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“The affected horse may lose appetite and is not interested in food and may become irritable. Other signs may include fatigue, reduced performance, or even laminitis or skin allergies, due to the disruption of the immune system.”
EQUINE HEALTH
stresses of rigorous exercise, training and han- dling. This compounded with the stress of stall confinement—a very unnatural environment for horses--can negatively impact the GI tract barrier. Transport is also a stress for horses.
“Excessive stress, even for short periods, can result in a loss of homeostasis and damage to the gut lining. Stress impacts hundreds of different signaling molecules and hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline. In turn, these molecules affect numerous tissues and organs including the GI tract and brain. Some stress- ors lead to increased stomach acid secretion, which can alter nutrient composition and the intestinal microbiome of beneficial bacteria. Ultimately, stress results in low-grade inflam- mation that is often associated with increased intestinal permeability and leaky gut,” he says.
“Most competitive horses get minimal turnout time and that alone is highly stressful. Many trainers also withhold feed, especially hay, before a performance, race or competition. Some even withhold water, and this is also very stressful and detrimental to the gut, and the horse’s health and behavior,” he says.
SIGNS OF LEAKY GUT SYNDROME
The most common sign of this problem is diarrhea or loose stools. “If this lasts more than half a day, it should be cause for con- cern and you should probably call your vet, but you can also start giving the horse some
probiotics and prebiotics if you have some on hand,” says Lindinger.
Sometimes a horse with leaky gut will be constipated rather than have diarrhea and show signs of impaction colic. “This is one of the odd things; leaky gut can cause diarrhea or consti- pation. The latter may be even more difficult to notice, especially if the horse is out on pasture,” he says. If the horse is stabled regularly, or
in a small pen where you can readily see the manure, then you would notice. If there are no bowel movements for half a day, this would be cause for concern.
The horse’s attitude may also change. Anyone who knows their own horse can readily tell when that horse is “off”. “The affected horse may lose appetite and is not interested in food and may become irritable. Other signs may include fatigue, reduced performance, or even laminitis or skin allergies, due to the disruption of the immune system,” he says.
PREVENTION AND TREATMENT
The best prevention is simply keeping
the horse healthy, providing clean feed and water, avoiding excessive stress, etc. Things that can be done to reduce stress and pro- mote a healthy gut include keeping the horse in as natural environment as possible, and providing hay and high quality, clean water. “The water should be free of chlorine, so it shouldn’t be chlorinated tap water. Uncon-
taminated ground water or something from a running stream is better because chlorine can disrupt the healthy bacteria in the gut,” he says.
Changes in feed should always be gradual and it helps to make these changes in associa- tion with dietary sources of butyrate and an effective probiotic. “Many horsemen now
are also using probiotics and other products that are helpful in maintaining or restoring intestinal integrity when it has been compro- mised,” says Lindinger.
If antibiotics must be given to a horse, people need to realize that even though the horse may need these drugs to combat a dis- ease or infection, there are also some negative effects, especially with prolonged use. Antimi- crobials do what they are intended to do – kill microbes systemically or in the targeted local tissues—but they also impact the microbiome of the GI tract, resulting in death of both beneficial and pathogenic microbes, altering the microbial population.
“When systemic antimicrobials are used, it is important to supplement the diet with butyr- ate, to maintain barrier function, and with probiotics to replace the loss of beneficial GI tract microbes,” Lindinger says.
“Probably the most important probiot-
ics that are known to be safe are the yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae or boulardii), for which there is a lot of research. There are many
Normal Tight Junction
Leaky and Inflamed
When the intestinal wall becomes leaky, pathogens can go from the gut into the body, cause local inflammation and immune responses, and be picked up by the bloodstream.
Leaky gut syndrome is often the result of two or more stressors acting together,
such as performance horses in training that consume high starch diets combined with the stress of stall confinement.
SPEEDHORSE May 2020 57