Equine Nutrition Flashcards
fibre?
foundation feed
forage first and foremost
how long does fibre digestion take?
up to 65 hours
hay - analysis:
adequate energy for maintenance and light work
inadequate protein quality
deficit in all vitamins, some minerals especially antioxidants
characteristics of a horse with a predominantly hay diet:
carrying adequate fat cover
dull coat
poor development
poor feet
lack of muscle
more prone to infection
potentially overfed but undernourished
RAO?
recurrent airway obstruction
which horse diet results in increased wood chewing?
horses fed on low forage diets spent significantly more time chewing wood
more prone to colic?
not enough forage in their diet
horses that chew wood - higher risk of?
of simple obstructive and distention colics
gastric ulcers - link to diet?
low fibre diets seem to predispose horses to gastric ulcers
lower stomach - saccus corpus?
highly acidic - pH 2
stops fermentation of food from the upper part of stomach
protein digestion starts here
saliva is a source of?
bicarbonate ions
what does saliva do?
buffers the top part of the unprotected stomach
reduced risk of gastric ulcers
faecal output?
1-3% BW
laminitis?
heart attack in foot - foot falls off - die
when do we recommend straw for a horse to lose weight?
horses not losing weight on soaked hay
hay shortage
low calories
how do we feed straw?
not wheat straw
advise introducing slowly
check teeth
keep an eye on fibre length in droppings
where to put haynets?
low down - horses bottom draw naturally falls open when head down
what type of haynets to use as a solution to maintain chewing?
small hole haynets
double wrapped nets - slows intake so slow fibre intake
how to keep horses chewing - they have a psychological need to chew
chaff with concentrates
carrots/apples
boulders in manger
results in extended eating time
chewing - what does it reduce the risk of?
reduces risk of oral stereotypies
forage from fibre - advantage for stomach?
stops splash back of acid from lower stomach
fibre from forage - hind gut health advantage?
provides fibre for cellulytic bacteria
reduces the risk of colic
minimises risk of endotoxemia
maintains healthy gut epithelium - butyrate
advice on forage?
max forage intake possible - take into account haylage intake
get owners to weigh out what they feed - know how much haynet holds, advise chaff
soak hay
why do we soak hay?
soak hay to decrease calories for fat horses
Haylage best for performance horses
Barley or oat straw for horses that can’t lose weight on soaked hay, control grazing through muzzles
oats energy?
lower in energy and lower in starch compared to other feeds
cereals?
no heated digestion - just produce sugar into the small intestine –> non heating and high glycaemic repsonse
digestion of calories in small intestine?
by enzymes
rapidly
high energy feeds
digestion of calories in large intestine (caecum and colon)?
by bacteria
slowly
low energy feeds
daily calorie intake of balancer?
5.75
daily calorie intake of leisure mix?
15
daily calorie intake of healthy hooves?
21
daily calorie intake of high fibre nuts?
14.25
