Using Nutrition to Prevent and Manage Equine Disease

While you can't necessarily prevent or squelch every equine ailment by adjusting his diet, what a horse consumes can impact certain maladies. According to Meri Stratton-Phelps, DVM, MPVM, Dipl. ACVIM, ACVN, owner of All Creatures Veterinary Nutrition Consulting, in Fairfield, Calif., veterinarians and owners can use certain dietary ingredients to reduce a horse's risk of developing particular medical conditions such as colic, gastric ulcer syndrome, and developmental orthopedic disease and to help manage some pre-existing conditions such as obesity and equine metabolic syndrome. She presented on the topic at the 2011 Western Veterinary Conference, held Feb. 20-24 in Las Vegas, Nev.

Before delving into dietary details, Stratton-Phelps stressed that caretakers changing horses' diets should go about it very slowly, as a rapid change in feed could cause colic itself. She suggested stretching changes out over about 10 days (or more if the horse has a history of colic associated with feeding adjustments).

Impaction Colic

Impaction colic is a common condition in which feed material obstructs the large colon. According to Stratton-Phelps, a common cause of impaction colic is a decrease in water intake: "Many impaction colic cases can be prevented by ensuring an adequate water intake at all times."

Encouraging horses that only drink limited amounts of water to increase fluid intake is of paramount importance to preventing impaction colic, Stratton-Phelps said. She suggested a number of methods to encourage horses to drink:

Adding flavoring to water can entice certain horses to consume more liquids. One cup of flavoring (such as apple juice, cranberry juice, or Gatorade) should be enough to flavor 2-3 gallons of water. She cautioned that the sugar content of the flavoring should be monitored for some horses (i.e., those suffering from or prone to laminitis or horses with metabolic syndrome) and that a plain water source should always be available in the event the horse does not like the flavoring.

Salt or electrolytes can encourage some horses to drink. Stratton-Phelps advocates adding 1-3 teaspoons of salt once or twice daily to a horse's feed, cautioning that granular salt intake should not exceed 4 tablespoons daily, as this could have negative effects on the horse (it's not uncommon for horses to object to the taste of salt in their feed and refuse to eat, and in some cases, the horse will not be able to drink enough water to offset the higher salt intake, which could lead to problems if the salt cannot be excreted, Stratton-Phelps noted). As with any feeding adjustment, she advises gradual addition or removal of salt from the diet to avoid upsetting the horse's gastrointestinal tract.

Psyllium Drug Reviews - Psyllium Side Effects and Dosage | Drugs ...

Drug Trade Name – Hydrocil, Fiberall, Konsyl, Konsyl Orange Sugar-free, Konsyl-D, Konsyl-Orange, Laxmar Orange, Natural Fiber Therapy, Metamucil Original Texture Regular, Metamucil Orange Coarse Milled Original Texture, Metamucil Unflavored Coarse Milled Original Texture, Sugar Free, Metamucil Orange Smooth Texture Sugar Free, Metamucil Orange Smooth Texture, Fiber Eze, Metamucil Unflavored Smooth Texture Sugar Free, Laxative Natural, V-Lax, Laxmar, Konsyl for Kids, Perdiem Fiber Powder, Metamucil, Reguloid, Genfiber, Modane Bulk, Maalox Daily Fiber Therapy, Cilium, Fiber Therapy, Alramucil, Syllact, Serutan

Generic name – Psyllium                                                                   

Group – Laxatives  

Introduction and Quick Information about Psyllium:

Psyllium is derived from the crushed seeds of Plantago ovata plant, herb native to certain parts of Asia, North Africa and the Mediterranean. Psyllium seed husk is used as an herbal remedy. Similar to wheat and oats, psyllium is very rich in soluble fiber. Conventionally, psyllium is used as one of the gentle bulk-forming laxatives to treat a number of conditions.

Psyllium can be used for the treatment of bowel irregularity or occasional constipation. People also prefer to use Psyllium to treat diarrhea and to lower down the levels of cholesterol by around 10 to 15 percent when used along with efficient diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Psyllium has the potential to absorb the liquid inside the intestines and swelling in order to offer a bulky, softer stool which is quite easy to pass also.

Is Psyllium   Approved by FDA?

It is unknown whether U.S FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has approved Psyllium or not. Thus, you should talk to your doctor about the uses and benefits of using it to treat any of your conditions.

Usage and Benefits of Psyllium:

Psyllium is one of the beneficial fiber supplements, which has the ability to treat:

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