ArizonaRealCountry.com 5 March 2019 Ask the Vet THE GERIATRIC HORSE Arizona REAL COUNTRY the magazine Mike Barna Publisher ArizonaRealCountryMagazine@gmail.com (602) 622-3695 Erika Smith Royal Editor erika963realcountry@gmail.com Misty Voitovski Creative Director Contributing Writers Lee Anderson, Charlie LeSueur, Jim Olson, Robert Piekow, Bill Roberts, Alan Rockman, Bob Roloff, Hank Sheffer, Buddy Uldrikson, Michele Wilson Arizona Real Country is owned and published by Barna Broadcasting LLC. No person, organization or party can copy or reproduce the content on our website and/or magazine or any part of this publication without a written consent from the editor’s panel and the author of the content, as applicable. The publisher, authors and contributors reserve their rights with regards to copyright of their work. Follow Arizona Real Country for news, events, giveaways and more! 801 W. Wickenburg Way Wickenburg, AZ 85390 (602) 622-3695 ArizonaRealCountry.com In the past horses were considered to be geriatric at 16 years old but now horses, like humans, are living longer and many are still competing in their early 20s. As the horse ages, it is likely to show common signs of aging including drooping lip, grey hairs around the eyes and muzzle, muscle degeneration especially over the top line and hollowed appearance of the face. TROUBLE HOLDING WEIGHT Maintaining a healthy weight is an extremely common problem in older horses. Dental problems are often the cause of weight loss, but this can occur even when the teeth don't appear to be an issue. Unrecognized dental pain-such as an abscess or jaw/temporomandibular pain-is sometimes the cause, but for many older horses, no oral or dental issue is found. Elderly humans can develop decreased saliva production, which commonly causes them to experience swallowing problems. Saliva is both an important lubricant and also a fluid and bicarbonate buffer for the intestinal tract. Older humans also may develop decreased production of stomach acid. This may sound like a good thing on the surface, but stomach acid is needed as the first step of protein digestion, and it also helps kill harmful bacteria before they can reach the intestinal tract. If both of these problems develop in older horses, they can easily lead to weight loss due to poor digestion and poor absorption of nutrients. Older horses kept in a herd may not be competing effectively for available food. They also might be bullied by the younger horses, which can lead to stress and possible stomach ulcers. Finally, older horses often have poor resistance to internal parasites compared to younger adults, so they may need a special deworming schedule. STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING WEIGHT ISSUES The first step is to have your veterinarian rule out any underlying disease or dental problem. If your older horse's weight has dropped noticeably, it's a good idea to have him examined for underlying medical conditions, particularly kidney or liver dysfunction that could be responsible for the change. If all correctable causes have been ruled out, the horse needs a diet change. Senior diets were devised to meet the special needs of older horses, and they do a very good job, too. However, they may be too expensive for some owners. One strategy for cost control, if this is an issue, is to copy down the analysis figures from a bag of senior feed and shop around for a regular complete feed that is similar. A horse that is having serious weight issues is going to need most, if not all, of his diet to come from processed feeds. The major advantage of processed complete or senior feeds is that they are more digestible. Because of the small particle size, they are essentially pre-chewed. Processing of the grain portion in these feeds by extrusion also increases the digestibility of the starch. Also, fortification with vitamins and amino acids helps to make up for any shortcomings in the digestive tract function. Use of easily fermented fiber sources like alfalfa and beet pulp gives the feed a prebiotic effect. If the commercial feeds are still too pricey, you can make your own senior diet using alfalfa pellets or meal, beet pulp, processed grains and things like wheat bran. You'll need help from your veterinarian or an equine nutritionist to make sure the diet is properly balanced and fortified. Not only do geriatric diets require alterations in nutrient levels and the feedstuffs through which they're delivered, but you also have to factor in the horse's ability to process them. Energy, fiber, protein, and fat are dietary requirements for all horses, but geriatric horses' needs are often different from those of their younger counterparts. The average moderately worked 1,000-pound mature horse requires about 20,000 calories a day to maintain his weight and perform light work. This energy is best delivered by fibrous feeds containing about 1,000 to 1,200 calories per pound. Grass, the natural equine diet, gets high marks because it is easy to chew and digest, which is ideal for the geriatric horse, so long as he is not at high risk for laminitis. The next-best fibrous energy source for older horses is grass hay, such as timothy, bromegrass, and orchard grass, cut and baled at bud stage (before the mature seed head forms). These hays are more digestible than stemmy hays, such as alfalfa or over-mature grass. Protein needs may rise in geriatric horses because they are sometimes less efficient at absorbing and utilizing this tissue-building nutrient. Younger mature horses typically require about 9 to 10 percent protein in their diet but some aged horses need about 12 to 14 percent. Feeding wet meals can make a huge difference with an older horse. Whether this helps them swallow, replaces fluid from decreased saliva production, or simply supplies water when the horse is not drinking enough is not clear-but it definitely makes a difference. You should also guarantee the horse is getting the minimum daily salt requirement by dividing it up between meals. This will keep water consumption up. A probiotic or prebiotic bacterial fermentation product helps some older horses. continued on page 7