HORSE MEDICINE Flashcards
(427 cards)
fWhat are the top 3 differentials for weight loss in a horse
1) Nutrition (low quantity or quality)
2) Dental Disease
3) Parasite
What are your differentials for a horse with weight loss
1) Increased demand - illness, pregnancy/lactation, increased workload, environmental factors
2) Inadequate intake - low quantity, low quality, low uptake (dental disease or GI disease)
3) inappropriate utilization - liver disease, GI disease (malabsorption or maldigestion, parasites)
What should you do if a horse presents to you with weight loss?
-Measure quantity of feed
-Measure quality of feed consumed
-Check teeth
-Perform a fecal
-blood work, abdominal U/S, abdominocentesis, abdominal x-rays, absorption testing
How do you determine the caloric maintenance requirements for a horse
Maintenance: 0.033 x BWT (kg)
light work: x 1.2
moderate work: x 1.4
hardwork: up to x 1.9 DE for maintencane
Charlie is a 12yo QH gelding weighing 500kg (1100Ib) in excellent health and a couch potato. How many calories does Charlie need per day?
Maintenance: 0.033 x 500kg = 16.7 Mcal/day for weight maintenance
This can be divided to 0.8Mcal/Ib (Hay) or 1.3Mcal/Ib
100% forage diet = 20.8Ibs (2% body weight)
90% forage/10% grains = 18.8 Ib forage / 1.3Ib grain
about 4 flakes a day
T/F: grain is an essential part of the horse’s diet
False- grain is not an essential part of the equine diet
*Cornerstone of the diet is hay
Hay should meet as mich of the horse’s protein, energy and fiber needs are possible
T/F: all hay “flakes” are created equally
False
but a flake of small bale hay is about 5Ibs
A flake is about
5 pounds of hay- not all are created equally
The digestible energy and nutritive value (quality) of hay is dependent on the
plant maturity at the time of harvest
Hay analyses look for
Increased in Crude protein
Decreased in acid detergent fiber (ADF: lignin and cellulose (digestibility of nutritionist))
Decreases in neutral detergent (NDF: structural carbohydrates)
Alfalfa that is in early bloom has _________ calories/pound, ________ crude protein, and ______ Ca2+ than alfalfa in full bloom
Early bloom: more calories, more crude protein, more calcium
What hay has the highest Crude protein
a) alfalfa (early bloom)
b) alfalfa (full bloom)
c) orchard grass (early bloom)
d) timothy (early bloom)
alfalfa (early bloom)
What hay has the highest mcal/Ib
a) alfalfa (early bloom)
b) alfalfa (full bloom)
c) orchard grass (early bloom)
d) timothy (early bloom)
alfalfa (early bloom)
What hay has the highest Ca++ %
a) alfalfa (early bloom)
b) alfalfa (full bloom)
c) orchard grass (early bloom)
d) timothy (early bloom)
alfalfa (early bloom)
How often do you need a horse
If possible allow access to feed (hay) 24hrs/day
Preferable feed small meals frequently
Lily is a 4yo TBH mare weighing 450kg (1000Ibs) that is a race horse- hard to keep weight on her. How many calories does Lily need per day?
0.0363 x 450kg x 1.9 = 31Mcal/day for maintenance weight of heavy exercise animals.
Hay= 0.8Mcal/Ib
100% hay diet = 24.8 Ibs hay/day
Grain 1.3Mcal/day
70% hay diet = 17.36 Ib hay/day ; 30% ???
How many calories does hay typically have in it
0.8Mcal/Ib
How many calories does grain typically have in it
1.3Mcal/Ib
How can you add more high fat content into a horse’s diet, which is popular for equine athletes
-Vegetable oils
-Linseeds
-Ricebran
High fat diets in horses, like with vegetable oils, linseeds, and ricebran spares the use of _____________ and increases the use of ___________
this leads to less production of lactic acid and heat during exercise
spares use of glucose/glycogen and increases the use of body fat
*Requires an adaption period of 3 weeks
How long does it take for a horse to adapt to a high fat diet to spare the use of glucose and increase the use of body fat and reduce excitable behavior in horses
about 3 weeks
What effect does carbs (certain grains) have on a horse’s behavior
certain grains can make horses hot
Dietary fats (corn oil) reduce excitable behaviors in horses
Vegetable oils, such as corn oil, may offer natural protection against__________
gastric ulceration
What are the benefits and disadvantages of using a fat supplemented diet in horses
Pros: energy density, no mastication required, less risk of GI disturbance, behavioral benefits, GI protection (ulcers), glycogen sparing effect
Cons: weight gain, reduced palatability, cost, messiness, shelf life (unsaturated FA), insulin sensitivty?