Antoinette Foster Equine Nutritonal Therapist and Medical Herbalist © 2012 

Nutritional formulas are very popular with horse owners and products produced which aid digestive upsets and conditions are becoming almost as widely used as joint supplements. This is really not surprising considering the sensitivity of the equine digestive system and the horse is so reliant on the way the gastrointestinal tract functions. I have often said that whoever created the horse’s digestive system must have been on drugs as it is not the most functional. There are many digestive related conditions in horses that will benefit from the use of pro and prebiotics, these include, ulcers, poor digestion and colic. Poor diets or the wrong type of diet can also have a serious impact on the digestive system

Many nutritionists, veterinarians, health experts and researchers believe that the health of the GI improves many aspects of health in the horse including wind and colic, digestion, utilisation and absorption of nutrients, assists in maintaining immune function and can protect the horse against diarrhoea causing organisms, which include salmonella etc. A healthy GI can also reduce the risk of Laminitis. There are a number of products on the market that contain digestive enzymes, specific herbs such as slippery elm, Aloe Vera and marshmallow root etc.

Prebiotics and Probiotics are the most commonly used ingredients in digestive products and while their names are similar they are two entirely different types and have actions unique to each form. To put it simply probiotics are “good” microbes and bacteria, prebiotics are the foods that feed these good microbes and bacteria. Fermentation and the break down of grass, hay and other forms of feed are reliant on an excellent GI function; therefore the microbes and bacteria found in probiotics are essential for this to occur.

The fermentation process results in the production of volatile fatty acids that provide an important energy source for the horse. The microbes also produce B vitamins and other nutrients which are of high importance to the overall health and well being of the horse. Most importantly the “good” microbes—yeasts, bacteria, protozoa, and fungi—keep the “bad” microbes (such as Salmonella and Clostridium difficile) from overpopulating the intestines which may then cause diarrhoea and illness.

Prebiotics are food ingredients that stimulate production or activity of bacteria that live in the horse’s gastrointestinal tract. Your horse does not digest these food ingredients; they are actually “fed” to the good bugs. Prebiotics are most commonly carbohydrates—long chains of sugar molecules bound together. Some of the most common prebiotics used in equine supplements include fructooligosaccharides, xylooligosaccharides, polydextrose, mannooligosaccharides(MOS), galactooligosaccharides, pectin, and psyllium. These prebiotics are digested by the “good” microorganisms in the horse’s digestive system to increase their numbers or activity. Two of the best known “good” bacteria are Bifidobacterium bifidum and Lactobacillus acidophilus.

Probiotics are the live microorganisms themselves, if administered at sufficient levels, these microorganisms present a health benefit for the horse. To be considered a probiotic, the bacteria included in the supplement must be alive when administered and contain a taxonomically defined microbe(s), including genus, species, and strain; and be safe for the intended use. Most equine probiotics include Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species of bacteria and/or the yeast Saccharomyces boulardii.

Pre- and Probiotics benefit horses in many ways and are used by horse owners and equine health practitioners principally for GI-related conditions (i.e. diarrhoea), to encourage the growth of the good microbes, and to reduce the risk of invasion and growth of disease-causing bacteria. It is quite well known that antibiotic administration, stress, transport, abrupt dietary changes, and Clostridium spp. or Salmonella spp. infections can potentially alter the normal microbe population in a horse’s large intestine. Horse owners often administer prebiotics and/or probiotics to horses that are being treated with antibiotics, have developed diarrhoea, are off their feed, are about to travel or are experiencing a stressful event.

The more sophisticated and complex probiotics and prebiotics are only found in the human health industry. I recommend a formula from the human health market with some small additions such as peppermint extract, and from my perspective as an Equine and Human Nutritionist it is one of the very best I have seen. This formula is also excellent for managing Mycotoxins in horses. Ingredients included in this formula are Lactobacillus acidophilus 7.0 Billion CFU, Lactobacillus plantarum 7.0 Billion CFU, Bifi dobacterium longum 1.0 Billion CFU,Aloe barbadensis leaf equiv. extract dry (aloe vera) aloe polysaccharides Ulmus rubra stem bark, Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell dry, Colostrum (immunoglobulin G) , Selenium (as Selenomethionine), Zinc (as amino acid chelate).

Clinical and experimental studies suggest that the relative balance of aggressive and protective bacterial species is altered in many digestive orders. Antibiotics can selectively decrease tissue invasion and eliminate aggressive bacterial species or globally decrease luminal and mucosal bacterial concentrations, depending on their spectrum of activity. Alternatively, administration of beneficial bacterial species (probiotics), poorly absorbed dietary oligosaccha-rides (prebiotics), or combined probiotics and prebiotics (synbiotics) can restore a predominance of beneficial Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species. 

My personal advice is to always keep a very high quality pro and prebiotic on hand in the fridge and to use it when required, but also use it as a preventative measure.

For further advice or information please contact me on 1300HIFORM or antoinette@hiform.com.auwww.hiform.com.au