{"id":113254,"date":"2023-12-26T10:58:43","date_gmt":"2023-12-26T16:58:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/08b67ef4d4.nxcli.io\/?p=113254"},"modified":"2023-12-26T10:58:43","modified_gmt":"2023-12-26T16:58:43","slug":"why-is-gut-health-so-important-in-your-horse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nouvelleresearch.com\/index.php\/articles\/113254-why-is-gut-health-so-important-in-your-horse","title":{"rendered":"Why is Gut Health So Important in Your Horse?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gut health.\u00a0<\/strong> What does it mean in the horse? Every horse has a health problem on some level, just like every person does.\u00a0 The ultimate question is how far has it progressed or advanced, and how serious is the ailment.\u00a0 When you really peel back science and hone in on the origins of many health problems, horse or human, digestion is the key. Gut health in the horse is the key and the underlying factor in most if not all cases of health and lameness problems.\u00a0 The effects of the gut reach every body surface and every cell, thus, why it is so important but so often overlooked or addressed incorrectly.<\/p>\n

If you look over this website and the educational material contained within, there is one key factor that is addressed and discussed in the horse.\u00a0 That key factor is gut health and the process of digestion.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For many, many years, research has slowly been making connections between most health ailments and the gut microbiome, which is the population of bacteria present in the digestive tract. While most of the science revolves around humans, they are using animals as the models and there are many articles specifically on horses.\u00a0 Many years ago, there was a direct connection between laminitis in the horse and an overgrowth of Streptococcus bacteria in the gut, specifically Streptococcus bovis<\/em>. When we have an overgrowth of one type of bacteria it implies that there is a dysbiosis or an imbalanced digestive microbiome.\u00a0 Additionally, when one group of bacteria is overgrown or more highly represented, then this logically means that another group(s) is reduced in population.\u00a0 Essentially, with a dysbiosis, we have an overabundance of ‘bad’ bacteria and fewer ‘good’ ones. This imbalance leads to health problems down the road, or even in the short term.<\/p>\n

Clinical Examples of Gut Microbiome Imbalance in the Horse<\/span><\/h3>\n

Let’s take a couple of examples that maybe some owners could relate to in the horse.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A grain overload situation is very common or at least was in my clinical practice.\u00a0 Grains are highly fermentable and will often negatively shift the digestive microbiome along with more acidic changes in the pH or acidity.\u00a0 A horse can consume 4 pounds or more of grain in one setting and quickly alter their digestive microbiome leading to endotoxemia and laminitis within 24 hours.\u00a0 Many of these cases result in euthanasia as a result of the severe impact of acute inflammation.<\/p>\n

Another scenario is salmonellosis or severe diarrhea in the horse caused by a Salmonella<\/em> species of bacteria.\u00a0 While we have been taught to believe this is an infection contracted from a food source or the environment, it is actually a shift in the digestive microbiome.\u00a0 All horses have some level of Salmonella<\/em> in their digestive tract, but usually the levels are so low that they do not show up on repeat cultures.\u00a0 However, if through improper feeding practices or the heavy use of antibiotics, the digestive microbiome is shifted negatively, then the environment changes in the gut and the Salmonella<\/em> is then allowed to increase in number.\u00a0 Increase it enough without intervention and you will end up in the same situation as the grain overload horse above.<\/p>\n

Gut Imbalance in the Horse; Readily Apparent if You Look<\/span><\/h3>\n

If you ask the average horse owner if their horse has a healthy gut, most will reply with the simple answer of ‘yes’.\u00a0 That response comes from a person that is not looking, no offense implied, or they may not know what to look for.\u00a0 Many owners use over-the-counter probiotic supplements and believe all is well in the horse’s world.\u00a0 This couldn’t be further from the truth.<\/p>\n

Look closely at the photo included with this article.\u00a0 This is just one example of a horse with a severely imbalanced digestive microbiome.\u00a0 The feces is a brown-green color, dark in nature, and obviously very moist with some ‘slime’ or mucous shining on the surface.\u00a0 This sample of horse manure also smells very sweet and rancid at the same time.\u00a0 Not an example of a healthy digestive microbiome.\u00a0 So, one has to ask ‘what is your horse’s poop telling you?<\/a><\/strong><\/span>‘\u00a0 That article has some nice examples of what to look for in normal and no so normal horse poop.<\/p>\n

As I mentioned in the beginning of this article, every horse has some sort of health or soundness issue. Every horse<\/strong>.\u00a0 Again, the question is how far has the condition advanced and what is the level of severity?\u00a0 No one horse is perfect and I do not expect them to be, but if there is a problem, then I highly recommend looking at the gut.<\/p>\n

Many horses have obvious signs of poor gut health with gas, colic history, loose stools, fecal odor, bloating, ulcers, or otherwise.\u00a0 When we see these signs, the writing is on the wall.\u00a0 However, many others do not have digestive signs, at least that the owner will recognize or admit.\u00a0 Despite this, the gut is still involved.<\/p>\n

Do you have a horse with:<\/strong><\/p>\n