b'Arizona Ask the VetREAL COUNTRY AGING GRACEFULLYthe magazineMike BarnaPublisher T hanks to advances in nutrition and veterinary technology life for senior ArizonaRealCountryMagazine@gmail.com horses and their owners has greatly improved from what it was in years past. Erika Smith Royal Just like people, horses are individuals. They dont all age at the same pace and in Editor the same way. Some horses compete into erika963realcountry@gmail.com their early twenties and others are already retired in their teens. Certain horses maintain condition and muscle mass Misty Voitovski better than others. There is no setage when a horse becomes old.Creative Director Generally, horses in their mid to late feed is to be used. In addition, the fiber content is teens are considered seniors. going to range from 16 to 18 percent.Contributing Writers CHANGING METABOLISM To help support digestion and nutrient absorption, Lee AndersonBob Boze Bell Your horses metabolism will probably changeyou may want to add a prebiotic/probiotic supplement with age. Some horses may start having troubleto your horses daily ration.Deb BlankenshipJustin Legler maintaining normal weight on a diet theyve been eating for years. Remember, you want to be able to feelDENTAL PROBLEMSDakota LivesayRandy Miller the ribs but not see them. When properly conditioned,Before changing his diet, have your horses teeth Betsy NunnJim & Bobbi Jeen Olsonfat should be deposited between the ribs but notchecked by an equine dentist.covering the top of them.Alan RockmanBob Roloff The usual signs forThe key to maintaining a healthy weight, for thosebad teeth are:John SamsillJoyce Whiteunable to keep weight on, lies in proper feeding. The Slow to chew, inability intestinal tract loses some of its absorption capabilityto masticate properlyMichele Wilson with age for a lot of horses. This, coupled with possible Feed falls off the dental issues, creates the need for specialized seniorhorses mouththe 801 W. Wickenburg Way horse feeds. The extrusion process used to make thesehorse seems to be pelleted feeds partially digests the ingredients makingmessy at feed time Wickenburg, AZ 85390 them more bioavailable to the horse. If we have to feedand kind of dribblingthese horses increased amounts, it is often important Whole food found in droppings (602) 254-6644 to slow the eating of horses that bulk their feed downsuch as grains and long stemsmaking them at risk of choking. Adding a mineral Bad breath due to rotten teethArizonaRealCountry.com block, brick, or large rocks to their feed pan for them Thick nasal discharge, usually on one side, may to eat around will help keep the bite sizes smaller. appear if a decayed tooth has been left untreatedand has become infectedOn the other hand, some older horses, especially easy Tendency to chokekeepers, will struggle with being too heavy and can be prone to laminitis. This could relate to endocrineAs your horse ages, it is a good idea to increase the issues. Either way, it is important to monitor yournumber of vet and dentist checkups your horse has. horses weight and feed appropriately.Its advised to have their teeth checked twice a year Follow Arizona Realand maybe even more if needed. Like with humans, Country for news, events,ENDOCRINE ISSUES horses can lose teeth in their old age. In other cases, If your horse is not shedding properly, hasyour horses teeth may wear down making them less giveaways and more! unexplained weight loss or gain, or abnormal fateffective. These issues can make chewing hard and deposits, your veterinarian may recommend bloodcan ultimately lead to your horse eating less. If you testing for endocrine problems like Cushings ordiscover your horse has these issues, discuss with your Arizona Real Country is owned andinsulin resistance. There are treatments availableequine dentist or vet some of the possible feeding published by Barna Broadcastingto help maintain horses with these issues. Yoursolutions which may include hay replacers.LLC. No person, organization or partyveterinarian can help you decide if other medical can copy or reproduce the contentmanagement tools are appropriate. Its a good idea toThe high fiber content in senior feed is of value when on our website and/or magazine orhave your veterinarian draw blood and check for anyyou have to reduce or eliminate hay from the horses any part of this publication withoutadditional concerns. diet. If a horse is still able to eat forage, either hay or a written consent from the editorspasture, its usually best to offer this forage and then After ruling these out, you may want to considerbalance his nutritional requirements with a senior panel and the author of the content, asswitching your horse over to a senior feed, which isfeed. If youre still feeding hay to your senior horse, applicable. The publisher, authors andspecifically designed to meet the needs of older horses.youll want to be especially picky about quality. Select contributors reserve their rights withThey provide nutrients in an easily digested form forsoft hay that isnt overly mature and doesnt have regards to copyright of their work. the older horse. Senior feeds generally contain 12 tothick, fibrous stalks. Mixed grass-legume hay, such 14 percent crude protein and have a fat content thatas orchard-alfalfa or timothy-alfalfa, is often a good ranges from 5 to 10 percent, depending on how thechoice as long as there are no medical concerns that continued on page 7ArizonaRealCountry.com February 2022 5'