Just like humans, horses require a balanced diet if they are to thrive and maintain a healthy weight, and it can often feel daunting and more than a little complicated to know exactly what to give them. This following quick reference guide provides links to help alleviate these concerns and a few tips about supplementing their diet where appropriate.
The following two links from the British Horse Society and the World Horse Welfare organisation provide helpful and succinct about general feed.
However, again, just like humans, there are occasions when you may need to use supplements in order to support any deficiencies in their diet.
So, in the first instance; when?
As vets we recommend the use of supplements as this can help support several conditions including:
Gastric ulcers- supplements such as Pectigus can help reduce the recurrence of ulcers by maintaining a healthy environment in the stomach and preventing acid splashing up onto the sensitive areas.
Horse with lameness concerns such as osteoarthritis, OCD or inflammation of the joints can benefit from Bozmerix, which is a natural anti-inflammatory which can be used with other anti-inflammatory medications, and a joint health promoting supplement such as Hesteflex.
Liver disease or inflammation- supplements can help with recovery from liver disease and Hepalyte provides antioxidants and support to the liver.
Gastrointestinal disease such as diarrhoea can be helped by probiotics, prebiotics and binding agents. Also, we recommend supplements to help support the gut during times of stress such as illness or surgery or when prescribed antibiotics. We recommend Profix advanced for short term use or Profix bind for a longer period if needed.
Poor hoof growth or weak hooves can benefit from a supplement containing high levels of Biotin but also other minerals such as zinc and calcium which are the building blocks of healthy hoof growth. Biotex-80 which is made by Hestevard also comes with a guarantee of improvement or a full refund after 150 days of use.
The main thing to know about supplements is that they need to be high quality with a consistent concentration of the active ingredients. Nutraceuticals are much less regulated than prescription medications and have a lot more variability in quality, but also variation of composition of each batch in some cases.
We recommend Hestevard products because they have rigorous quality control measures, which guarantee that we are recommending the best quality and most effective supplements for our patients.
Please note that supplements are NOT a replacement for their natural diet and you should always consult with your Vet first.
Where do I get the Supplements?
We have a range of supplements available at the practice. You can view information about the on the flipbook below. Please can contact us if you have any questions and we will be happy to help.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch should you have any questions.
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