Omneity® Pellets
All-In-One Vitamin & Mineral Pellet
Topic:Nutrition
Nutrition in horses encompasses the study of dietary requirements and feeding practices that support equine health, growth, and performance. It involves the analysis of nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals, and their roles in equine physiology. Proper nutrition is essential for maintaining optimal body condition, supporting metabolic processes, and preventing dietary-related disorders. Research in this field examines the nutritional needs of horses at different life stages and activity levels, as well as the effects of various feed types and supplements. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the composition, digestion, and impact of different dietary components on equine health and performance.
Influence of an omega-3 fatty acid-enriched ration on in vivo responses of horses to endotoxin. Because certain inflammatory processes are dependent on the fatty acid composition of the cellular membrane, dietary manipulations that replace omega-6 fatty acids with omega-3 fatty acids may modify inflammatory responses. We investigated the effect of supplemental dietary linseed oil, containing the omega-3 fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid, on in vivo responses of horses to endotoxin. One group of horses (n = 6) was fed a control pelleted ration (0% linseed oil), and another group of horses (n = 6) was fed an 8% linseed oil pelleted ration. After 8 weeks of consuming these rations, all horse...
[Myopathies in a riding horse stable]. In this case report on myopathies in 6 saddle-horses, a combined dietary vitamin E and selenium deficiency is presumed. Other disorders, such as exertional myopathy ("Monday morning disease") due to excessive energy intake or ionophore intoxication could be excluded by calculating the energy supply or by a simple colour test. The selenium requirement of horses is estimated to 0.1-0.2 mg/kg dry matter (Meyer 1986). If natural feed compounds are low in selenium, adequate amounts of this trace element can be supplied by means of supplemental feeds, sodium selenite (20 mg/500 kg BW/week) or bruise...
Clinical, viral, and genetic evaluation of equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy in a family of Appaloosas. A clinical, viral, hematologic , and genetic study was conducted over a 4-year period on a family of Appaloosas with high incidence of clinical ataxia and pathologic features of equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy. Marginal to deficient serum vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) and blood selenium values were the only other consistent antemortem abnormalities in the affected horses. Members of this family were all descendants of a clinically normal mare and were raised in 3 separate environments with variable quality of feed. All horses had access to pasture grasses. Normal chromosomal karyotypes ...
Maternal and umbilical venous plasma lipid concentrations at delivery in the mare. The concentrations and fatty acid composition of the plasma free fatty acid, triacylglycerol and phospholipid fractions were determined in maternal and umbilical cord vein blood samples taken at delivery from 17 mares. Maternal and umbilical vein plasma free fatty acid concentrations were of a similar order and a positive correlation was found between the two levels suggesting that the equine placenta is permeable to fatty acid. Substantial amounts of the essential fatty acids and their longer chain derivatives were seen in both umbilical vein plasma free fatty acid and phospholipid fractions ...
Wood chewing by stabled horses: diurnal pattern and effects of exercise. Nine yearling horses, stabled in individual stalls, were used in a trial to determine the diurnal pattern of wood chewing and the effects of exercise on this behavior. The trial was a Latin square design conducted over three 2-wk periods during which each horse was exposed to each of the three following treatments: 1) no exercise (NE), 2) exercise after the morning feeding (AM), and 3) exercise in the afternoon (PM). Horses were fed a complete pelleted feed in the morning and both pelleted feed and long-stemmed hay in the afternoon. Exercise consisted of 45 min on a mechanical walker followed ...
[Blood serum level of primary bile acids in cattle, horses, swine and dogs]. The levels of the two primary bile acids, cholic acid (CA) and chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), were determined by radioimmunoassay in cattle, horse, pig and dog serum. The mean serum cholic acid (SCA) and deoxycholic acid (SCDCA) levels of cows varied with their reproductive status, being 7.8 (+/- 3.3) and 1.5 (+/- 1.0) mumol/l in dry cows, 17.8 (+/- 6.9) and 2.3 (+/- 1.0) mumol/l in freshly calved dams, and 15.8 (+/- 5.7) and 2.3 (+/- 0.8) mumol/l, respectively, in lactating cows. The SCA level found in the immediate prepartal period and also on the day of calving corresponded to those found du...
Severe masseter myonecrosis in a horse. A 6-year-old Quarter Horse was examined because of acute, severely swollen masseter muscles (palpation of which elicited pain response), exophthalmos, severe chemosis, and protrusion of the third eyelids. Blood selenium and vitamin E concentrations, and results of feed analysis and muscle biopsy supported a diagnosis of nutritional myopathy. The horse was treated and was clinically normal 2 weeks after discharge from the hospital.
Effects of a protein deficient diet and urea supplementation on lactating mares. Six lactating mares were fed either a low protein diet or the same diet with added urea ad libitum over 71 days. The quantity consumed by the mares, milk intakes of their foals, milk composition, plasma urea nitrogen (PUN), mare liveweight changes and foal growth rates were measured. The mares were unable to consume sufficient quantities of either diet to meet their nitrogen requirements and all lost weight. Adding urea to the diet significantly increased PUN in mares and foals, raised urea concentrations in the milk, decreased the mares' feed intake and significantly increased their weight lo...
[Pharmacologic effects of biotin on epidermal cells]. Biotin deficiency in animals causes pathological changes of the skin and its appendages including, for example, exfoliative dermatitis, depigmentation, and alopecia. The hooves of biotin-deficient swine are weak, brittle, and often necrotic. These changes disappear after dietary biotin supplementation. Biotin supplementation also noticeably improves the hoof quality of horses, cattle and swine having no apparent biotin deficiency. In order to elucidate the molecular basis of these effects, the influence of biotin on cytokeratin expression in a keratinocyte cell line (Ha-CaT) was investigated u...
Chemical structures of three neutral oligosaccharides obtained from horse (thoroughbred) colostrum. 1. Three neutral oligosaccharides were obtained from horse colostrum by ion-exchange, activated charcoal column and preparative paper chromatographies. 2. The following structures were elucidated by methanolysis, methylation analysis and 75 MHz 13C-NMR spectroscopy; Gal beta 1-4GlcNAc beta 1-3Gal beta 1-4Glc (HM-3a), Gal beta 1-4GlcNAc beta 1-6Gal beta 1-4Glc (HM-3b) and Gal beta 1-4GlcNAc beta 1-3[Gal beta 1-4GlcNAc beta 1-6]Gal beta 1-4Glc (HM-5). 3. HM-3a and HM-5 have been found in human milk, named as lacto-N-neotetraose and lacto-N-neohexaose, respectively. HM-3b has been isolated from g...
[Animal nutrition for veterinarians–recent cases of clinical disorders in horses after intake of ionophore-containing feed]. Anamnesis and clinical signs of horses form five different stables after ingestion of ionophores are reported and techniques of feed examination are described. Within a few hours or days after feeding of new types or batches of concentrates horses fell ill. They showed colic-like symptoms with intense sweating and ataxia. Most of the sick animals died within a short time span. Samples of the concentrates were analysed and different types and amounts of ionophores were detected. In four cases contamination by monensin in concentrations of less than 5 mg to 679 mg/kg feed were found. One feed sa...
Bioavailability of ascorbic acid in horses. The bioavailability of ascorbic acid administered to thoroughbreds by intramuscular injection was investigated. For intramuscular injection two preparations were studied, and the percentage bioavailability up to 24 h of 10 g of ascorbic acid was 95% +/- 22 in four horses and 60% in two horses with preparations A and B, respectively. Bioavailability at 24 h in three horses injected subcutaneously with 10 g of preparation B was 82%. Intramuscular injection of both preparations was apparently well tolerated while subcutaneous injection of preparation B (pH 6.0) was associated with marked irritanc...
Ultrastructural observation on the response of equine hoof defects to dietary supplementation with Farrier’s Formula. Farrier's Formula feed supplement was added to the diet of 18 horses with two types of hoof horn defects. The first group of horses showed sand cracks and crumbling horn around the nail holes; the second group suffered frequent bruising and had flat feet with collapsed heels. Hoof clippings from both groups were studied in the transmission and scanning electron microscopes. All the horses showed a progressive improvement in the gross and microscopic structure of the hoof horn, starting six weeks after the supplementation began. Once good quality hoof horn had grown there was no relapse during ...
The effects of copper supplementation on the prevalence of cartilage lesions in foals. The potential role of dietary copper in the development of cartilage defects in foals was investigated. Twenty-one mares were fed rations containing 13 ppm copper (CuC, control) or 32 ppm copper (CuS, supplemented) during the last three to six months of gestation and first three months of lactation. Their foals were fed pelleted concentrate containing 15 or 55 ppm Cu and were destroyed at 90 (5 CuC and 5 CuS foals) or 180 (6 CuC and 5 CuS foals) days. Focal cartilage lesions were found at multiple sites on necropsy. In foals killed at 90 days, there were over twice (9 versus 4) as many lesions...
Effect of dietary alpha-linolenic acid on equine monocyte procoagulant activity and eicosanoid synthesis. To investigate the effects of an omega-3 fatty acid-enriched ration on the in vitro response of equine monocytes to endotoxin, an 8-week feeding trial was conducted in which linseed oil served as the source of the omega-3 fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid. One group of horses was fed a control pelleted ration and the other group was fed an 8% linseed oil-enriched pelleted ration. After 8 weeks of feeding, monocytes were isolated and incubated in the presence of Escherichia coli O55:B5 endotoxin for 6 hr. After 8 weeks on the rations, the mean procoagulant activity and thromboxane B2 production ...
Yield and composition of milk from lactating mares: effect of lactation stage and individual differences. The yields and composition of milk from nursing mares were studied during the first two months of lactation in 11 mares of heavy breeds (784 kg). Daily yield increased from 21.7 to 24.6 kg between weeks 1 and 8 of lactation. Fat, protein, gross energy and Ca concentrations significantly decreased when lactose content increased during this period. Individual variations were higher for yield than for composition. Casein, whey protein and non-protein N (56, 34 and 10% of crude protein, respectively) and amino acid composition did not vary between weeks 1 and 8 of lactation.
Use of a liquid diet as the sole source of nutrition in six dysphagic horses and as a dietary supplement in seven hypophagic horses. Six horses with dysphagia (attributable to botulism, glossitis, or guttural pouch mycosis) were given a commercially available liquid diet as the sole source of nutrition. Seven horses with hypophagia caused by severe bacterial pleuropneumonia or peritonitis were given the liquid diet to supplement food consumed voluntarily. The liquid diet was administered through a nasogastric tube 2 or 3 times daily. Body weight did not change significantly, and pertinent laboratory values remained at satisfactory concentrations throughout the feeding period. Serious complications were not encountered. Thre...
[Several physiologic aspects of the reactions of foals in the first three days after weaning]. Changes have been observed in nine foals, six months of age, after weaning for the time of three days, namely in the intake of drinking water, hematocrit, sedimentation of erythrocytes and three minerals Na+, K+ and Cl-. Foals respond to weaning immediately, lowering significantly their consumption of drinking water and increasing high significance of Na+ and Cl-. Changes of level K+, hematocrit and sedimentation don't show any significant variations. The results reached are to be considered as an introductory information for further inquiry on the more extensive methodical basis.
Feed additives and contaminants as a cause of equine disease. The equine practitioner often encounters serious diagnostic and therapeutic challenges regarding the specific origin of a disease. Such challenges may occur when horses become unaccountably ill after consuming what was thought to be acceptable feed but which in fact was contaminated or contained additives intended for other species. Examples of such additives and contaminants are monensin, lasalocid, salinomycin, blister beetles, and such antimicrobics as lincomycin and clindamycin.
Dietary aspects of developmental orthopedic disease in young horses. The clinician may choose between two approaches to nutritional intervention. One is to evaluate the ration and make a painstaking effort to identify those specific factors operating in a particular case, then correct them. The second is to evaluate the ration, inspect for obvious aberrations, and, if finding none, proceed with no further delay to formulate an optimal diet, or a series, for the animals, and design a feeding program to suit farm management. Veterinarians should counsel clients on the possible or probable consequences of level of feeding on growth rate and clinical expression of ...
Mineral and vitamin intoxication in horses. Horses are subject to poisoning from many sources. This article considers poisonings from minerals and vitamins of nutritional significance and from minerals as environmental contaminants.
A conceptual approach to optimal nutrition of brood mares. Cumulative nutritional demands on good brood mares are unrivalled among domestic livestock, but little attention has been given to the influence of nutrition on their reproductive performance and efficiency. We suggest that part of the decline in racing performance of progeny of mares over 10 years of age may be caused by suboptimal nutrition. This article contrasts the concepts of minimal and optimal nutrient requirements, revives Hammond's concept of nutrient partitioning to the conceptus and mammary gland, and discusses energy and nutrient requirements during gestation and lactation. Furthe...
Feeding and digestive problems in horses. Physiologic responses to a concentrated meal. The association of feeding practices with the development of digestive disorders in horses has long been recognized, although the underlying mechanisms had been barely considered. The physiologic consequences of meal frequency may help to explain the relationship and prove to be of major significance in the induction of many conditions. Many Equidae kept for performance and leisure activities are fed high-energy, low-forage rations twice daily, with limited access to hay or grazing. Rapid ingestion of such meals stimulates a copious outpouring of upper alimentary secretions and results in tran...
Environmental effects on thermoregulation and nutrition of horses. Horses are reared in all types of weather. Temperatures as diverse as -40 degrees C to 40 degrees C are tolerated by horses. The nutrient requirement most influenced by cold weather is energy. In cold weather, feeding good quality hays free-choice is usually sufficient for mature horses in good body condition. Grain may have to be fed when poor quality hays are used. Hot weather (greater than 30 degrees C) necessitates heat loss to maintain body core temperature. Horses sweat to reduce body heat. Heat stress can be minimized by feeding diets that reduce the heat increment. Use of grain and fat...
