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Fun With Fiber

Nov 5, 2012 | Feed

 

Tony the Cat Checking in,

So in my last blog, I took some time to talk about the basics of horse nutrition. This time, I’d like to talk to you about the fiber needs of horses. Personally, I don’t see why they can’t just eat tuna like us cats, but to each his own I guess. Horses are meant to use fiber as their main form of fuel, which means they need a lot of it in their daily diets. Not only does fiber provide energy, but it also keeps their digestive system functioning properly. Horses need to have at least 50% of their diet in fiber, and will get most of their daily energy needs from that. What’s interesting is that horses can’t actually digest the fiber on their own! The fibers are broken down by intestinal bacteria living in the horses’ digestive tract. The bacteria break down the fiber into Volatile Fatty Acids, which the horse can digest. So where do horses get all of this fiber? Most of your horse’s fiber needs can come from adequate forage throughout the day, but there are also some alternative fibers available in the case of low forage options. Let’s talk a little about what fiber is made of, and then I’ll talk about those fiber options.

Fiber is made of cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin. If you have ever sharpened your claws on a tree, you’ll know that the bark is pretty hard and rough. That rigid material is the lignin and it cannot be digested by horses, or their gut bacteria. It makes for great claw sharpening though! The digestible fiber materials are the cellulose and some hemicelluloses.  These are found in the leafy parts of plants, and are known as insoluble fibers. Now, because they are insoluble, the bacteria in the gut have to break them down to make the energy horses need. A portion of the fibers won’t be digested though and these still help the horse maintain gut function.

Forage is the best way for a horse to attain the fiber that it needs for energy. As I said before, a horse needs at least 50% of its daily diet to be fiber, which means they need the majority of their diet to be forage if possible. Forage options include pasture grasses, Coastal hay, Timothy, Alfalfa, Peanut hay, and other grass options. These can be fed in a number of forms. Pastures can be free choice, but hays are available in a variety of feeding options including round bales, square bales, cubes and pellets. Young, freshly cut hays are the best options for keeping the horse healthy and providing them with the energy they need. The younger hay is higher in digestible fiber than older or later cut hay. For those that don’t have easy access to pasture or hay there are some other options that can supplement the fiber in a horse’s diet.

One of the most popular and best fiber alternatives is beet pulp. Beet pulp comes in a dehydrated form and is generally soaked in water before fed to the horse, which makes it easier to chew and can help prevent choking. Other options include bran (available in oat or rice options), chaff which is made from oat and barley straw, and Grain hulls. Unfortunately the last few options don’t provide as many of the energy needs as forage or beet pulp would. Chaff and grain hulls are low in energy, and are generally better used for easy keepers who need to be kept busy munching, but who do not need to gain any weight. Some complete feeds are also now being made with higher fiber content by adding forages to the feed. Fiber alternatives are best fed in several smaller meals throughout the day to keep the horse’s gut moving slowly over extended periods of time as it would in a natural grazing environment.

Next week, I’ll be talking about fats and proteins and their place in a horse’s diet. Until then, may your litter box always be clean and your food bowl full.

Tony the Cat Checking in,

So in my last blog, I took some time to talk about the basics of horse nutrition. This time, I’d like to talk to you about the fiber needs of horses. Personally, I don’t see why they can’t just eat tuna like us cats, but to each his own I guess. Horses are meant to use fiber as their main form of fuel, which means they need a lot of it in their daily diets. Not only does fiber provide energy, but it also keeps their digestive system functioning properly. Horses need to have at least 50% of their diet in fiber, and will get most of their daily energy needs from that. What’s interesting is that horses can’t actually digest the fiber on their own! The fibers are broken down by intestinal bacteria living in the horses’ digestive tract. The bacteria break down the fiber into Volatile Fatty Acids, which the horse can digest. So where do horses get all of this fiber? Most of your horse’s fiber needs can come from adequate forage throughout the day, but there are also some alternative fibers available in the case of low forage options. Let’s talk a little about what fiber is made of, and then I’ll talk about those fiber options.

Fiber is made of cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin. If you have ever sharpened your claws on a tree, you’ll know that the bark is pretty hard and rough. That rigid material is the lignin and it cannot be digested by horses, or their gut bacteria. It makes for great claw sharpening though! The digestible fiber materials are the cellulose and some hemicelluloses.  These are found in the leafy parts of plants, and are known as insoluble fibers. Now, because they are insoluble, the bacteria in the gut have to break them down to make the energy horses need. A portion of the fibers won’t be digested though and these still help the horse maintain gut function.

Forage is the best way for a horse to attain the fiber that it needs for energy. As I said before, a horse needs at least 50% of its daily diet to be fiber, which means they need the majority of their diet to be forage if possible. Forage options include pasture grasses, Coastal hay, Timothy, Alfalfa, Peanut hay, and other grass options. These can be fed in a number of forms. Pastures can be free choice, but hays are available in a variety of feeding options including round bales, square bales, cubes and pellets. Young, freshly cut hays are the best options for keeping the horse healthy and providing them with the energy they need. The younger hay is higher in digestible fiber than older or later cut hay. For those that don’t have easy access to pasture or hay there are some other options that can supplement the fiber in a horse’s diet.

One of the most popular and best fiber alternatives is beet pulp. Beet pulp comes in a dehydrated form and is generally soaked in water before fed to the horse, which makes it easier to chew and can help prevent choking. Other options include bran (available in oat or rice options), chaff which is made from oat and barley straw, and Grain hulls. Unfortunately the last few options don’t provide as many of the energy needs as forage or beet pulp would. Chaff and grain hulls are low in energy, and are generally better used for easy keepers who need to be kept busy munching, but who do not need to gain any weight. Some complete feeds are also now being made with higher fiber content by adding forages to the feed. Fiber alternatives are best fed in several smaller meals throughout the day to keep the horse’s gut moving slowly over extended periods of time as it would in a natural grazing environment.

Next week, I’ll be talking about fats and proteins and their place in a horse’s diet. Until then, may your litter box always be clean and your food bowl full.

 

Nutrition and Your Horse

Oct 8, 2012 | Feed

 

Tony the Cat, checking back in again. The girls have been talking a bit about horse nutrition over the past couple of weeks, and I thought you guys might be interested in some of the facts, and what they mean when it comes to feeding your riding buddies. As you probably already know, horses are herbivores; which means their diet consists of plants.  Horses are adapted to eating up to 20 hours a day! I need more cat naps than that. Because they eat so regularly, they are also adapted to eating small amounts of food at one time. The average horse’s stomach holds about 1-3 gallons of food. That’s not very much when you think of how big they are! To make matters even more interesting, horses can’t regurgitate. If they get too full, or they eat something that is toxic to them, it cannot come back up. This can lead to a multitude of problems, including colic and ulcers. Following the stomach is the small intestine. The small intestine is 50-70 feet long, and is where most of the digestion of easily digested nutrients occurs.  The Cecum follows the small intestine, and can hold 7-8 gallons. This is where fiber fermentation begins.  Last but not least is the large colon, which has four parts and which is where most impactions occur. This is where the final stages of fiber digestion occur before the leftovers are sent to the rectum to be disposed of. Horses are technically known as hind gut fermenters; which means they have a simple stomach and most digestion occurs in their intestine, especially the large intestine. They also have no gall bladder, so they generally can’t have a diet high in fats. Fats are digested through the lymph system in horses, and distributed through that system as well.   Now that we’ve covered the basics of the anatomy of a horse’s digestive system, let me go a little more in depth on their requirements.

Mature horses generally require 3.4 megacalories (that’s 34,000 calories) of food per 100kg (1kg = 2.2lb) of body weight. That requirement fluctuates depending on the amount of activity the horse is involved in each day.  An 1100 lb horse will normally require at least 16.4Mcal per day.  The horse’s daily requirements can be as much as doubled depending on how much riding is done. Pleasure horses generally will only have a slightly raised requirement of calories per day. A horse in heavy competition training would need up to double. Around 80% of the calories consumed should be from grazing and roughage. Horses’ diets rely heavily on carbohydrates and fibers found in vegetation. If your horse has limited turn out, then you should ensure he or she is getting plenty of quality hay. Concentrates should be the minority in a horse’s diet. Some fiber alternatives can also be fed when grazing roughage is low. These include beet pulp, and various cubes. Horses get some proteins and fats from their roughage as well, which is again why a plentitude of forages should be supplied.  Forage options besides good pasture include coastal hay, Timothy blends, oat blends, Alfalfa, peanut hay, and various other grasses. Alfalfa is available on its own, but is also one of the more common blends with Timothy grasses and oats. Hays can be obtained through feed stores and directly from growers, and you should search for good quality sources. Hay should be low in dust, relatively dry, with medium long cuts. Alfalfa and blends that include it will be greener and are richer. They should be introduced gradually to ensure the horse’s system can adapt properly. Coastal hays and peanut hay are aged a bit more, and can include some green but will generally take a more yellow huge with age. They tend to be drier and not quite as nutrient dense.

All of this talk of food can sure get a cat’s appetite up, I hear a food bowl calling my name. In next week’s blog, I’ll talk more about fats, proteins, carbohydrates, and their effects on the horse’s body. At the end of this blog series, I’ll also provide a few extra reading sources in case you’d like to study nutrition further. In the meantime, may your litter box always be clean and your food bowl full.

 

Ready for Evacuation

Ready for Evacuation

Sep 7, 2012 | Disaster Preparedness

 

Tony the cat here. One of the things we talked about recently was being prepared for a hurricane. This week I wanted to talk more about evacuation plans.  So last week I was lounging about while Isaac was passing us by, and I overheard the girls talking about how badly South Florida flooded from the rain Isaac dropped. I even got to see some pictures which I’ll share with you. While we saw just enough rain for me to hate being outside, those poor folks down there were riding around in boats, swamp buggies, and large trucks that were just barely able to drive through the water. Some places registered two feet of flood water. I feel bad for the cats down there that got soaked. In some places, humans had to leave their homes and their animals. Rescue personnel had to go back and get the animals, or other helpers. The girls made some strong arguments about the importance of having Coggins and other forms of identification ready in case you humans have to evacuate quickly.  You see, when an area floods, has electrical damage, has devastating fires, or another disaster, many people are forced to evacuate. Sometimes they are forced to evacuate quickly, and aren’t prepared to take their animals along. In these cases, animals may be evacuated by emergency personnel or rescue organizations who work to re-unite the animals with their owners once the disaster has been contained or remedied. When this happens, animals need to have all proper documentation and some kind of identification for them to be properly reunited with their owners. There are a few very important things that horse owners can do to ensure that their equine pals are ready for any type of emergency or natural disaster in which they must be evacuated.

First and foremost, most states require that a horse have an updated Coggins test to be transported. Now, you may think, “But what good is a Coggins going to do if I’m not there with it in hand to transport my horse?”. Though you may not be present, I’ll talk about ways to make sure your horse can be identified. Coggins reports are stored on an online database, so if they are up to date, they can be searched on that database to ensure the horse is ready for transport. The Coggins documents now have color photographs of each horse from the left, right and front to allow easy identification. Any time you are forced to leave your property, make sure that your horse’s halters are labeled with their name, and your name.  The Coggins reports can be searched by the owner name and horse name, so if the horse’s halter is labeled with their name and your name, they can easily be identified, and their Coggins can be referenced. Keep your horses’ Coggins in a three ring binder in plastic sleeves to ensure they are not damaged. If you are able to haul the horses with you when you evacuate, then you’ll already have their Coggins paperwork on hand and at the ready. If emergency personnel have to go in to retrieve your horses, you can provide them with a copy of the Coggins reports. Many owners decide not to pull Coggins on horses that they don’t haul regularly, but this kind of situation should show owners why Coggins tests are a necessity for their horses.  Even those older horses, and yes the pesky babies who like to chase us cats, are important to their human owners, and in the case of an emergency they should be just as up to date on their documentation as your other horse partners.

Given the low cost, the ease of testing and administration, and overall importance of Coggins and animal identification, it’s easy to see why any human should make sure these things are done for their animals. Natural disasters and emergencies happen every day. Here in Florida, we’re often visited by those pesky tropical storms and hurricanes, plus we often face brush fires in the dry seasons. If you ever have to evacuate, wouldn’t you feel better knowing your horses, and even your other animals, were all set for a speedy getaway? I’m sure your horses would feel reassured too, I know I would. So in closing, I hope that you’ll take a second to look and make sure your horses (and your other animal friends) are fully prepared should you ever have to evacuate. Make sure all documents are up to date, make sure you have labeled halters, collars, or name tags, and look into the options available to help ensure your animals are located. Dr. Lacher is always ready to help you out, should you need or want to update your horses or have them micro-chipped. She can go visit you, or you can bring your horses here to the office, where I’ll happily greet you and help out where I can. May your litter box always be clean, and your food bowl full.

 

Are you prepared?

Aug 25, 2012 | Ailments, Disaster Preparedness

 

I try never to pass up the opportunity of a storm headed our way to talk about being prepared!  So with Isaac headed our way here goes.

Have a plan.  Look at your farm and decide if you will stay or go.  Here in Gainesville, staying is often a reasonable plan but that means planning for no electricity, lots of water where we don’t want it (as a cat I hate this part) but no water to drink, and plenty of other fun inconveniences. If leaving is the better option, leave early.  It is very important to get your animals out ahead of a major evacuation so you don’t get stuck in hot weather with animals in a trailer. If you are staying, think about everything you do in a day and determine what you need to do tasks such as feeding and watering, both humans and animals.  Stockpile what you need to do these tasks for at least 14 days.

Take pictures and/or video of your property, home, vehicles, trailers, and anything else you can think of to document what you have and what it looks like.  Gather important documents.  Place both of these in a waterproof, secure location.  Even better upload them to an internet application such as Dropbox and they will be available no matter what happens.   An often overlooked step here is having an out of area contact.  Pick someone your entire family knows who lives outside the area likely to be affected by the storm.  Call your out of town contact and let them in on the plan and how things are progressing.  More on how important this person is in the next step.

Identify your animals!  There are several ways to do this and the more of them you use the better!  All animals should have a halter, collar, or some way to catch them.  These should be breakaway in case they get tangled in debris.  They should have your home phone number, cell phone number, and your out-of-area contact on them.  The easiest way to do this is write everything on a piece of cloth with a waterproof marker.  Place in a Ziploc bag and duct tape on.  Pieces of cloth with your information can also be braided in to manes and tails. Livestock grease markers work great to write phone numbers on the sides of horses and cattle.  And the single best way to identify your animals is a microchip!  Microchips helped over 90% of horses get reunited with their owners after Hurricane Katrina.

Storms are a constant threat living in Florida.  Spending some time on websites such as http://www.fldart.org/preparedness.htm can help you formulate the perfect plan for your farm and family.  We have disaster preparedness workbooks available at the office.   And as always you can contact the humans at Springhill Equine for help formulating a plan for your horses.   Most important though, may your food bowl be full and your litter box clean!  So plan ahead and head to the grocery store now to buy cat food and kitty litter!

 

Do pigeons cause Pigeon Fever?

Aug 4, 2012 | Ailments, Pests

 

I was hanging out on the counter the other day when a client came in asking about Pigeon Fever.  My ears perked up at the thought of chasing pigeons but it turns out this conversation had nothing to do with birds.  Pigeon Fever is a syndrome cause by a very specific bacterium, Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, which leads to abscesses.  This bacteria hasn’t been a big problem for Floridians since it prefers dry weather but this year has been different!

Let’s start with a little bit of learnin’.  Pigeon Fever or Dryland Distemper or Lymphangitis is a relatively common problem in the hot, dry regions of our desert southwest.  For reasons the experts don’t really understand the organism has been marching its way across the country to wetter regions.   C. pseudotuberculosis is perfectly content to live in soil until drought conditions occur.  At that time it seems to begin looking beyond the ground for somewhere to live and reproduce.   The bacteria is readily spread by common insects like the stable fly and infects horses through any small wound.

The most common appearance of Pigeon Fever is a large swelling of the chest, so the horse looks like a pigeon, or underside of the belly.  Upon further examination the swellings turn out to be large abscesses.  Another, less frequent problem, is what’s known as ulcerative lymphangitis.  This is a big swollen, oozing infection of the leg.  Even rarer is an invasion of the internal organs such as the kidney and liver by the organism.

Once Dr. Lacher has decided that a C. pseudotuberculosis abscess is likely to be the problem she will start treatment by draining the abscess and flushing the area.  The tricky part is any pus that hits the ground can contaminate the entire area so all pus must be contained and disposed of properly.  Dr. Lacher said she tries to open them on concrete so bleach can be applied to the area.  Opened and regularly flushed abscesses generally heal rapidly with minimal scarring.  However, ulcerative lymphangitis can be very difficult to treat.  These horses are placed on aggressive antibiotic therapy with both injectable antibiotics and highly concentrated therapy into veins in the affected leg.  The leg is kept bandaged to help reduce swelling, absorb drainage, and keep antimicrobial ointments in place.  Unfortunately chronic scarring of the leg and repeated infections are often left over effects of this form of the disease.   Infection of the internal organs is treated with rest and aggressive antibiotics with a full recovery the usual outcome.

Prevention is aimed at controlling insects in the stable area and making sure any wounds are regularly addressed.  The very bottom of the abdomen is a common area for us to see insect bites leading to open skin and excellent entrance sites from many diseases.  SWAT fly ointment is the best way Dr. Lacher and her team has found to prevent this problem.  Several groups are working on a vaccine but so far they have had no luck.  The good thing in Florida is that Pigeon Fever time of year and scratches or dew poisoning time of year are not the same.

The biggest lesson I learned is, once again, if in doubt about what is going on with your horse:  Call Springhill Equine!  And in the meantime May your litter box be clean and your food bowl full!!