Vitamin E and Reactivating Desert Equine Balance Group

I just updated my web article on comparing Vitamin E costs, including links to sources and more information to help clarify forms and types of vitamin E.  I hope you will find the article helpful as this is always a challenging topic. 

It's time to reactivate the Desert Equine Balance Group on Google Groups.  The group is focused on Equine Nutrition in the Southwest and related discussions - especially those pertaining to the differences we often see in some area hays (Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, West Texas and other arid areas) as they pertain to all horses - not just those who are insulin resistant or have Cushing's disease.  

Changes in weather patterns, growing practices, increased costs of production and shipping and an expanding export market are affecting the availability and quality of forage for our horses and have, in some instances, caused problems for horse owners. Because of these changes and the scarcity of reliable information, together with the ever increasing knowledge level of horse owners, this seemed like the right time to have these discussions.


More and more horseowners are taking nutrition courses, testing their hay and evaluating the results either on their own or with the help of an independent equine nutritionist - vets and feed manufacturers are responding! Horse owners are no longer willing to accept what's printed the label as gospel without seeing the data to back up claims.  Many have committed more hours to equine nutrition education that their veterinarians received in vet school - but to be fair, do we really expect our vets to be the ultimate authority on everything in this age of specialization?


Savvy consumers understand that "controlled starch" may contain well over an acceptable amount for their Insulin Resistant (IR) horse or pony and that the research about the effect of nitrates on horses is practically non-existant.


If you're already a member of the  Desert Equine Balance Group, feel free to jump in with your questions and experiences.  Try to keep things focused on nutrition and no advertising thank you.
If you're not a member and would like to join, go to  Desert Equine Balance Group and click on the Join Group button. If you have a Google account, you can use your gmail address or your Google profile.  (I apologize - I don't know exactly what it will ask if you don't have a Google account - likely they will want you to create one.)

Looking forward to your equine nutrition questions, experiences and answers!

Warm regards,

Patti in Vail AZ

Links

Comparing the cost of providing Vitamin E for our horses http://www.desertequinebalance.com/supplements/vitamin-e

Desert Equine Balance Group on Google  http://groups.google.com/group/desertequinebalance

What's This Got To Do With Horses?

The Dog Food Advisor’s approach to choosing dog food is based upon one very important concept… No dog food can ever be magically better than the ingredients that were used to make it

How could it?

Sounds familiar - There are no magic bullets in equine nutrition - the phrase which has been my watch word for several years now.

The other day I picked up a bag of Pelican Bay dog food at Costco - grain free with salmon meal as the first ingredient. I've been feeding it for a few days, my kids like it, the ingredient list seems sane and the cost is an improvement over what I've been paying for other "premium" dog foods.

In looking on the net for feedback from others, I came across a review of this food on the Dog Food Advisor web site. Basic, common sense and addresses some commonly raised pet food questions.

Then I found the About the Dog Food Advisor article - and felt like someone had been reading my mail.

Losing a beloved animal companion in a way that never should have happened is what drove me, also, to learn about nutrition. I trusted my veterinarian (who has since learned with me) and the information provided by feed company representatives. I had a medical background as a paramedic and RN but little grounding in nutrition.

We had slowly (yet innocently) "starved" to death a beloved member of our own family.

Penny's Tragic Story is eerily similar in some ways to Perla's Story.

So what has this got to do with horses?

Most of us who love horses also love our dogs (and kitties and other furry things). Dr. Mike Sagman's Dog Food Advisor is a wonderful resource to help us keep these members of our family healthy.

Thank you Dr. Sagman for the hours you have devoted to advocacy and for sharing your experience and knowledge by creating this invaluable resource.

DesertEquineBalance.com - equine nutrition

information with a Southwest edge

ECIRHorse.com - your reference source

for Insulin Resistance and Cushing's Disease

NOLaminitis.org - see you in August at

the first ECIR Group No Laminitis! Conference

From Horse Apples to Poo Soup

To most horse lovers, Parfum de Pommes Cheval is part of the stable lifestyle. But what happens when those fragrant horse apples turn into poo soup?

Diarrhea in our horse is an indication that all is not well in his digestive tract and can have serious consequences. It may quickly lead to dehydration which can be a primary cause of colic. It's important to determine the cause but, while we're figuring this out, there are some steps we should take to avoid more serious problems.

• Monitor your horse's water intake. If you use an automatic waterer, turn it off and provide water in a large container (tub, tank or large, clean trash barrel). Make sure your horse will drink from this source.
• Provide a second bucket of water that has some salt added - a small handful of plain salt in a 3-gallon bucket is about right.
• Provide wet feed such as a beet pulp slurry or add water to his usual concentrate to make a wet mash. A benefit of beet pulp is it will also act as a "pre-biotic".
• Feed hay wet - either spray with water or dunk in a bucket.
• Watch that your horse is actually swallowing his water and mash - not just playing with it. Some illnesses can cause paralysis of the esophagus and prevent swallowing.

Call your vet immediately if:

• Your horse can't swallow.
• He has a temperature above 102F (or 1 degree above his "normal" temperature).
• Your horse seems dehydrated. Do a skin pinch test on the shoulder or neck - the tented skin should immediately snap back with no "wrinkles". Check his gums - they should be a healthy pink; press on the gum until it's blanched (white) - it should become pink again in less than 3 seconds.
• His resting heart rate is higher than normal (in the 30's or low 40's). You should have a record of his normal heart rate from doing "well horse checks" when your horse is healthy.
• Your horse seems depressed - standing with his head in a corner, not responding like he normally does or ignoring his surroundings.
• The diarrhea has a foul odor - not the normal fragrance of manure - or you can see blood or mucous.
• He acts like his tummy hurts - looking at or biting his sides, pacing, anxious look on his face.

If your horse is otherwise bright and healthy appearing and is eating and drinking normally, it may be safe to wait and watch a day or so to see if the diarrhea resolves on its own - like the "nervous squirts" many horses will have when trailering or after being moved to a new place. But if your horse seems off, it doesn't hurt to at least give your veterinarian a heads up - you and your vet may decide that some extra fluids (by IV or tube) might be appropriate to avert an emergency in the middle of the night.

With an acute, or sudden onset of diarrhea, trying to slow down or stop it is not always the best route. Diarrhea is one of the ways the body has to rid itself of pathogens in the GI tract. Some pathogens create toxins that can damage the intestines - if the body is kept from eliminating them the pathogens can multiply and continue to create toxins. "C. diff" (Clostridium difficile) is one example - this can cause painful cramps and serious damage to the intestines and requires antibiotics to resolve - your vet is likely to order stool cultures to determine the best treatment.

Recurring or chronic diarrhea may be caused by bacteria but may also have its root in poor gut function - poor fermentation of the fiber in his forage from a variety of causes, inflammation, poor immune function and fungal infection. If pathogens have been ruled out, there are several things you can look at -

• Evaluate your horse's diet for adequate forage (1.5 to 2% or more of body weight) and concentrates that may provide excess sugar or starch.
• Provide smaller, more frequent concentrate meals to lower the chance of undigested sugars getting past the cecum and small intestine to the hind gut.
• Examine your hay and feed for mold, insects or rodent droppings. If hay is of questionable quality, it can be tested for mycotoxins - see Equi-Analytical's web site.
• Add a pre-biotic or pro-biotic - such as Ration Plus, S. cerevisiae yeast, Forco or other quality product to your horse's ration. Pro-biotics in a feed or supplement may not be included in sufficient quantity to be effective in establishing adequate gut microbes. Beet pulp also acts as a "pre-biotic" - helping set up favorable conditions in the gut to encourage the "good" bugs to grow.
• Many people have reported success using human "over the counter" remedies to sooth and protect the GI tract. These include aloe vera juice, simethicone or antacids containing simethicone and kaolin/pectin (also available as a large animal preparation at some feed stores). As a rule of thumb, an equine dose is about four to six times the human dose - think "weight based" and consult your vet.
• There are also many products now targeted to the equine GI tract. Dr. Eleanor Kellon's Horse Journal Guide to Equine Supplements and Nutraceuticals has a complete section on Digestive Tract Aids.
• Ensure your horse is receiving adequate salt in his ration. Inadequate salt may lead to chronic dehydration at the cellular level which can affect all bodily functions. Horses are unable to get enough salt from a salt or mineral block. One to two ounces (approximately one to two heaping Tablespoons) of regular table salt is about right for an "average" size horse at maintenance.
• Evaluate your horse's deworming program, especially if his exposure risk has changed. "Natural" dewormers have not been shown to be effective and horses with lowered immune system defenses (including from age) are more susceptible to problems from parasites.

Don't give commercial electrolytes to a dehydrated horse - this can worsen any problems he may be having. A second bucket of water containing some salt can be offered and may encourage drinking but only if plain water is also available. Your veterinarian may want to give electrolytes in IV fluid but she will also ensure that adequate plain fluid (normal saline IV or plain water via stomach tube) is also given.

Most diarrhea in horses will resolve fairly quickly, but keep a sharp watch for dehydration or other signs that you need to call your vet.

Winter Water Needs for Our Horses

As cold weather approaches (and already here for those in the North), we need to continue to pay attention to our horses' water intake. Horses who are used to obtaining some of their fluid from grasses may not increase their water intake as pastures brown up or as their winter ration begins to include more cured hay. 

Risks of Lowered Water Intake

Impaction colic, related to a diet of drier forage coupled with lessened water consumption is not the only risk to horses who drink less in cooler weather. Dehydration may also expose horses to increased respiratory problems. While I could find no direct equine references, in humans, dehydration is associated with poor mucus mobilization and clearance, with a lessening of a critical airway defense mechanism. (http://ajrcmb.atsjournals.org/cgi/content/full/35/1/20)

Requirement

The maintenance water intake for an adult non-working horse is around 5 L per 100 kg/BW (NRC 2007, p132). This translates to about 1.3 gallons for each 220 lbs your horse weighs. You can figure your horse's minimum requirement by dividing his weight by 220, then multiplying by 1.3, or you can find the closest weight in the chart below.

Horse’s Weight	Minimum Daily Water Requirement
220 lbs	1.3 gallons
440 lbs	2.6 gallons
660 lbs	3.9 gallons
880 lbs	5.2 gallons
1000 lbs	5.9 gallons
1100 lbs	6.5 gallons
1320 lbs	7.8 gallons
1540 lbs	9.1 gallons

These requirements are increased by dry, windy or warm weather conditions, work or lactation. 

Work Related Fluid Losses

Most of us are aware that working horses lose water in sweat during work but don't always consider that substantial moisture is also lost from the respiratory tract. Unless you weigh your horse before and after work, it may be easy to underestimate the amount of total fluid loss in cool, dry conditions when sweat may evaporate quickly. It's important that you become familiar with signs that may indicate dehydration - elevated heart rate or poor heart rate recovery, elevated respiratory (breathing) rate, dry mucous membranes, skin tenting - and to know what's normal for your horse.

Lactating Mares

Mares with suckling foals are providing fluid for two and their water requirements are two to three times normal maintenance needs. These requirements are also increased by warm, dry or windy conditions.

Monitoring Water Intake

If you use automatic waterers or floats, it's impossible to measure water intake unless they are fitted with a meter. A horse may also become dehydrated if the auto waterer should freeze or malfunction.

 

If you notice your horses' water intake dropping off, it may be necessary to warm their water either by adding a heater (with a GFI electrical circuit for their protection) or by adding warm or hot water to their tanks or buckets.

The Role of Salt

Sodium and Chloride (NaCl or "salt") play critical roles  in the body's metabolism and are tightly regulated in the blood. Because blood levels are so tightly regulated, standard tests may not indicate a sodium deficiency at the cellular level. When ingested salt levels are low, the body will respond by pulling salt from interstitial fluid into the bloodstream, and by increasing the reabsorption of sodium by the kidneys. (For details on some of the mechanisms involved in sodium regulation, see http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/sodium/index.html)

Feeding salt on a regular basis at the NRC recommended levels helps ensure an adequate thirst response. After the interstitial fluid has reached an equilibrium, excess sodium, in the absence of disease, will be excreted by the kidneys.

The minimum requirement for sodium in a 1,000 lb horse ranges from 9 grams at maintenance, 16 grams in moderate work, to 37 grams in very heavy work. This is roughly equivalent to a range of from 1 to 3+ ounces of salt per day.  Forages may supply as little as 1 to 2 grams of sodium per day. The best way to making up the sodium deficit is by adding salt directly to the feed. If using a salt block, the amount of sodium it provides should be calculated and the horse's consumption monitored to ensure adequate intake.

 These requirements remain steady except when accounting for sweat loss during work - which can cause large increases. Many "commercial" electrolyte formulas contain high levels of potassium but insufficient sodium and chloride - you should have an understanding of what you actually need before simply adding electrolytes (and never give electrolytes to an already dehydrated horse).

A well hydrated horse will more easily handle the extremes of winter weather and activity. Taking the time to monitor his water intake can set your mind at ease, knowing that you've minimized his risk for cold-weather related colic and respiratory problems.

That's not what the label says...

Purina's foot dragging in their recent feed recall (or "retrieval", as they preferred to call it) has left us wondering about safety and quality control in our horse feeds. Some mistakes may make it out the door with even the best quality control but in horse feed, as in politics, it's the response that matters.

About a week ago (June 3rd) I bought a couple of bags of Eagle Milling brand beet pulp pellets. It was getting dark when I got home, but I went ahead and dumped them into the the heavy duty trash can I use to store them in. I couldn't see the pellets well in the dark and didn't take a real good look until I had finished up the remaining previous stock and started to feed the new ones Friday evening.

I noticed that about half the pellets were pink-brown, not the usual color - which is kind of a "frosted" deep green.  There was also quite a bit of corn mixed in, along with some tiny pellets and a lot of  "dust", which looked like it might be from the tiny pellets. This is not adding up to something I want to feed my insulin resistant horse - or, actually, any of my horses as I haven't a clue what's really in these pellets. Alfalfa? Grain? Minerals? There's something in there that's obviously NOT beet pulp.

I separated some of the "pink" pellets out and put them to soak, next to some of the more normal appearing green pellets. The green pellets looked "normal"  after soaking - a bit like chopped spinach. The "mystery pellets", on the left, resisted softening - a lot of the pellets were still firm and formed. They appeared to be made of a variety of material - possibly some beet pulp or other forage, lighter colored stuff that might be grain, and smaller particles that could be ground up minerals or ...

Using the phone number on the bag tag for Eagle Milling I called and left a message describing the problem.  (Apparently Eagle Milling, a "local" Arizona feed mill, is now a subsidiary of behemoth Cargill.)

Fast forward to Monday morning (after spending a sweaty hour in Sunday's 104+ heat repacking the pellets into their bags to return).  Stacy from Cargill called, wanting complete information about lot numbers, where and when purchased, etc., and she is making arrangements for a no-hassle exchange and appears to be genuinely interested in not having this happen again. It's complicated by the bags, even though purchased the same day, being from two different lots; we can't be certain which bag contained the mystery pellets. I received additional calls from the plant manager; they will send someone out to pick up the feed today.

So what should you do if you open a bag of feed and its not what you expected?

• If you're feeding "straights", you are more likely to quickly spot if something is not "right".
  
• If in doubt, don't feed the product. It won't hurt your horse to miss a few meals as long as you're feeding sufficient hay.
• Contact the feed company directly if you suspect something is not right with a feed, don't just rely on the feed store to follow up.
• Document, document, document. Take pictures of the feed, the bag, the bag tag. If the photo doesn't clearly show the label/tag information, write it down. Write a description of what you see and smell that makes you believe there is a problem.
• Don't throw the feed or product out - it should be returned to the dealer, distributor or feed company. Retain a good size sample, along with your documentation, until any issues are resolved to your satisfaction. Try to keep the product/sample in the same condition it was in when you purchased it (i.e. - keep dry, protect from rodents, etc.)

If you suspect a feed or product has caused illness, in addition to notifying the feed company and your feed store, notify your regular veterinarian and your State veterinarian. Most State veterinarian offices are able to have feeds tested and can initiate action if necessary. You can also have feed analyzed for some of the common toxins on your own through one of the forage testing laboratories.

When a product doesn't meet our expectations, our initial reaction is often to just discard it and resolve not to use that product or brand again, especially if no actual harm was done. Taking the time to throughly document the problem and notify the right people isn't always easy in our busy lives. 

But you will likely find, as I did, that conscientious manufacturers do care about quality control, appreciate that you took the time to notify them of a problem and will go out of their way to make resolving any issues simpler. 

Sure it's good business for a company to respond to customer concerns. But the rapid response and personal interest taken by the folks at Eagle Milling/Cargill reassures me that, had this been a serious or health related concern, there would be prompt action and resolution. 

 Update 

Angel from Cargill came out to pick up my beet pulp and bring some new bags. The new bags still had quite a few of the "brown" pellets with what might be some grain mixed in, but not near as much corn as my original bags. So we decided I'll go with shreds, at least for the time being until they have a chance to test these pellets and double check the manufacturing. (These apparently are manufactured in California and bagged locally.)

He called the dealer to double check that they have shreds without molasses in stock so I can pick them up when I go into town tomorrow.

Turns out Angel also works with the local 4-H swine program, knows all my friends. Vail, Tucson and large parts of Arizona are still pleasantly "small town".

Sudan Grass Hay - Caution

I first wrote this when hay was really tight in AZ in the winter of 2005/2006. As hay continues to be in short supply in many areas, some will see the availability of Sudan hay as a solution.

There is a great temptation to buy Sudan grass hay as it is CHEAP - it can be found in areas around Arizona for about $6/bale and Bermuda and alfalfa are expensive! I, personally, do not feed Sudan grass hay (also known as Love grass, Johnson grass, Sorghum/Sudan hybrids) to my horses, or let them graze on these grasses.

Several varieties of Sudan grasses and hybrids were introduced because they are easy to grow, drought resistant and produce fairly high yields with, generally, good nutritional content. They are becoming popular as ruminant forages and can be useful for dry cows and meat-producing animals. Sudan grasses and hybrids pose two problems - nitrate toxicity and prussic acid (cyanide) toxicity. The extent of the problem depends on growing and handling conditions - neither of which we, as end use buyers, have any control over. If properly grown and cured, these hays can be "safe" but I would not feed to any horse without having it analyzed for nitrate content - http://www.dairyone.com/Forage/FactSheet/Nitrates.htm and http://www.dairyone.com/Forage/services/Forage/forage.htm.

[Note - for a pregnant mare, I would have ANY hay analyzed for nitrate content]

There is conflicting information as to whether ensiling hay increases or decreases nitrate content.
http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vetext/INF-BE_cca/INF-BE_cca01/INF-BE_cca0111.html
http://www.vet.purdue.edu/depts/addl/toxic/plant43.htm

Google "Sudan grass nitrates" for a further extensive list of information on these grasses.

Bottom line - your horse's safety. Hay prices typically increase this time of year until the first spring/summer cuttings are in. But I would avoid the temptation of the cheaper Sudan hay.

Extend your available Bermuda by adding some alfalfa (if only doing this for 3-4 months I wouldn't be too concerned about the higher calcium for an adult horse but would consider adding some phosphorus for a young/growing horse) or substituting some plain hay pellets such as Mountain Sunrise Bermuda or Timothy pellets or Lakin Lite pellets at the rate of one to one and one half lbs pellets to replace two pounds of hay.

You can also increase the amount of non-molassed beet pulp - substitute for hay at the same rate as for pellets.

You don't want to substitute grain based feeds for forage but could use one of the "complete" forage-based low sugar/starch feeds for some of the ration.

If you are using the AZ Regional Mix and substitute forage pellets or beet pulp for some of your hay, continue to feed at the 3oz/day (for "average" 1000lb horse getting 18-22 lbs dry weight of feed/hay). If you are using another supplement or fortified feed, continue to feed at a rate that will supply 90 to 125mg of copper/day for the same "average" horse.

A consideration if you have stands of Sudan grass (or its varieties) on your property is to remove it. Probably the simplest way would be to kill it off using a herbicide* [it is likely to be resistant to tilling or disking]. Then encourage growth of Bermuda or other grass, which is less likely to accumulate high levels of nitrates. If you are going to graze pregnant mares, it will be worth while to have your soil tested (spreading manure does increase nitrate levels) and have an extension agent take a look at your property/pasture to identify grasses and weeds for nitrate accumulators.

*Using a herbicide to control weeds and invasive grasses is safe as long as label directions are followed.
http://sanangelo.tamu.edu/agronomy/forages/weedcntr.htm
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM1097.pdf

Non-chemical weed control will be more labor intensive, requiring year round attention (mowing and overseeding in winter and summer) and may take more time to produce a grazable pasture or paddock.
http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/weeds/fba12s00.html

Your best insurance for safe hay at reasonable cost is to plan ahead, find a reliable source and lay in a supply of good hay when prices are down in the summer. If your hay storage space is limited, invest in some good tarps and pallets and learn how to stack and tarp for long-term storage.

Our low winter rainfall will likely result in higher hay costs this year - we may want to rethink breeding or acquiring another equine mouth to feed. This summer will also be the time to lay in a supply of plain hay pellets - easy to store and safe to substitute if hay supplies become short next winter.

And it doesn't hurt to support your local rain dancer.