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COMMON EQUINE DISEASES:

CAN dac® HELP?

DR TANIA CUBITT

PERFORMANCE HORSE NUTRITION

COMMON EQUINE DISEASES – CAN dac® HELP? 2

OUTLINE

• Digestive Function • Diseases

– Equine Metabolic Syndrome – Cushings – Colic – Tying Up – COPD – HYPP – EPM – Ulcers – Kidney Disease – Liver Disease

• Questions


DIGESTIVE FUNCTION - EVOLUTION MODERN DIET • Cereal grain based • Rapid intake • Increased Acidity of GI Tract • Frustration due to confinement • Lack of Socialization • Exercise Level

NATURAL DIET • Fibre Based • Wide variety of forages • Nibbler – small amounts • Continuous Grazing • Moving while eating • Herd


DIGESTIVE FUNCTION – NUTRITIONAL DISORDERS

Change in horse’s diet & eating habits

– Fit human schedule

– Convenience

– Availability of feedstuffs

The key to understanding how to

feed horses is… the knowledge of

the digestive system and how it

functions.


DIGESTIVE FUNCTION - STOMACH

• One small compartment

• 9% of capacity

• Dictates meal size

• Acid, pepsin

• Protein digestion


DIGESTIVE FUNCTION – SMALL INTESTINE

• Seventy feet long • 25% capacity • Enzymatic digestion

– CHO

– Protein

– Fat

– Minerals

– Vitamins


DIGESTIVE FUNCTION – LARGE INTESTINE

• 65% of capacity

• Cecum and colon

• Enlargement to promote fermentation

• Microbial fermentation of plant fiber

– Volatile Fatty Acids

– B vitamins

• Absorption in Large Intestine

– Water

– Electrolytes


EQUINE DISEASES

General Symptoms of concern –

• Abnormal discharges from the eyes, nose or other body opening

• Foul breath • Limping • Loss of appetite or condition • Violent head shaking or scratching, licking or

biting any part of the body • Roughened coat or hair loss • Lumps or open sores

“All Disease Begins in the Gut” Hippocrates, Father of Medicine


EQUINE METABOLIC SYNDROME

• Obesity

• Insulin Resistance

• Laminitis

• Cushings



VMRCVM Study (Thatcher, 2007)

• 51% of ALL horses are overweight

• 19% Obese Scottish Study (Wyse et al., 2008)

• 32% of pleasure horses obese • 35% of pleasure horses fat

UK Study (Harker et al., 2011)

• 62% of horses competing at shows were overweight, fat or obese



• Obesity • Insulin resistance • Chronic inflammation • Oxidative stress • Impaired reproduction • Placental restriction • Lowered birth weights • Hyperlipemia • Laminitis • Heat Stress • Bone Injury • Joint Injury • Tendon Injury • Reduced Performance



• Grazing management

• Decrease Sugar and Starch

– Total diet less than 10 - 12%

• Antioxidants to support immune function

• Calories from fat not grain if weight gain needed



• dac® Oil

– Calories from fat

• dac® E & Se

– Antioxidants, immune function

• dac® DDA

– Immune function


TYING UP

• Azoturia, Exertional Rhabdomolysis, RER, PSSM, EPSM

• Muscle Damage, Pain

• Sporadic vs Chronic

• Sporadic occurs when horses are exercised in excess of their level of conditioning • Hot, humid conditions , increased

body temp

• Loss of fluid and electrolytes in sweat

• Depletion of muscle energy stores


TYING UP Chronic tying up

– repeated episodes

– increased muscle enzyme activity, even with mild exertion

– Abnormality in intracellular calcium regulation

– Abnormal muscle glycogen storage

– Genetic Component


TYING UP • Quarter horses, racing horses, draught

breeds

• Remove high starch and sugar ingredients – Corn, barley, molasses

• Increase fiber content & quality – Beet pulp, alfalfa

• Increase calories from fat

• Electrolyte supplementation

• Vitamin E supplementation

• Free Choice Salt


TYING UP

• dac® Oil

– Calories from fat

• dac® E & Se

– Muscle damage

• dac® Formula Calm B

– Reduce excitable behavior

• dac® Electro Aid

– Replace lost salts


COPD

• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – Heaves

• Lung disease, similar to asthma

• Allergic reaction to inhaled particulates

• Air passages become inflamed

• Chronic cough or heaving to expel air and particulates


COPD

• Trouble breathing

• Cough

• Visible heave line of flank

• Wheezing

• Nasal discharge

• Inability to exercise

• Rapid breathing


COPD

• Minimize dust

• Wet feed

• Wet hay

• Ventilate barn

• Turnout as much as possible

• dac® Oil – Increased omega 3 to decrease

inflammation in the respiratory system

– Decrease dust particles in feed


HYPP

• Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis

• Genetic disorder

• Disrupted sodium channels

• Increased potassium in blood

• Excessive muscle contraction


HYPP

• Muscle twitching

• Paralysis

• Seizures

• Respiratory noise

• Sudden death

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSLRhaRxFDU





HYPP

• Results of HYPP genetic test – nn

• normal

– nH • One copy of

defective gene

– HH • 2 copies of

defective gene, severely affected


HYPP

• Total diet potassium less than 1.2%

• No molasses, orchard grass hay, alfalfa products, wheat bran

• No Electrolytes

• Oats + vitamin & mineral

• dac® Orange Superior


EPM

• Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis

• Neurological disease

• Transmitted via opossum feces

• Caused by sarcocystis neurona parasite

• Need medication to suppress parasite


EPM • Symptoms

– Incoordination – Gait abnormalities – Head tilt – Facial nerve paralysis – Difficulty swallowing – Loss of sensation along

the face, neck and body – Weakness – Lameness – Weight loss – Blindness – Seizures


EPM

• Low NSC feed – Beet pulp

• Plenty of fiber

• High fat

• Good quality protein – Rebuild damaged muscle tissue – Alfalfa, soybean meal

• Vitamin E – Rebuild damaged nerves

Diarrhea is a side affect of medication


EPM

• dac® DDA

– fiber digestion, diarrhea

• dac® Oil

– Weight gain without grain

• dac® E & Se

– nerve rebuilding

• dac® Orange Superior

– If feeding unfortified ingredients


ULCERS

• Gastric Ulcers

• Colonic Ulcers


ULCERS – PERFORMANCE HORSES

GastricUlcers Colonic

Ulcers No UlcersGastric &ColonicUlcers

87%

63%

3%

54%

Pellegrini, 2005


ULCERS - CAUSES

• Increased Acidity

• Exercise Intensity

• Intermittent feeding

• Transport stress

• NSAID’s

• High Starch

– VFA’s, pH


ULCERS - GASTRIC

Margo Plicatus

Small Intestine

Esophagus

Pyloric Sphincter


ULCERS - GASTRIC

• Alfalfa

• Frequent meals

• Constant access to hay or pasture

• dac® DDA – to stimulate appetite

• dac® Oil – Weight gain without grain


ULCERS - COLONIC

• Less frequent but more severe than gastric ulcers

• Symptoms – Intermittent colic

– Lethargy

– Anorexia

– Fever

– Diarrhea

– Dehydration

– Ventral edema


ULCERS - COLONIC

• Pelleted/cubed forage

• Frank Andrews – Yeast Extract may help with colonic ulcers

– Stabilize hindgut pH

• Yeast extract is a key component of dac® DDA

• dac® Oil – Weight gain without grain


Risk Factors

Warning Signs

COLIC


COLIC

• Impaction Colic – Dehydrated digestive tract

– dac® Electro-Aid

– dac® DDA

• Gas Colic – Gas build up – pain, most

common

– dac® DDA

– dac® Oil


KIDNEY DISEASE

• Loss of kidney function • Waste products will accumulate in the horse's

system, causing toxicity/poisoning • Can occur after:

– dehydration – Acute blood loss – Exercise-associated sweat losses – Sepsis

• Chronic • Acute


KIDNEY DISEASE

• Lethargy • Drinking excess amounts of

water • Urinating a lot • Discolored urine • Strong smelling urine • Toxins in blood can:

– Irritate the stomach – Anorexia – Depression


KIDNEY DISEASE

• Low protein – No legumes (alfalfa, clover), soybeans

• Low phosphorus – No Wheat bran

• Low calcium – No legumes (alfalfa, clover), no beet pulp

• Use Fat Supplements

• Electrolytes

• Plenty of fresh clean water


KIDNEY DISEASE

• No commercial grain concentrates

• Limited amount of whole or crimped oats

• Grass hay

• No ad lib salt – Add 1 to 2 oz. daily

• dac® Oil

• dac® Electro-Aid

• dac® DDA - enhance digestion of fiber, boost immune function


LIVER DISEASE

• Liver Dysfunction

• Lethargy

• Dark colored urine

• Itchy


LIVER DISEASE

• Unbalanced amino acids

– Decreased branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine)

– Increased aromatic amino acids (phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan)

• Ammonia production increases


LIVER DISEASE

• Meet energy without excess protein – Protein source should have high branched chain: aromatic

AA ratio

• Do not feed fat supplements • Readily available soluble carbohydrates are essential • 50% steam flaked corn + 50% grass hay

– Can add molasses

• Multiple small feeding to prevent ammonia surges • Avoid - Legume hays, oats, and soybeans because of

high levels of aromatic AA’s • Plenty of clean fresh water


LIVER DISEASE

• No dac® Oil

• Beet pulp

• Wheat Bran

• Steam Flaked Corn

• B-Vitamins

• Vitamin C

• dac® Yucca – Ammonia Production

• dac® DDA – enhance digestion of fiber, boost immune function

Correct AA ratio

dac® Orange Superior


QUESTIONS

Dr. Tania Cubitt – [email protected] dac® Office - [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

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