Nutritional Supplements for Starving Horses
If you have a horse that is starved or emaciated your first instinct might be to give him extra grain. Grain will give extra calories, but it is hard to digest and if your horse eats more grain than he has been used to it could clog up the intestines and cause an impaction. An impaction is very often fatal for horses. Grain also gives what is called "hot calories" or calories that give quick bursts of energy then burn off fast. The horse does not retain benefits from hot calories. The secret to putting weight on a starved horse is to give extra fat and calories that will not burn off quickly and help your horse build muscle while strengthening the body's digestive system.
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Fats
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One of the simplest things you can do to increase the weight and health of an emaciated horse is to supplement his diet with fats. Veterinarian Jim Baker recommends adding flax seed oil or soybean oil to your horse's grain twice a day. You should mix one cup of either oil into your horses grain rations at every feeding. Fatty oils are a good source of calories from fat and give the extra nutrition your horse needs without the negative side effects of extra grain. Feeding your horse extra grain is not recommended because it will make your horse run hot. Running hot means a horse will get a quick burst of energy that only lasts a short time. Grain is hard to digest especially for sick or starving horses. Feeding too much grain can also cause colic and intestinal impaction.
Probiotics
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Probiotics are beneficial live bacteria that help your horse's digestive system work better. All horses have a population of these good bacteria or microorganisms in their digestive systems. They help break down food and make it easier for the horse to absorb the nutrients. When a horse becomes sick, stressed, or emaciated the horses body goes into defense mode and kills off all the bacteria it can. This causes the number of these good bacteria to decrease because the body cannot distinguish between the good and the bad bacteria. Probiotics can be purchased as a supplement and added to your horses grain.
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Vitamins
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If your horse has been starved to the point of severe weight loss, this means her body's system has started to reabsorb nutrients stored in the blood, muscle and organ tissue. This process severely depletes her body of vitamins. Replacing the vitamins strengthens her system and helps it to focus on weight and muscle gain. Multivitamin supplements can be purchased at your local farm supply or feed store. These too are added to your horses daily grain. Calcium and phosphorus are the two most common vitamin deficiency's effecting starving horses, so choose a supplement that contains at least one percent of each.
Fiber
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Fiber is important in every horse's diet, but it is essential for a starving horse. Fiber helps the intestines process the food your horse consumes. A high fiber diet will build a healthy digestive system. The healthier the digestive system is the more nutrients your horse will get from his food. Fiber supplements for horses can be found in powder form, pellet form or even hay. Hay is a natural source of fiber.
Combinations
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Supplements called weight builders that combine fats, probiotics, vitamins and fiber can be found at local farm supply stores. These supplements are highly concentrated and meant to be mixed with feed. Weight builders give added fat, calories, and vitamins without the extra amount of grain. Several manufactures like Farnam, Med-Vet and Merrick offer these supplements in a powder form that only requires you to mix one ounce a day into your horse's feed.
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- Photo Credit Photo by Elizabeth Zimmerman
