equine nutritionists, may be useful in these situations,” said Catherine Whitehouse, M.S., a nutritionist for KER. Triacton contains a novel source of highly digestible calcium and other bone-building nutrients to increase bone quality. “In addition to its skeletal benefits, Triacton also provides buffering for gastric and hindgut health,” she continued.

In addition to promoting bone health, young horses in training benefit from receiving Synovate HA, a high-molecular weight sodium hyaluronate that has anti-inflammatory, lubricating, and shock absorbing properties for optimal joint health.

Injuries cause stress in horses, which predisposes them to gastric ulcers and possibly hindgut upset, explained Petroski. This may be further exacerbated by a change in routine as treatment protocols are established. “I believe in preventing problems rather than treating them, if possible. Because we know that changes in routine will often lead to distress and compromise to the gastrointestinal tract, especially in young horses, it is best to be proactive in protecting the stomach and hindgut.”

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