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Re: After ride/off feed/probiotics



Believe it or not, this'll be the short answer or this Saturday's talk
at the West Region convention is only going to be five minutes long
<g>.  Any kind of stress or excitement is going to affect the
microflora.  Bugs in the guts are variably sensitive to different
changes in cecal pH and stress will cause some species to die off. 
Without going into all the details (complicated as usual), what
generally happens is the pH of the gut gets more acidic---just like
stress makes some people have an acid stomach.  Uncomfortable, isn't
it?  Physiology is a little different, concept is roughly the
same---acid damages the mucosal lining and upsets your tummy.  The
microbial die-off can also release endotoxins, which exacerbates the
problem.

The best thing(s) you can do for a horse that goes off his grain is,
indeed, dose him with some probiotics before, during and after any
stressful event.  Probiotics are just replacing and supporting the
microflora in the gut, so even though some of the newly-introduced bugs
may also die off, you're still helping to minimize the effects of an
acidic tummy.  Don't make any abrupt changes in feed just before or
during a ride.  Also, if you are giving him grain at a ride, try very,
very, very hard to provide carbohydrates in very small, frequent meals,
rather than larger, concentrated meals.  There are some enormous changes
in pH and fluid shifts that occur when horses are fed episodically (like
twice a day) that do NOT occur when allowed small, frequent meals.  I'm
starting to think that alot of metabolic problems that occur at rides
are due either directly or indirectly to fluid shifts moving fluid into
the intestinal lumen and away from extracellular tissues where it's
really needed.

Hope this wasn't hopelessly confusing.

Susan garlinghouse

Cheryl Newbanks wrote:
> 
> Hi group! I was wondering if anyone else has a horse who eats good up to
> the ride, gets off their grain when they get there and stays off for a day
> or two after each ride too. Blue eats his hay well but is off or really
> slow eating his grain during this ride time period.  I thought of giving
> him probiotics but since I am not sure what the benefits are of giving it I
> haven't.  Does probiotics get their stomach flora back to the point they
> feel good enough to start eating again?  Is that why they go off their
> feed, because they get a nervous stomach like we may when excited?  He
> starts off with A's on gut sounds and ends up with B's too.  Any ideas?
> 
> 
>                                  Cheryl Newbanks
>                 ~~ ^ ^       Just In Time Ranch
> ~~~\   _  ~~/ /\ /       Buckeye, AZ
>        ( )__     ) ' '        horsetrails@inficad.com
>        //         \\
>       //           \\
>      **           **
> 
>



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