Colic in horses is especially challenging to diagnose because, like humans, there can be many different causes for the same stomach ache. Did I eat too many nachos? A virus? Food poisoning? Gas? Indigestion? With horses, the word “colic” simply means “digestive upset,” so when your horse starts looking at his or her sides uncomfortably […]
Category: Digestive Health
A Complete Guide to Equine Colic
Colic could certainly be labeled as the most common health concern in the modern horse. In a 2017 report by Pet Plan Equine, colic was reported to be the third most common insurance claim for adult horses, superseded only by arthritis and ulcers. Combine ulcers and colic into “gut health” claims, and you will without […]
How Antibiotics Impact the Gut Microbes
Gut Microbiota: it is all the rage right now in the equine industry. But what does it mean? The equine digestive system holds billions of tiny, living organisms that play a role in how your horse digests and processes food, and also in the onset of challenges like colic, laminitis or weight loss. (To learn […]
The Importance of a Balanced Microbe Ratio in the Gut
Gut microbes: the good and the bad All horses have a resident population of microbes (microscopic “bugs”) living in their digestive system. This population is referred to as the gut microbiome and includes many different types of bacteria, fungi and protozoa, some of which are good for the gut and some of which are bad […]
