And The Vet Said...

Molds

R. Dean Meyer DVM
Lodi Veterinary Hospital and Madison Equine Clinic

It has been a difficult year in terms of producing good quality hay and cereal grains. If you have any doubt, ask any area farmer. With the wet cold spring, low summer temperatures and wetter than normal fall, it has really been a challenge. You may wonder how this is going to affect you and your horse in the coming months. There are a few things I would like you to consider for your horse's health.

As we go into the cooler months it is always important to access your horse's weight and make sure their teeth are in good condition. If they are already losing weight it can be difficult to catch up as the temperature dips. 99% of all horses need their teeth floated and examined at least once every twelve months.

When evaluating a horse's weight it is not only important to evaluate dental health but all aspects of management. This includes changes in feed quality and quantity, changes to herd status or "pecking order" or even moving from one stable to another.

I would like to focus on feed quality. Everyone knows what the protein content in their grain ration is whether it is 10, 12, or 14% protein, but what portion of the diet does the grain content really make up? Most people feed 2-5 LB of grain per day. Why aren't you concerned about the analysis of the 15-20 LB of hay you feed per day?

Forage analysis is truly an under utilized tool in the equine world. Unfortunately, bales of hay do not come with a guaranteed analysis tag. I challenge everyone to get your forage tested and have your horse's diet truly analyzed. Don't get caught up in the 2-5 LB of grain you are feeding but rather let's look at what makes up 80-90% of your horse's diet –forage. That is what a horse's digestive tract has been designed for.

The last horse I examined that was losing weight was given a complete examination including blood work. All of the blood work and physical exam were with in normal limits, however when I analyzed the horse's diet and we tested the forage. I discovered the horse was being fed a very low quantity and poor quality forage. The changes made to the diet included better quality forage, an increased quantity of forage, the addition of Rice Bran (a 20% fat supplement) and the addition of "Daily Start" probiotic. A probiotic can increase feed efficiency by 15%.

As I mentioned earlier it has been a difficult year to produce quality crops. Many of the hays contain more molds than we normally see; this is also the case with the cereal grains, such as corn. A common mold found in corn can produce something called vomitoxin. As the name implies vomitoxin will cause an animal to vomit if it eats it. Pigs fed corn with vomitoxin will vomit. Unfortunately for the horse, their anatomy does not allow them to vomit. When a horse has a digestive upset from something they eat they will show signs of colic.

Molds are generally found in both grains and hays. Feed companies and mills do a good job of screening for these molds and toxins. However, certain environmental conditions, which may be present once the product leaves the store, make it very difficult to prevent mold growth. In addition, it is suspected that 80% of the molds horses are exposed to come from hay. Round bales tend to have a higher possibility of mold contamination than small bales, but all hay is vulnerable to mold growth under the right circumstances.

Fortunately there is some good news about all of these toxins in a horse's environment. There are products on the market that will bind or neutralize these toxins and allow a horse to safely pass them thru their system with no ill effects. One important point to remember is that these products must be fed on a daily basis. The product passes through the horse's system quickly and because you are never sure when the horse may be exposed to a toxin, the binders must be fed daily. These binding agents are added to our probiotic product "Daily Start". This may be the year you may want to consider adding something like this to your horse's diet. One midnight colic call can purchase a lot of "Daily Start!"

Please also consider getting your forage tested for nutrient content, don't get wrapped up in the 2-5 LB of grain you are feeding but take a look at the 15-20 LB of forage. Monitor your horse's weight by either having your veterinarian perform a body score analysis or purchase a weight tape and weekly record your horse's weight to help access changes that may be taking place and lets all hope for some normal weather in 2010!