Signs your Horse is Suffering from Poor Gut Health

Signs your Horse is Suffering from Poor Gut Health

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Is your horse suffering from poor gut health? This may well be a question you are asking should he (or she) not seem quite themselves. Here we’ve teamed up with Dodson and Horrell to bring you signs and symptoms of poor gut health in the equine, as well as looking at what we can do to keep our horse’s gut healthy.

The Digestive System – A Quick Overview

Recognising symptoms that indicate a compromised hind gut are difficult to identify so it is important we understand how the digestive system works to avoid harming our horse’s overall health and wellbeing.

Fermentation of fibre in the large intestine (hindgut) supplies around two-thirds of a horse’s energy and the intestinal tract accounts for 12% of an adult horse’s body weight making its health vitally important to that of the horse itself.  The health of the hindgut depends on the delicate balance of bacteria and microbes and can easily be unbalanced, which increases the risk of hindgut acidosis; the resulting toxins from this condition leading to several problems including Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS).

Symptoms of poor gut health

Poor gut health can manifest with various symptoms including but not limited to:

• Poor appetite – sudden loss of appetite may be a sign that something may be wrong with your horse’s intestinal tract
• Weight loss – if a horse is being fed the correct quantity of calories for the work it is undertaking weight loss could be a sign of poor gut health
• Changes in manure output – diarrhoea or dry and scant manure output can also be an early indicator of an issue
• Abdominal discomfort – Restlessness and/or stereotypic behaviours can also a warning sign of intestinal upset.
• Colic – Clinically diagnosed colic may be a symptom of intestinal problems such as EGUS
• Nervous or aggressive behaviour – changes in your horse normal behaviour can be a sign of discomfort in the gut
• Poor performance – reduced performance that can not be attributed to other external factors may be an indicator of an intestinal problem.

If you are concerned that your horse has any of the above symptoms, it is important to call your Vet for more information and advice.

Performance horses and racehorses are particularly prone to gut issues as their lifestyle provides many of the contributing factors, including:

• Low Forage Intake – Saliva is rich in bicarbonate ions which help to neutralise gastric acid. Horses only produce saliva whilst they are actually chewing so anything that limits chewing, such a lack of forage will increase the risk.
• Exercise – With gentle exercise gastric contents are limited to the glandular lower region of the intestine, however high-speed exercise (galloping and jumping) can cause gastric acid to “splash upward” and contact the unprotected squamous mucosa in the upper region of the intestine.
• High Starch and Sugar Diets – Bacterial fermentation of starch in the stomach can cause lactic acid production in the stomach which can act synergistically with gastric acid and contribute to the development of ulcers.
• Stress – Many studies have suggested that the risk of EGUS increases if the horse is exposed to stress. Travelling, changing management, changing environment, competition and hospitalization can induce stress.
• Reduced Water in-take – Some studies have correlated the reduced water in-take (and associated increase in stomach pH) with increased prevalence of gastric ulceration.

How can I keep my horses gut healthy?

The best way to help keep the horse’s gut healthy is to follow some simple guidelines:

Feed plenty of forage and split forage intake across the day:
Your horse should consume 2% of its bodyweight per day in dry matter weight of forage.  When eating forage, horses will produce twice the amount of saliva than they would eating the same amount of concentrate feed. Ideally, horses prone to EGUS should have ad-lib supply of hay or haylage.

Avoid cereal-based concentrates: 
Feeding high starch and sugar concentrate feeds is not recommended for horses with poor gut health. Instead, choose a feed that provides a higher proportion of calories from oil and fibre sources. You should split your horses feed into several small meals if possible so that starch remains less than 1g of starch per kg of bodyweight per meal.

Turn out daily:
Horses that are at grass will eat for longer periods of time and so produce a lot of saliva, meaning that they have a much lower incidence of EGUS compared with stabled horses. Even just a few hours of turnout per day can be beneficial.

Feed prior to exercise:
Feeding a small amount of forage or chaff prior to exercise may help reduce the risk of EGUS. The presence of the fibrous ‘mat’ resulting from fibre intake in the stomach can prevent gastric acid splashing up into the non-glandular region. Alfalfa has a higher Calcium content than other forages, along with the calcium carbonate in saliva will help to buffer (reduce the acidity) pH in the stomach.

Provide fresh, clean water:
Limited access to water has been shown to increase the risk of EGUS along with other digestive issues; possibly due to a dilution effect of water on gastric contents. Water must always be available and should be offered every 4-6 hours when the horse is travelling. Some horses will not drink water when away from home; adding some apple juice or cordial will help to mask any unusual flavours.

Provide supplementary support:
It is important to support the microbial population of the hindgut to optimise digestibility of fibre.  Prebiotics and probiotics can help to support the beneficial gut microflora. In turn this contributes to the horse’s overall energy intake and can improve body condition as well as helping to regulate pH level and prevent growth of pathogenic bacteria.

Although there is currently not enough scientific evidence to fully support herbal products for horses with EGUS, many horse owners believe that herbs such as liquorice root, slippery elm and comfrey are beneficial.

For more information on Dodson and Horrell, including feeds, products and supplements visit www.dodsonandhorrell.com

Suzanne Ashton

Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.