Colic, defined as any abdominal pain, has resulted in the deaths of horses throughout recorded history, stated White. In fact, it is second only to old age as the number one cause of equine deaths in the United States today.
Colic, defined as any abdominal pain, has resulted in the deaths of horses throughout recorded history, stated White. In fact, today it is second only to old age as the number one cause of equine deaths in the United States. White said it is one of
Low-carb has found its way into equine diets, with owners demanding feed products with low carb levels.
The equine digestive system is a complicated factory that is designed to process small amounts of food frequently and convert them into nutrients that can be absorbed and produce energy. The same, concerning the end result, could be said of the cow
Endotoxemia occurs when toxins from the wall of Gram-negative bacteria crosses the intestinal wall and gains access to the bloodstream. Endotoxin becomes concentrated on the surface of white blood cells, causing them to secrete inflammatory agents.
In 2005, feed regulatory officials were informed that sun-cured alfalfa products might be used in products labeled as dehydrated alfalfa, thereby substituting a product of possibly inferior nutritional quality to unsuspecting consumers. This
Gain an understanding of how the horse is constructed and what this means in the realm of form to function.
During colic surgery, it can be difficult to judge whether twisted bowel deprived of oxygenated blood, a process called ischemia, will recover sufficiently once it is replaced and blood flows again. While the bowel might look healthy on the outside,
A study at the Island Whirl Equine Colic Research Laboratory at the University of Florida has determined that the horse’s stomach can adapt to meals of various sizes and compositions, giving researchers a better understanding of how the normal
Like a structure made of tinker toys, protein is composed of smaller pieces–the amino acids. These can be rearranged to form the different types of protein-based tissues in the body. Protein is one of the basic nutrient elements of the equine
Equine dental abnormalities are among the top five most common medical problems encountered by equine veterinarians. Clinical evidence has shown that horses with severe tooth hooks and points that were corrected gained weight
Endotoxemia is one of the most commonly encountered life-threatening conditions in horses with gastrointestinal disease. It is, by nature, a very disappointing and frustrating disease to encounter, and is the leading cause of death in adult horses
Japanese scientists recently announced that they have sequenced the genome of Clostridium perfringens. The organism can cause diarrhea, scours, and other intestinal problems in horses. Clostridia are normally found in various environments
An understanding of the horses’ digestive tract, where feedstuffs are digested and how that impacts the end products of digestion, is necessary to help the horse meet these challenges. The digestive tract of the horse is divided into two sections
Then there is the matter of the large colon, with its sacculated construction that seems made to order for twisting or strangulating when the pouches become distended by gas during a bout with colic.
There is also the matter of length. If
While the horse receives the bulk of the nutrients as his food is broken down, he’s not the only one who benefits; the microbes take their share and thus maintain their populations. Their presence is essential to the horse, who could not digest fiber
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