A preliminary study of the tolerance of healthy foals to a low residue enteral feeding solution.

This study aimed to understand the impact of a special diet, a low residue isotropic feeding solution (LRF), on young orphaned horses (foals). Researchers observed that the ones who had this diet had same growth in height and weight as regularly fed foals, implying this solution could serve as a useful alternative for feeding particular foals aged at least seven days.

Study Design and Participants

• Six young orphan foals, aged between 4 and 20 days, participated in the study. These participants were of mixed breeding.
• A three-day acclimatization period was given before beginning the feeding protocol.
• One foal had to be excluded from the study due to reasons not related to the feeding protocol. Thus, the final results are based on the data from five foals.

Feeding Protocol

• The foals were fed with a low residue isotonic feeding solution (LRF) to fulfill their entire caloric needs, estimated at 523 kjoules/kg bodyweight per day.
• The solution was calorically dense, offering 4.18 kjoules per milliliter (1 kcal/mL), and was fortified with protein and minerals to meet the foals’ estimated dietary requirements.
• The LRF was administered through a 12 French feeding tube that remained indwelling at all times.

Observations and Findings

• The foals were observed to tolerate the LRF well, with five out of six completing the study successfully.
• Only two foals displayed signs of intolerance such as flatulence, mild bloat, and very mild abdominal pain during the first 48 hours of initiating 100% LRF feeding, which happened due to decreased intervals between two feedings.
• These signs of intolerance were self-resolving, with complete recovery in under 6 hours and feedings being resumed thereafter.
• There were no instances of dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing), regurgitation, or apparent discomfort arising from the feeding tubes.
• Notably, the growth in height and weight of these foals were comparable to published data for healthy foals raised with their dams.

Conclusions

• These findings indicate that the low residue, calorically dense, isotonic feeding solution can be a useful alternative for enteral feeding in selected foals aged at least seven days.
• This diet was well-tolerated by healthy foals and did not interrupt their standard growth patterns.