When it comes to designing diets, knowing the basics of how horses digest food is half the battle. It’s important to consider each horse’s energy requirements before developing a feeding schedule.
The horse’s digestive system is large, complex, and functions like a factory, yet it is exceedingly delicate. Digestive tract dysfunction in the horse is an important concern for owners and veterinarians.
If the horse’s gastrointestinal (GI) tract were a highway, no self-respecting engineer would take credit for its design. Take a trip along the highway of the equine GI tract to learn more about how your horse digests his food.
Although equine dentists cannot have their patients lie down in a reclining chair for easy access to those hard-to-reach molars, the field has progressed greatly in the past 20 years. It is now possible to perform a root canal or a tooth extraction
Experts at the 2007 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention discussed multiple topics related to equine digestive health, including sand colic, post-surgery stapling, hindgut acidosis, risk factors for gastric ulcers in Thoroughbreds, and alfalfa’s effects on ulcer severity.
Further complicating the debate regarding whether or not the equine tapeworm Anoplocephala perfoliata causes colic in horses, Canadian researchers did not find evidence of a significant association between A. perfoliata infection and
Going to the dentist annually is not only necessary for humans; it is an important part of equine health. Annual dental exams are extremely important for horses young and old to help ensure the animals comfort and performance.
Cleet Griffin,
Up to 86% of Australian Thoroughbred racehorses have been reported to have gastric ulcers. Many factors can contribute to ulcers, and researchers at Murdoch University set out to determine which ones were the most significant for this population
Understanding the equine digestive system can make your horse healthier and give you fewer worries about gastric upset. In this article, we’ll take a look at just how this “factory” is designed and how it functions.
If your horse has ulcers, giving him omeprazole isn’t the only thing you can do to help reduce the severity of the problem. Noah Cohen, VMD, PhD, MPH, Dipl. ACVIM, discussed a study that found alfalfa hay reduced the severity of ulcers in young,
Ileus is one of the leading postoperative causes of death in horses.
I have a 16-year-old Tennessee Walking Horse who appears to be in perfect condition, except he belches. Often.
Comparing equine digestive function with small animal function leads to misconceptions and mismanagement.
Periodontal disease is one of the most painful conditions that can occur in the horse’s mouth. The number one cause of premature tooth loss in adult horses (as in adult people) is periodontal disease. Periodontal disease can affect incisors, canine
“A horse that’s working hard does have a high energy requirement,” says Nielsen. “And when we are trying to get that into a horse, we have to feed him a fair bit of concentrate, meaning grain, of course. In this case, we run the risk of health
A developer of capsule-based medical devices has begun trials of a product for use in animal health.
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