Probiotics For Horses With Ulcers

Bioschwartz 40 Billion Cfu Probiotic

This shelf-stable probiotic by BioSchwartz is the last and final on the list, its a bit cheaper than your average probiotic, but unfortunately, that does come with a price, since its not as potent as some other probiotics.

However if youre on a budget, this is a great choice as it has 40 Billion CFUs and a great patented capsule system that ensures all the bacteria make it to your gut.

The 40 billion CFUs unfortunately only come from 4 different probiotic strains, which is a bit of a bummer.

Another disadvantage is that a single serving is 2 capsules, which need to be taken once with breakfast and once in the afternoon, which is a bit annoying since theyre easy to forget.

Other than that, these capsules are free of soy, dairy and gluten, and a solid choice if youre on a tight budget. More info available here:

Visit our homepage for more probiotic reviews.

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H Pylori And Probiotics

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Fastrack Probiotic For Horses

Where natural foods do not avail all the necessary probiotic contents for horses, there are supplements that can be used to boost the horses health. In addition to probios, Fastract is another supplement. It is a microbial pack which contains naturally occurring microorganisms also termed as live or viable microorganisms.

What is the dosage or how much of fastrack for horses? Normally, horses take between one and two oz per day. Fastrack probiotics can be mixed with other feed and consumed by various animals including horses at a ratio that is normally indicated on the pack.

Fastrack probiotic equine & horse feed-forms

Available in many forms, fastrack can be given as a supplement for horses mainly as the more common feeds form . This form is mixed with the normal horses food and administered as part of the horse diet. Apart from the probiotic benefits, this method also leads to improved nutrients absorption in addition to better feeds consumption.

Another form they are availed in is the Fastrack Equine Probiotic Gel form. This form is mainly administered during the transportation of the horse, weaning stage and foaling. It also leads to the establishment of a proper microbial balance of the horses digestive tract. Other benefits accruing from its use include the promotion of live yeast cells and fructooligosaccharides that further aid in the digestive tract.

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Understanding The Causes Of Gastric Ulcers In Horses

1. Physical and mental stress

Stress has been scientifically proven to be a major contributor to ulcers in horses. Researchers have identified tangible connections between ulcers and common stressors such as lack of turnout, lack of social interaction, sudden changes in routine or housing, horses that are handled by a number of different caregivers and/or riders, horses who go for long periods without eating and those who have diets that do not resemble natural forage.5,6

2. Muted social interaction

Regular turnout reduces the risk of ulcers, especially turnout with other horses.6 What this shows is that its not just the act of eating that reduces the risk of gut disease its also the social interaction. Animals that cannot express themselves socially through movement, mutual grooming, and grazing with others have higher stress levels.

3. Regular use of non-steroidal anti-Inflammatory drugs

The regular use of NSAID drugs such as phenylbutazone and meloxicam has been indicated as a risk factor for gastric ulcers.7,8 NSAIDs destroy the protective mucosal lining of the digestive tract, which is where all the healthy bacteria live. The microbiome is a major part of the mammalian immune system, so damage to it can cause immunological chaos. Gut damage can cause inflammation all over the body in the joints, ligaments, skin, hooves, and almost anywhere else, depending on the individual predisposition of the horse. NSAIDs are not meant for long-term use.

Can Probiotics Control Ulcers

As H. pylori is one of the major causes behind stomach ulcers, it is very important to first control the growth of these bacteria in your system. Treatments that include the use of antibiotics, have failed in giving sufficient and 100% results. After many researches and experiments, it was found that taking probiotics may help suppress the harmful bacteria which causes ulcers. In a study published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, researchers tested a strain of probiotic bacteria called Bifidobacterium bifidum, against H. Pylori. They tested the activity of this bacteria in mice. After some days, they found that the mouse treated with probiotics had fewer ulcers, as compared to the others. Advanced tests reveled that even the damage to the stomach lining was partially cured by probiotics, as it helped in reducing the inflammation.

When we take probiotics, it competes with H.pylori for oxygen and food, which kills H.pylori. Apart from this, probiotics also reduce inflammation of the stomach, which aids in healing ulcers. It was also found that ingestion of these bacteria is harmless in most of the cases.

Along with medication, if you exercise regularly, follow a healthy diet, avoid alcohol and tobacco completely, you will recover faster.

Disclaimer: This article is for informative purposes only, and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.

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What Is A Good Probiotic For Horses

There are a number of different strains of probiotic bacteria that are fed to horses to support gut health, help balance gut microflora and support digestion. Five popular strains are Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Enterococcus faecium.

What Is A Natural Probiotic For Horses

Probiotics are also considered good bacteria and help the body fight off bad bacteria. The probiotics found in Nutrena premium feeds include Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. casei, Enterococcus faecium, and Bifidobacterium thermophilum. All of these organisms are good bacteria like those found in yogurt.

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Horse Probiotics Health Benefits Of Probiotics For Horses & Studies

How effective or useful are probiotics for horses? What are the health, nutritional benefits of good bacteria for horses? What do studies say?

Though horses are considered very strong animals, they are also very sensitive. Their sensitivity goes beyond how they are handled by their keeper to what they eat, drink and consume to boost their health. There are concerted efforts by both horse owners and their keepers to keep their horses healthy.

An unhealthy horse could spell financial misfortunes for the owner since if they are kept for competitions, they would not be at their best, and neither would the budget for getting regular treatment be a trivial case. As such, ensuring that the foods they ingest are beneficial and if possible health boosting is a major steps towards reducing the chances of issues such as diarrhea.

Diarrhea is not seen mainly as a disease on its own, but as a symptom of something else not right. Defined as an increase in the frequency or the volume of fluid contents that are in stools, it occurs in two main forms. Acute form of diarrhea which is quite serious and chronic form of diarrhea which is when diarrhea lasts for a longer duration, about two weeks. There are a number of causes that may lead to the occurrence of diarrhea in horses. Among them include

• The effects of bacterial infections in the digestive system
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Abrupt changes in the animals diet
• Intestinal parasites
• Changes in gut bacterial flora

Abprazole Plus As The Perfect Combination To Treat Ulcers

AbPrazole Plus is the best solution for horse ulcers. Its easy to use and comes in a single-dose sachet. It also has royal blue & blue-colored granules to make it easy for you to find out if all granules have been consumed. It has no unpleasant taste. The formulation is ideal for a horse weighing 385 lb to be given once a day. The enteric-coating formula makes sure that your horse gets the treatment it deserves from the Omeprazole granules. Since horses can lose their appetite or can be picky eaters when stabled, you also need probiotics to ensure good bacteria rule over bad bacteria, which may cause malabsorption of nutrients.

On top of all that, what makes AbPrazole Plus even more interesting is that you can get it for an affordable price. So choose AbPrazole Plus now the only two-in-one formulation for equine ulcers that works perfectly!

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Understanding How The Horses Gut Works

Horses are hind gut fermenters – meaning that the large intestine is where fermentation of ingested fibre takes place. The fibre is the main component of the horses forage such as grass and hay, it is broken down by microorganisms to produce essential nutrients that are absorbed through the horses colon.

Because the bacterial and protozoal floraof the hindgut are geared for fibre fermentation, it is susceptible to receivelarge amounts of undigested sugars in the large intestine causing gut upset.

The correct balance between these good microbes in the equine hind gut and harmful bacteria can be easily upset when:

• starch that does not get digested from concentrated feeds ends up in the hind gut
• horses spend hours without forage to consistently graze on
• a sudden change in forage or feed without slow introduction
• stress and anxiety occurs

It’s important to keep the balance of good and bad bacteria exactly right for each individual horse.

Does Your Horse Have Ulcers

If your horse is showing signs of discomfort or reluctance to work it may have stomach ulcers. Here are some signs to watch out for.

Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome is painful and may affect your horses behaviour and performance. While stomach ulcers are often considered to be only a problem for racehorses, many horse owners do not realize that non-racing competitive horses are also at high risk.

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What Are The Symptoms Of An Ulcer

Every horse is different and will display different symptoms but the common things to look out for are:

• Poor appetite
• Reduction in performance
• Lying down more than normal

Some horses will continue to eat the same amount of food but will change the way they eat. Instead of eating all of their feed in one go, theyll eat a little bit of it then walk away and come back to it later. This is because theyre in pain when they eat but are still hungry.

In more serious cases horses have been known to grind their teeth due to the pain and lie on their backs. Its more common in foals, but its thought that they lie on their backs as that position offers some relief of the pain. If your horse is producing brown gastric fluid then its possible that he may have a bleeding ulcer and veterinarian assistance is crucial.

Dietary Management Of Colonic Ulcers

A primary goal for horses with hindgut ulceration is to reduce the amount of work the colon has to do by limiting long fiber hay consumption. Hay should be replaced with short fiber hay cubes, pellets, or chopped hay.

In some cases, a complete feed is suitable. Small, frequent meals should be offered whenever possible to support gut health and improve nutrient absorption.

Psyllium is often recommended for these horses as it will help to lubricate and shorten transit time for feed and roughage and increase water content in the intestines. Psyllium also increases the fatty acid concentration in the colon and reduces inflammation.

Probiotics and prebiotics can also be helpful for increasing the number of good bacteria and restoring gut health in horses with hindgut ulcers. Your veterinarian may also prescribe medications such as sucralfate or misoprostol.

• 20 billion CFUs per serving
• Pure probiotic with no fillers
• Blend of 5 beneficial strains
• Only $10 for 1 month

Minimizing stress is an important part of recovery from Right Dorsal Colitis. This might include a reduction of strenuous exercise or training, more turnout time, and minimal transport.

Once a treatment plan has been implemented, it generally takes one to two weeks to see a reduction in symptoms. However, it can take two to three months for ulcers to fully heal.

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Prebiotics Or Probiotics What Really Works Best For Horses With Ulcers

This is a hot topic for the equestrian industry, as horses’ suffering with ulcers and gut imbalances is becoming more apparent to owners. So, what really is best – prebiotics, probiotics or both?

The team of vets at Synovium are asked this question frequently, so decided to perform extensive trials and scientific research to form their professional verdict on this topic.

Dr SHL Donker DVM,FEI Dutch veterinarian & Synovium Horse Health founder, and Synovium UK managing director Vicky Hipkins cover the topic in our latest guest post.

Whilst some research has been completed using probiotics on horses it is neither extensive, nor conclusive. Supplementing with probiotics is mainly based on research of probiotics for humans.

As horses are mainly grass eaters and not meat eaters like humans, we cannot compare the two!

The Importance Of The Horses Hindgut

Its important to understand what the horses hindgut is and how it functions. The hindgut includes the cecum and colon and is an essential part of the overall digestive system.

Horses are hindgut fermenters which means that the hindgut is necessary to process digestible energy from the food that a horse consumes. When this function is impaired, it can have wide-ranging impacts on the health and well-being of your horse.

When feed moves through the horses digestive system, the stomach and small intestine produce enzymes that start to break down the feed. Simple sugars and amino acids are mostly absorbed in the small intestine.

But fibre makes up a huge portion of the horses diet and it does not get digested in the small intestine. Horses cannot break down fibre without the help of microbes in the hindgut.

Bacteria, yeast and other microorganisms digest fibre through a process known as fibre fermentation. This process provides the horse with energy, volatile fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids necessary for good health.

These nutrients are then assimilated through the intestinal wall for utilization in the horses body. A healthy intestinal wall provides a protective barrier that allows nutrients to be absorbed, but doesnt allow toxins and microbes to enter the body.

If this barrier becomes damaged by ulcers or compromised by leaky gut syndrome, harmful substances can cross into the bloodstream, which can lead to infection and disease.

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Fecal Consistency And Odor

The probiotic product ColiCure® contains E. coli and is licensed by EFSA to improve fecal consistency. There are no published studies in the peerreviewed scientific literature on this product. The only information available on efficacy can be obtained from the EFSA scientific opinions . In the 4 studies submitted by the manufacturer, fecal consistency improved in treated animals by 12 scales. Only 3 of the 4 studies contained a control population, and fecal consistency improved in control animals as well, albeit at a slower rate. Inclusion criteria for cases cannot be determined from the provided information and the starting point of poor fecal consistency as well as the endpoint improved were not defined and were subjective. In 2 studies, 1 with healthy horses only and 1 with abnormal horses, microbiological analysis was performed. An increase in the number of coliforms and a decrease in the number of Clostridium and Bacillus spp. in the treated horse were noted. Although this would indicate an effect of the probiotic on the microbiota of these horses, for the reasons described above, cultures have inherent technical limitations to assess the microbiota. It is unclear whether the changes that were noted actually represent beneficial effects on the intestinal microbiota. This is particularly true given recent studies that have indicated clostridia are important components of the intestinal microbiota, and decreases in this group actually may not be desirable.

Mechanisms Of Action Of Probiotics

There are 4 main mechanisms of action by which probiotics prevent colonization of the digestive tract by pathogenic strains or prevent disease: modulation of the host innate and acquired immune system, antimicrobial production, competitive exclusion, and inhibition or inactivation of bacterial toxins .

Mechanism of action of probiotics. Modified from: Thomas and Versalovic 2010. Probiotics can alter pain perception and gastrointestinal motility by interaction with the enteric nervous system. The interaction of probiotics with dendritic cells in the wall of the intestine modulates the Tcell response, which in turn influences differentiation of Bcells and immunoglobulin production. Probiotics also modulate cytokine production as well as proliferation and survival of macrophages . Probiotics increase defensin production by intestinal epithelial cells, enhance mucin production, and contribute to colonization resistance. Probiotics and the substances they produce that have a direct effect on pathogens and their toxins .

Many reported mechanisms of action of probiotics are based on in vitro studies only, and extrapolation of these results to in vivo conditions is controversial. Some evidence also has been generated by in vivo studies done in laboratory animals or humans.

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The Story Of Helicobacter Pylori

Helicobacter pylori, as the name suggests, is a helical- or spiral-shaped Gram-negative bacterium. It can survive with tiny amounts of air. In addition to the helical shape, it also has flagella, whip-like appendages, which allow it to move about. If it doesnt like one area, it can move to the next. It is generally considered to be a pathogen.The bacterium has strong enzyme activity to neutralize your stomach acid that allows it to survive and drill into in your stomach lining. When numbers reach an amount to cause a detectable infection, the infection triggers your immune system to attempt to kill it. Unfortunately, your immune system attempt causes collateral damage by damaging the gastric epithelial lining, which then allows H. pylori to flourish. As it flourishes, you experience symptoms of peptic ulcer disease and are a target for other pathogens to establish themselves farther down the GI tract.

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