Feeding for skin and gut health

MrA

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Feb 8, 2012
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For the last few years I've fed Ale with the focus being improving his terrible feet. But look at these little beauties now, these are his fronts his backs are even better!
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Obviously I won't stop what I am feeding him but I am looking to improve his gut health (he gets sloppy poos that don't seem to be related to grass growth). And his skin and coat. He's come out of winter this year looking really scruffy, we've also had lice and some sort of fungal skin infection. I'm sure it hasn't been helped by the thickness of his coat and the warm weather but I also wonder if he's lacking something. Obviously I know it won't be a miracle cure.

I currently feed him advance complete powder and handful of no molasses hifi. He gets level tablespoon of salt. And I use pink powder at the moment to help with his poos but would like to change this for a straight as lots of fillers.

Thanks for any advice!
 
Micronized linseed is great for skin and also soothes the gut.

Firming up sloppy poos that are a full time thing is tricky, it' not like ones that are grass related. You could try a course of Protexin Quick Fix followed by Protexin Gut Balancer, that tends to be where my vets start and it will help make sure the gut bacteria are correct in case that's the problem. If you think the Pink Powder helps I'd stay with that though, fillers aren't necessarily bad and they may be doing something useful too. The old fashioned way was to try adding dry or only very lightly damped bran to the feed, but obviously add it n slowly or you'll just unbalance his gut with a change of diet. They do tend to like it and a sack lasts a long time. Or you could try psyllium husks. Check out the Pink Powder, by feeding it alongside the Advance Complete you're almost certainly giving too much of some vits and mins and that can cause problems if they aren't ones that are easily got rid of - you may accidentally be causing some of the problems.

What does your vet think?

If he's still very hairy I'd consider clipping him off with coarse blades. These will leave some hair on him but will allow the air to get to his skin and help with any lingering fungal infection as well as taking away a breeding ground for the lice.
 
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I can second micronised linseed for skin.
As for the gut I’ve only had the occasional bout of softer poo and the pre and pro biotic from Naff sorted it. Long term though I’ve no idea.
 
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Have you had him tested for PPID/Cushing's Ale?

That would be my starting point for a few 'not quite right' things with no obvious cause in a horse of his type.
 
Micronised linseed has made a real difference to Sid's skin and coat condition over the course of a year. His mane and tail were like wire, they are much softer now, and his feathers have gone from curly to straight. His whole coat feels softer.

I can't help on the gut, I fear.
 
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I wouldnt be worried about the fact hes had lice. You live in a warmer area. Been a very mild winter overall. I think it was jessey who said one of hers is prone the others dont seem to really get lice and her are in together. Im not sure that there is a link between lice and health, more temperature issues. Many cow farmers who have cows inside get them during feb/mar.
The skin issues i would wonder if ale is getting rainscald. I think hes out unrugged if i recall. Therefore i would be tempted to clip off all the coat and put on a rainsheet instead. This way he stays cleaner from mud and would be less likely to cause bacteria issues as the coat can breath easier.

I thought lots of people used pink powder. Seemed to be many peoples go to. Never used it myself.
I used micronised linseed. Only a small amount. Have done for several years now. I cant say whether or not it really helps. Cant say that i suddenly noticed a difference when i introduced it. Although chunkys coat normally goes wirey after his December clip and i have to say its only done it a bit this winter.

I did introduce the boys to tumeraid last year. Supposed to be good for gut health. Only thing that ive change in the last year. Maybe thats why chunkys coat looks better. Worth a try maybe.
 
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Thanks everyone some quick replies, yes he's been tested for PPID and well below the threshold. Sloppy poos are not continuos but I can't tell what they are related to as nothing seems to change. Vet wasn't concerned when I spoke to them ages ago about it as he doesn't loose condition. Fungal infection has cleared up this was more a preventive for the future. Thanks everyone
 
Have you run general health check bloods Ale? That would be my next step, i think.

Otherwise, I'd be tempted to strip everything back to just his base chaff for a while & re-introduce the supplements slowly so you can pinpoint what causes the issues.

I'd perhaps look at starting with adding Protexin Gut Balancer before a supplement, actually.

You could look at Equibome test too.
 
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Have you run general health check bloods Ale? That would be my next step, i think.

Otherwise, I'd be tempted to strip everything back to just his base chaff for a while & re-introduce the supplements slowly so you can pinpoint what causes the issues.

I'd perhaps look at starting with adding Protexin Gut Balancer before a supplement, actually.

You could look at Equibome test too.
He's had general bloods done too and nothing flagged up although it wasn't related to this, cant remember now why the vet did them.

His feed always stays the same so I think it could be our hay, which is always changing in length and fibre. Sadly I'm restricted to who I can use being a sole DIY on a full livery yard in a built up area (most suppliers won't come here for just one person as we are inside width and low emmisions zones) Even the guy who supplies the rest of the yard won't up his order so I can't get in on that either, the quality varies alot with that anyway too.

I looked at biome and will have a think but they don't list ingredients on most the products unless you do the test which is a bit odd, I think it's out my price range unfortunately too.
 
Hay, and grass, quality does vary and it's almost impossible to prevent that. Hay from the same field cut the same day can be different in one part of the field from another. There's not a lot you can do about that other than give as much gut support as you can and if you can see the next bale looks different then mix it in over a few days.
 
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Just catching up as I was at a conference yesterday. I would start with a little linseed, its rich in omega 3's (anti-inflammatories) and is really good for skin and coat and won't rock the boat with those lovely feet either.

I really like the protexin quick fix for occasional bouts of sloppy poo, mine get it sometimes and I wonder if they are over indulging in something in the hedgerow as they really aren't on grass and it happens when hay is consistent, though it's a first sign of upset tummy from sand so we have to watch that too here.

I wouldnt be worried about the fact hes had lice. You live in a warmer area. Been a very mild winter overall. I think it was jessey who said one of hers is prone the others dont seem to really get lice and her are in together. Im not sure that there is a link between lice and health, more temperature issues. Many cow farmers who have cows inside get them during feb/mar.
Yep that was me, Hank is the one that was prone to getting them. I do think it can be health/immune system related, he was a rescue and in a very poor way and had been for a long time, and he got them really badly every winter for about the first 5 years he was with me, including in very cold winters and the only way to manage it was to clip him. I felt like his deep down health had been impacted and despite the fact that he looked great and was now being fed good quality stuff it took him a long time to fully recover, now days he gets them occasionally but nothing like before and only a few not riddled. My old boy Phoenix used to get them as he got older, again I think his immune system was compromised (he had cushings) which let them take hold on him when the other 2 got nothing. I wonder if the cows getting them is perhaps after a long winter in with no sunlight, not something that overtly impacts health but it could put them into vit D deficit eventually. I do think warmer weather, longer coats and bedding definitely attract them too, it could def be as simple as that!

If your hay is inconsistent could you try adding a more stable fiber by means of some straw? replacing 10% of the hay ration is probably enough and would give some stability around hay changes.
 
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Hay, and grass, quality does vary and it's almost impossible to prevent that. Hay from the same field cut the same day can be different in one part of the field from another. There's not a lot you can do about that other than give as much gut support as you can and if you can see the next bale looks different then mix it in over a few days.
That's very true and yes actually I should make more effort to mix them in, good point!
 
If your hay is inconsistent could you try adding a more stable fiber by means of some straw? replacing 10% of the hay ration is probably enough and would give some stability around hay changes.
I do really worry about feeding straw, it's something I have considered and then decided against before for other reasons. Even in a small holed net he does tend to wolf his food down and I worry about impaction. Might be silly.

Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions, lots to consider to try and improve things more for him.
 
Maybe give it a try, Jess has made herself colic on hay more than once, a pile of straw will sit there for weeks and she will only pick at it if she really wants some extra food so I'm happy leaving it out
 
Please keep in mind I’m gonna In the U.S. so we supplement with different products than in the UK:)

1. That said, pure Vitamin E is pure Vitamin E no matter where one lives. I add an extra 3,000 IU of Vitamin E daily to my horses feed pans. It’s a great immune booster in all manner of ways, including coat health.

I say “pure” Vitamin E because many E products have selenium added to them and that is not a good thing if one lives in an area with high selenium. My area is only marginally high but it only takes a small amount of selenium to cause toxicity.

2. Is the manure loose or does the horse have excess water after passing manure (Fecal Water Syndrome)? If it’s been on-going for a long period of time, the good gut bacteria have likely been overcome by bad gut bacteria and it may take some sort of drug to straighten that out.

Metronidazole comes to mind but that stuff is awful for horse and human. It can cause a horse to go off feed and become depressed, plus it’s a mega amount of pills that need crushed up twice daily into the feed pan. The end result is worth the grief but those who have had to go this route say they did like watching the side effects of the drug.

At any rate, it may be something to ask your vet about:)
 
Ben colicked on his straw bed and I wouldn't ever bed down on straw again or feed it to a horse. He loved the straw, couldn't get enough of it and it made him very ill.
 
Ben colicked on his straw bed and I wouldn't ever bed down on straw again or feed it to a horse. He loved the straw, couldn't get enough of it and it made him very ill.
They’re not meant to eat more than 50/50 hay and straw because it’s so fiberous, that’s why I suggested only giving 10%, to mitigate any risk. Jess has coliced on hay twice, I can’t exactly just not feed that, sometimes it’s about the way it’s done.
 
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We use to fed barley straw to the goats. They loved it. But its not recommended to feed wheat straw as its so much coarser.
 
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