ArizonaRealCountry.com 5 June 2018 Ask the Vet HEALTHY TREATS Q: I love giving my horse special treats, so I was wondering what kind of fruits and vegetables are safe to feed your horse? A: You are not alone in loving to give your horse special treats! And it’s a great question because consider how many foods and ingredients people are able to safely ingest that can be harmful or even fatal to pets like cats and dogs. Fortunately, for as fragile as their digestive tracts are, it doesn’t seem like horses are all that sensitive to things that we normally eat. When "people food” does appear on a list of substances toxic to horses, it generally takes pounds and pounds to have an effect, which is not typically the amount you would feed as a treat. One group that can be concerning if fed in large amounts is plants that are high in oxalates, such as rhubarb leaves, beet greens, spinach, Swiss chard, and endive. Seeds and pits of fruits like cherries, apricots, peaches, and apples also have a toxic agent, but hardly anyone feeds these whole to their horses and even if they did so, it would take much more than one to have an effect. Technically plants in the nightshade family (like tomato plants and potatoes) are also on the "do not feed to horses” list but there’s little harm in small amounts, and it’s the tomato PLANT that has the potential for toxicity, not the ripe tomato. Cruciferous plants like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale and others do not technically contain a toxic agent but their tendency to lead to excess gas production in the GI tract worries some people. Of course, there are plenty of trees, bushes, weeds, and other plants that are toxic to horses (like Japanese yew, a common ornamental shrub). However, among the fruits and vegetables found in your local grocery store, as long as you use common sense and enjoy a fruit or vegetable with your horse as a treat, not a meal (and certainly not a wheelbarrow full), there should be no issues. EVERYTHING IN MODERATION Q: As you may know there are these treats with sugary foods on them that have been in high demand lately. These treats have things on them like cereal, jelly beans, sprinkles, and etc. I know you will answer these questions with "it all depends on the horse.” Are these treats actually healthy for horses? If people do buy them, should there be a limit? Also, should there be things to look out for (like red flags)? Lastly, what are some treat alternatives? A: Yes, I see a full range of horse treats on the market, from ones clearly designed to appeal to the human caretakers with s’mores, pop tarts, and "cake” in the name, to ones with no added sugar plus no ingredients on the naughty list such as molasses, dextrose, corn syrup, etc. It seems like sugar is both the main attraction as well as the main offender in treats, and that’s where my common qualifying statement "it all depends on the horse” comes in. For horses with no health concerns surrounding sugar and starches, treats that contain these ingredients, as long as they’re given in moderation, shouldn’t be a problem. But for horses suffering from insulin dysregulation (insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia) associated with Equine Metabolic Syndrome, Cushing’s Disease, or both, and for horses dealing with muscle disorders such as classic tying up (exertional rhabdomyolysis), Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy or PSSM, and Equine Myofibrillar Myopathy, then it might be better to search for treats that are lower in sugar or percent non-structural carbohydrates . There are more and more treats on the market with these types of horses in mind, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find a brand or two that your horse enjoys and that aren’t unhealthy for him. As far as treats actually being healthy, a couple of manufacturers have strayed into the "functional treat” realm and sell a wafer or cookie with ingredients to support joint, hoof, or skin & coat health. And you can always look outside the treat category to find healthy treats, such as hay cubes. Made with alfalfa hay, a mixture of grass and alfalfa hays, or grass hay alone, nearly all of my pockets have a few hay cubes in them for when my horse needs a reward for good behavior or performance. Just like a full-size bale of hay, cubes of hay flake nicely into bite-size, ready-to-eat pieces. Earlier I used the word "moderation.” Many people like to give their horse sugar cubes, peppermint candy, or fruits and vegetables like apples, carrots, bananas, watermelon, and others. My horse has recently decided prunes are heaven on earth! While many of these common horse treats are fairly high in sugar, as long as you don’t give an entire BAG of candy or sugary ripe fruits or vegetables, your horse will probably be fine. But if you want to be on the safe side, there are more low sugar/starch treats coming on to the market every day so you can give your horse a tasty snack and still keep your conscience clean! SALT MINERAL BLOCKS Although your horse is unlikely to do itself any harm consuming these mineral licks, it is an expensive habit and the excessive salt consumption can make for a very wet stall from all the drinking and pee that will result. This behavior is usually a learned one that a horse will do to alleviate boredom while enjoying a tasty snack, rather than a sign that something is missing from his diet. Fortunately, horses are not prone to salt-related diseases like hypertension, but this level of consumption will cause a horse to have increased thirst and resulting urination as the body attempts to restore normal balances and excrete the excess sodium. I would be inclined to try giving him a toy that will distract him from the salt block, and if that does not work I would take the block away and supplement his diet with a couple of tablespoonfuls of salt in his feed. You can also offer a separate water bucket with electrolytes in it to ensure he can “self-supplement” without devouring endless mineral licks! Arizona REAL COUNTRY the magazine Mike Barna Publisher mbarna@963realcountry.com (602) 622-3695 Erika Smith Royal Editor erika963realcountry@gmail.com Misty Voitovski Creative Director Contributing Writers C.L.”Lee”Anderson, Desiree’Byrne, Kimmie Dillon, Charlie LeSueur, Jim Olson, Emilio Martinez, Robert Piekow, Bill Roberts, Alan Rockman, Bob Roloff, Buddy Uldrikson, JolynYoung, 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. 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