The Equine Cecum and Probiotics
Mud Fever / Grease Heel / Scratches
Radiation Therapy for Equine Cancer Patients
Equine Health Issues
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The Equine Cecum and Probiotics Mud Fever / Grease Heel / Scratches Radiation Therapy for Equine Cancer Patients |
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Probiotics For Horses
By: Jessica Lynn
Earth Song Ranch
www.earthsongranch.com
Probiotic is derived from the Greek word 'pro' meaning for and 'biosis' meaning life. Therefore ‘pro-biotic’ is, and means, the opposite of ‘anti-biotic’ (against life).
Probiotics are, simply, ‘live’ beneficial (good) bacteria that do their work in the digestive tract. Probiotics and digestive enzymes can be fed as supplements to encourage the proliferation of certain beneficial bacteria and enzymes, to work in concert with the digestive process. There is a microbial balance that needs to be maintained throughout the horse’s digestive tract,
and though horses in the wild may naturally eat what is needed and avoid toxins, horses in domestic situations may not. Feeding live beneficial bacteria and digestive enzymes can help to
maintain or create microbial balance, setting up the ideal environment for all these microorganisms to flourish, thus enabling and optimizing digestion and maximizing the health and
well being of the animal.
Thirty years ago a horse grazing in a typical pasture would have had the choice of approximately 30 or 40 different types of green plants and grasses, each bringing its own specific nutrients essential for a balanced diet, and at the same time mointaining natural sources of digestive enzymes and naturally occurring beneficial bacteria.
Today, in that same pasture, because of selective seeding, fertilizing, and herbicide spraying, etc. the grazing is limited to sometimes as few as four varieties of plants or grasses.
In this day and age, it is common that equine ‘feedstuffs’ contain soybean meal, plant protein by-products, molasses and other cereal type ingredients. These ingredients are mechanically processed, cooked, steamed, extruded, cubed or pelleted. All the processing coupled with extended storage often destroys essential enzymes. From all of this over-processing, depleted/ nutrient
deficient soils, and stress, some equines are also beginning to suffer from food enzyme deficiencies that can, by themselves, lead to an array of non-specific related symptoms.
Your horse’s stomach requires digestive enzymes to begin the process of breaking down the feed, as only one part of the digestive process. As that feed is then delivered to the intestinal tract, specific types of bacteria are needed to continue the digestive process so that the body may absorb the nutrition found in that same food to maintain health and wellness and stay sound and active. Digestive enzymes work with the gastric juices to start the breakdown, and then the bacteria make the feed into usable, absorbable compounds. One of the most common sources of digestive disturbances in horses is ‘stress’, which may be brought on by such things as sudden changes, moving, competition, psychological stress of travel and training, breeding and pregnancy, worming, parasites, vaccines, viruses, and injury.
’Stress’ can also be created by unusual or unseasonable weather conditions, alterations in environment, and lesser quality feeds and water. Without the proper digestive enzymes and beneficial intestinal bacteria being in place, food passes through the system not being able to be ‘fermented’ in the way it was intended and instead of being digested remains undigested. This undigested food passing through the gastro-intestinal tract may then lead to situations such as colic or colic-like symptoms, bloat, and founder, or may set up an ideal parasitic environment, and may even increase the possibility of the horse developing feed related allergic conditions.
Antibiotics, of course, wreak havoc by destroying bacteria in the body indiscriminately and sometimes permanently. The digestive system bacteria are temporarily eliminated until they are re-introduced into the digestive tract by specific foods or supplementation and given the chance to proliferate, flourish and attain balance once again. Unfortunately, the microflora and microbial balance in a horse can be upset far faster than it can be restored; the effects may not show up immediately and may last a long time. A horse’s beneficial intestinal bacteria being destroyed or depleted also alters the pH of this environment, further affecting digestion and the horse’s overall health and well-being.
To fully understand the role of probiotics, as well as digestive enzymes, in your horse’s diet it is important to have a simple or even basic understanding of the equine digestive system: When a horse eats, his food begins an approximate 100-foot journey through the digestive tract. Food is ground by the teeth and mixed with enzymes in the saliva, starting the digestive process. The food then mixes with digestive juices as it enters the stomach. Although the stomach is relatively small compared to the horse’s size, it is one of the most important areas for initiating the breakdown of food into utilizable nutrients using digestive enzymes and stomach acids.
Very little absorption takes place in the stomach, with the major part of nutrient absorption occurring via the small intestine and a lesser amount via the cecum and large intestine.
As the food passes through the stomach it enters the small intestine. The small intestine is the area where most soluble carbohydrates are absorbed along with minerals, fats and proteins. Insoluble carbohydrates that are not so easily digested, as well as any undigested soluble carbohydrates, are then passed to the cecum, which is the ’fermentation vat’ situated before the large intestine. This is
where the majority of the bacteria are found.
The purpose of the bacteria in the cecum is to break down into viable, usable nutrients the indigested food passed from the stomach and small intestine. A large array of bacteria/microorganisms is needed for this to happen efficiently and effectively. The action of these bacteria within the cecum allows the food fibers to be broken down into volatile fatty acids that can then be absorbed and used not only as an energy source by the horse but to help meet his vitamin and other nutrient requirements. (Imagine, if you will, millions of little “Pac-Man” type creatures chomping away at the undigested feed as it are passing through the intestinal tract.)
The purpose of the microbial fermentation process is it further breaks out and releases the nutritional components in the ingested feed, some of which are microbial proteins from the digestive enzymes, along with other naturally occurring vitamin compounds such as vitamin K and B-complex. The concept of microbial fermentation occurs to some extent in all animals that eat foods of plant origin, including horses and humans. Horses (as well as some humans) depend largely or in some cases entirely on fibrous plant materials (hays, plants, and vegetables), so while humans rely on the stomach and large intestine, horses rely on the cecum for the fermentation and microbial breakdown to occur.
The population of beneficial microorganisms in the cecum remains relatively ‘stable’ under ‘normal’ circumstances and conditions. As long as a horse is never stressed, never needs to be wormed, never has an abrupt change in feed, and never needs antibiotics, then the balance should remain un-altered and remain ‘stable’. The reality is that our horses do have stressful events, do get antibiotics occasionally, do have significant feed changes (including each different load of hay we buy), and they will be wormed from time to time.
There are three kinds of bacteria: ‘good’ (beneficial), ’neutral’, and ‘bad’.
The horse needs a balance of all three, but there must be enough good to keep the bad in check. As long as the balance of good and bad bacteria remains constant and the gastro-intestinal tract is stable, the horse remains healthy. When the balance is upset, the horse may eat, but may not be able to digest properly or assimilate the nutrients he needs from his food. When this occurs it may begin to show up as a dull coat, skin conditions, inability to maintain weight, slow foot growth or other medical conditions including diarrhea.
The Equine Cecum and Probiotics
The cecum is a sack approximately four-feet long that can hold up to 40 quarts of food and fluid. Similar to the rumen in a cow, the cecum is a microbial inoculation vat. Microbes in the cecum break down feed that was not digested in the small intestine, particularly fibrous feeds like hay and grass.
Because its entrance and exit are both at the top of the organ, the cecum is odd in design. This means that the feed enters at the top, mixes throughout, and is then expelled up at the top. This design is the cause of problems if an animal eats a lot of dry feeds without adequate water or if a rapid change of diet occurs. Both may cause a compaction in the lower end of the cecum, which in turn produces pain (colic). The microbial population in a cecum is somewhat specific as to what feed it can digest.
If a change of feed occurs, it takes about three weeks to develop a microbial population that can digest a new feed and maintain a normal flow through the cecum. A general rule for safely changing feeds:
Week 1: Feed a mix of three-fourths of the old ration and one-fourth of the new ration.
Week 2: Feed a mix of one-half of the old ration and one-half of the new ration.
Week 3: Feed a mix of one-fourth of the old ration and three-fourths of the new ration.
Week 4: Feed all new ration.
Feed will remain in the cecum for about seven hours, allowing bacteria time to start breaking it down. The microbes will produce vitamin K, B-complex vitamins, proteins, and fatty acids. The vitamins and fatty acids will be absorbed, but little if any protein will be absorbed.
Feeding probiotics daily is a great way to assist your horse in maintaining a healthy balance of microbes in the cecum. In turn, the healthy digestion of food results in reduced impact of stress on your horse's system, reduced likelihood of digestion-related illness such as colic and a greater absorption of nutrients for an overall healthy horse.
Mud Fever / Grease Heel / Scratches
If you've ever had to struggle with this blight, you know how stubborn it can be to eradicate. Because I've fought a recent 30-day battle myself, I thought I'd post some suggestions based upon my experience. I tried everything from antibiotics to MTG skin treatment, with no dramatic results. If I had it to do over again, I believe I could have reduced the cure and healing time to less than a week with the following:
Prevention is the best medicine. Good advice for humans as well as horses. As our horse's caretaker, it is our job to minimize the risk of accidents, injuries, and disease.
Very often a paddock that has proven safe to other horses may prove disasterous to a new horse introduced to that environment. Just because other horses have managed to avoid the rusted barrel for years, doesn't mean that your horse won't be the one to lacerate his leg on it.
The point of this is to say that you must always be aware of your horse's environment. The careful owner will find out how her horse can get injured before it actually happens.
Inspect every inch of fence line in paddocks and pastures, as well as stall walls, windows and doors. Before traveling, check your trailer carefully for any exposed sharp edges, soft flooring, or other dangers. Always remove or repair anything that looks dangerous.
To prepare for actual emergencies, you should discuss with your veterinarian any possible horse-related emergency situations. Familiarize yourself with your vets preferences for handling such emergencies. Also be sure to have a 'backup' veterinarian in the event that yours is not available in an emergency.
Often, if a horse's inury or illness is severe, you may need to transport him to an equine 'hospital' facility. Make yourself familiar with the available facilities and know how to get there. Delay in taking a horse to the proper facility can be a fatal mistake.
If you do not own a horse trailer, keep contact information for commercial transportation, or ask permission to borrow a friend's.
Keep a variety of emergency supplies on hand at all times and keep them in a handy place.
Here is a list of items that you should keep on hand:
Hydrogen Peroxide
Antiseptic ointment
Saline solution
Maalox
Large syringe for measuring and administering Maalox
Banamine (injectible or paste)*
Bute *
Digital thermometer
Vetrap
Gauze pads
Gauze rolls
Betadine
Stethoscope
Standing Leg Wraps
Track Bandages
* these are prescription items that must be obtained in advance from your veterinarian