Gastric discomfort may negatively affect a horse’s health, attitude and performance. Fortunately, recognizing signs of discomfort and providing proper equine management can help support your horse’s gastric health.

Did you know that the prevalence of gastric discomfort in active horses is high? Studies indicate that the prevalence of gastric ulcers in performance horses is 90% or more¹.

What causes gastric discomfort in horses? 

As grazing animals, horses are made to steadily eat a forage-based diet throughout the course of an entire day. As a result, this constant slow-feed intake naturally regulates the acidity of the horse’s stomach contents. Additionally, the saliva a horse generates through chewing naturally buffers the acid.

Modern horse-keeping practices often limit feeding to two or three daily meals. Unless a horse is turned out to graze or barn staff frequently refills the hay supply, the horse doesn’t receive more hay until the next feeding.

Even though the horse isn’t eating, his stomach still produces acid because without chewing, there isn’t a steady source of saliva and natural enzymes to help protect the stomach. As a result, an overabundance of acid and a lack of saliva means the stomach’s natural pH level drops too. These factors create the trifecta for gastric discomfort in equine health.

Stress can also put horses at a greater risk for gastric discomfort. Rigorous exercise, long-distance travel, a new environment and confinement can contribute to lower gastric pH levels.

What are the signs of gastric discomfort in horses? 

Gastric discomfort can present differently in individual horses. Common signs of equine gastric discomfort include:

• Poor appetite
• Picky eating
• Poor body condition
• Weight loss
• Chronic diarrhea
• Poor coat condition
• Teeth grinding (bruxism)
• Changes in behavior, including aggression, nervous behaviors, side biting and “girthiness”
• Acute or recurring colic
• Poor performance

How to manage a horse with gastric discomfort

Research has shown continuous acid production and low gastric pH can contribute to the development of gastric ulcers and Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS)¹. Fortunately, there are things you can do to minimize your horse’s risk for developing EGUS and manage a horse with gastric discomfort.

1. Recognize factors or events known to cause gastric discomfort in horses.

Firstly, some factors include:

• Environment stressors
• Lack of turnout
• Injury
• Fasting
• High starch diets
• Inadequate forage
• Prolonged use of NSAIDs
• Travel
• Elevated exercise, training, showing or racing

2. Recognize the signs of gastric discomfort in horses.

Secondly, common signs are listed above, but individual horses present discomfort in different ways. Become familiar with your horse’s normal behavior to help determine if behavior changes are a sign of gastric discomfort.

3. When to seek help from your veterinarian. 

Thirdly, work with your veterinarian for diagnosis and treatment if you recognize risk factors or symptoms. Gastroscopy is the only way to confirm the presence of gastric ulcers, and prescription acid suppression therapy may be required to heal ulcerations. If treatment is necessary, work with your veterinarian to determine the best medication for equine gastric health.

4. Manage gastric discomfort.

Develop a management program to minimize the factors contributing to gastric discomfort. Provide ample turnout and continuous access to fresh water. Anticipate stressful events, such as traveling or showing, and use Purina^® Outlast^® Gastric Supplement to support and maintain gastric health and proper pH during those times.

5. Horse nutrition.

Finally, by choosing the right feed products and implementing good feeding management practices are vital in managing your horse’s gastric health.

• Never allow more than six hours of fasting and provide frequent access to good quality hay and/or pasture.
• Incorporate alfalfa into your horse’s diet.
• Feed higher fat and fiber concentrates and avoid high starch and sugar feeds. The Purina horse feed lineup includes many appropriate options
• Support optimal gastric pH by feeding Purina^® Outlast^® Gastric Support Supplement along with concentrate meals. In addition, feed Outlast^®1 supplement as a snack before you ride, trailer or show to maximize gastric support during these activities.
• For horses needing more calories, Purina^® Ultium^® Gastric Care and Race Ready^® GT horse feeds both contain a full serving of Outlast^® supplement and are designed to support gastric health and caloric needs of performance and race horses. Strategy^® GX  and Strategy^® Healthy Edge^®,  Impact^® Professional Performance, Omolene 100^® Active Pleasure, Omolene 200^® Performance, Omolene 300^® Growth, Omolene 400^® Complete Advantage and Omolene 500^® Competition horse feeds now also all contain Purina^® Outlast^® Gastric Support Supplement.

In conclusion, recognizing the signs associated with gastric discomfort and adjusting management and dietary practices, you can help support your horse’s gastric health. Learn more about your horse’s gastric health and Outlast^® supplement by visiting Kissimmee Valley Feed & Ranch Supply and checking out our horse feed selection.

Article brought to you by Purina and Kelly Vineyard, M.S., Ph.D. Senior Nutritionist, Equine Technical Solutions

¹Sykes, B., et al. (2015), European College of Equine Internal Medicine Consensus Statement—Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome in Adult Horses. J Vet Intern Med, 29: 1288-1299. doi:10.1111/jvim.13578

Is your horse irritable, agitated, or uncomfortable? If your horse suffers from gastric discomfort, you might be shopping for a new supplement to help provide relief. Forget the trendy new products and unproven additives. Go with your horse’s gut and choose a product you can trust – Purina® Outlast® gastric support supplement.

Outlast® products contain an exclusive form of seaweed-derived calcium that’s functionally different from other marine-derived sources in five significant ways:

• Source – proprietary ingredient derived from two specific types of seaweed
• Composition – more than just calcite
• Structure – highly distinguished honeycomb structure increases surface area 3 to 5 times higher than other sources
• Maintenance of optimal pH – multiple studies have demonstrated superior buffering capacity
• Research – four peer-reviewed research abstracts evaluating Outlast®supplement have been published

90% of horses experience gastric discomfort. As a result, Gastric discomfort affects your horse’s health, attitude, and performance. Support your horse through any stressful event with Purina® Outlast® gastric support supplement.

Give them relief by stopping at Kissimmee Valley Feed & Ranch Supply and shopping our Horse Feed selection.

Article brought to you by Purina. Try their 60-day challenge to receive buy-one-get-one coupons for Purina® complete feeds, including Purina® Strategy® feed with the Outlast®supplement.

Check out Purina’s one-of-a-kind farm to find out what makes their 1,200-acre working farm in Gray Summit, Missouri, so unique. Find out in this short video, which explains our research and innovation philosophy. Plus, get a behind-the-scenes look at a few of the 80 beautiful horses that call it home. As a result, Purina conducts a lot of research to support horse health here.

Preconditioning. Weaning. Starting. Backgrounding. Whatever you want to call it, all of these cattle production terms involve getting calves off to a healthy start. A good start for healthy calves requires attention to two specific areas: your health and nutrition programs. Here are a few quick tips for healthy calves:

Health Program:

Work with your local veterinarian to determine your operations’ herd health program, which includes appropriate vaccinations and deworming protocols for calves in this phase.

Wean calves for a minimum of 45 days. This period of time allows them to adapt to separation from dams, transition onto feed and overcome other stress factors of weaning.

Nutrition Program:

Use starter feeds to help transition calves to their next phase of life.

Purina® Accuration® Starter Complete, Precon® Complete and Stress Care® 5 Supplement all contain RX3® Immune Support Technology, a precise combination of prebiotics, probiotics and plant extracts. These starters achieve both health and nutrition goals by supporting calves during stress and respiratory challenges while optimizing the plane of nutrition.

See Kissimmee Valley Feed’s selection here.

Visit purinamills.com/RX3 for more weaning advice and quick tips for healthy calves.

Your top Purina® Wind and Rain® Fly Control Mineral questions, answered.

Q: When should I stop feeding fly control mineral this fall?

Feed Purina® Wind and Rain® Fly Control Mineral with Altosid® Insect Growth Regulator (IGR) through summer, until 30 days after the first frost in the fall.1 Keeping fly control mineral out long enough in the fall is just as important to control flies as providing it early enough in the spring (30 days before the last frost).

Q:Why keep feeding if fly populations are declining?

Keeping it out 30 days after the first frost in fall gives you a head start on controlling next year’s fly populations. Horn flies overwinter (hibernate) in the pupal stage which can jump-start adult populations in the spring. Using it longer in the fall decreases the opportunity for flies to overwinter below manure patties because Altosid® IGR stops horn fly development. That means those eggs can’t develop into adult flies. If you don’t keep fly control mineral out for 30 days after the first frost, you also risk temperatures bouncing back and allowing more fly generations to survive.

Q: How do I transition cattle off?

Switching between mineral formulas is simple – just fill the feeder or set out a tub of the new mineral once it’s gone. All Wind and Rain® minerals feature a special formulation to help cattle consume mineral at target intake levels. At the same time, the weatherized mineral’s large particle size holds up to mother nature for a smooth transition, anytime

Q: Will it negatively impact cattle if I feed too long?

Wind and Rain® Fly Control Mineral functions via Altosid® IGR passing into the manure to stop horn fly development. Cattle do not absorb IGR into their bloodstream, so they’re not negatively impacted by continual consumption. However, depending on your location, it might not make economic sense to feed the mineral after cattle no longer need it. Alternately, if you live in a southern state, consider offering it year-round since fly season lasts so long. Using the same mineral all year can also simplify your mineral program.

Q: How can I make the most of fly control mineral through fall?

Ensure cattle are consuming mineral at target levels. If cattle aren’t consuming enough of the mineral, they won’t get the full benefits. Consider these tips if consumption is off, and work with your Purina rep or dealer to troubleshoot:

• Use enough mineral feeders or tubs. A good rule of thumb is one tub or mineral feeder for every 25-30 cows. Always review manufacturer recommendations. ƒ
• Strategically place mineral feeders and tubs to encourage consumption. For example, cattle will likely cover more grazing ground as weather cools off. Consider repositioning mineral closer to high-traffic areas, like water sources, which cattle return to regularly. ƒ
• Check mineral tubs or feeders every week. Make sure feeders are full and tubs still have enough product, so cattle don’t miss a day of fly control mineral.

Click here to see our selection.

article thanks to Elizabeth Belew, Ph.D. and Purina. Get more expert advice to beat the buzz at purinamills.com/fly-control.

Focus on replacement heifer development for more productive cows

Replacement heifer nutrition and management can impact your cow herd for generations.

Think of the most valuable cows in your herd. What makes them stand out?
They probably…

• Stay in good body condition
• Breed back early in the breeding season
•  Calve without difficulty
• Wean a heavy, healthy calf…

and they do it all consistently, staying in the herd for many years as a profitable cow. But, let’s take it back a life stage. Your most valuable and productive cows all started as replacement heifers. Set heifers up for long-term success in the cow herd with these tips:

Select the right replacements

Use visual appraisal. Look for fertile, easy-fleshing females. A heifer that’s easy-fleshing stays in good body condition score (BCS), and if she stays in good BCS, she has better odds of getting bred earlier.

Identify older heifers. Older heifers are typically the offspring of cows that calved early in the breeding season, which can imply that those heifers are fertile like their dams.

Refer to calving records. Without records, we tend to select heifers that are bigger, not necessarily older. If large heifers are consistently selected as replacements, you might end up with cows that are too big for their environment. Large cows can also require more supplemental feed to breed back promptly and raise their calves.

Take reproductive tract scores 45 days before breeding. Work with a veterinarian to score reproductive tracts. Cull the heifers scoring below a 3 on the 1 (immature or infertile) to 5 (cycling) scoring scale. Heifers that score a 4 or 5 are ideal replacement heifers.

Set heifers up for success

Target proper weights. Once you select your replacements, aim for them to reach 60-65% of their mature weight at breeding (around 14-15 months of age). Research has shown you could sacrifice conception rates and longevity if heifers are below 55% of mature weight at breeding.1

Monitor growth rates. Heifers should grow 1.25-1.5 pounds per head per day from weaning until first breeding to meet target weights. Monitor heifer weights to ensure they’re on track.

Provide nutrition to hit growth rates. Select high-energy nutrition, like Purina® Accuration® supplements with Intake Modifying Technology®, to complement your forages and help provide predictable intake that delivers targeted gains. Depending on weather and forage conditions, spring-born heifers require 4-8 pounds of supplemental nutrition per day.

Don’t forget about mineral. Offer Purina® Wind and Rain® Mineral year-round to build mineral reserves ahead of high mineral requirements during pregnancy and at calving.

Choose the right environment. Develop heifers in the same environment that they’re going to work in as productive cows. If you have pasture and forage available to develop heifers, that’s the way to go.

Consider breeding heifers earlier. Heifers then get 20 to 30 days extra to come back into estrus and breed back with the mature cow herd.

Focus on nutrition during the first pregnancy

Maintain high-quality nutrition. Bred heifers have increasing nutritional needs throughout gestation. They’re eating to nourish a fetus and to grow to 85% of their mature weight by first calving. Continue offering supplemental nutrition, like Accuration® Liquid supplement or Accuration® Range Supplements, designed to match bred heifer requirements with changing forage conditions.

Keep your eye on shifting targets. Target heifers to be around 85% of their mature weight and in a BCS 6 at calving. Score heifers 90 days before calving to allow adequate time to help heifers add body condition if needed. Research shows heifers in proper BCS at calving have optimized rebreeding success. Conversely, heifers with inadequate body condition at calving can have a 24% reduction in rebreeding success.2

Develop a customized replacement heifer nutrition program at Kissimmee Valley Feed.

Article brought to you by N.T. Cosby, Ph.D., Senior Cattle Nutritionist, Purina Animal Nutrition