b"Arizona Ask the VetREAL COUNTRY THE GERIATRIC HORSEthe magazine I n the past horses Mike Barna were considered to be geriatric at 16 years Publisher old but now horses, like humans, are living longer ArizonaRealCountryMagazine@gmail.com and many are still competing in their early 20s.As the horse ages, it is likely to show common Erika Smith Royal signs of aging including a drooping lip, grey hairs around the eyes and muzzle, a loss of muscle mass Editor especially over the top line, a loss of strength in erika963realcountry@gmail.com tendons and ligaments, and a hollowed appearance of the face and eyes.Misty Voitovski Trouble Holding WeightCreative Director Maintaining a healthy weight is an extremely common problem in older horses. Dental problems are often the cause of weight loss, but this can Contributing Writers occur even when the teeth don't appear to be an issue. Unrecognized dental pain-such as an abscessessentially pre-chewed. Processing of the grain Lee AndersonBob Boze Bell or jaw/temporomandibular pain-is sometimes theportion in these feeds by extrusion also increases Pete FloresJustin Legler cause, but for many older horses, no oral or dentalthe digestibility of the starch. Also, fortification issue is found. with vitamins and amino acids helps to make up for Betsy LemaireNaomi Loomis any shortcomings in the digestive tract function. Dodge MarshallRandy Miller Elderly humans can develop decreased salivaUse of easily fermented fiber sources like alfalfa and production, which commonly causes them tobeet pulp also gives the feed a prebiotic effect.Jim & Bobbi Jeen Olson experience swallowing problems. Saliva is bothIf the commercial feeds are still too pricey, you can Bill RobertsAlan Rockman an important lubricant and also a fluid andmake your own senior diet using alfalfa pellets or bicarbonate buffer for the intestinal tract. Oldermeal, beet pulp, processed grains and things like Bob RoloffJohn Samsillhumans also may develop decreased productionwheat bran. You'll need help from your veterinarian Michele Wilson of stomach acid. This may sound like a good thingor an equine nutritionist to make sure the diet is on the surface, but stomach acid is needed as theproperly balanced and fortified.first step of protein digestion, and it also helps 801 W. Wickenburg Way kill harmful bacteria before they can reach theNot only do geriatric diets require alterations in intestinal tract. If both of these problems develop innutrient levels and the feedstuffs through which Wickenburg, AZ 85390 older horses, they can easily lead to weight loss duethey're delivered, but you also have to factor in to poor digestion and poor absorption of nutrients. the horse's ability to process them. Energy, fiber, (602) 254-6644 Older horses kept in a herd may not be competingprotein, and fat are dietary requirements for ArizonaRealCountry.com effectively for available food. They also might beall horses, but geriatric horses' needs are often bullied by the younger horses, which can lead todifferent from those of their younger counterparts. stress and possible stomach ulcers. Finally, olderThe average moderately worked 1,000-pound horses often have poor resistance to internalmature horse requires about 20,000 calories a day parasites compared to the younger adults, so theyto maintain his weight and perform light work. This may need a special deworming schedule. energy is best delivered by fibrous feeds containing about 1,000 to 1,200 calories per pound. Grass, Strategies for Managing Weight Issues the natural equine diet, gets high marks because Follow Arizona RealThe first step is to have your veterinarian rule outit is easy to chew and digest, which is ideal for the any underlying disease or dental problems. If yourgeriatric horse, so long as he is not at high risk Country for news, events,older horse's weight has dropped noticeably, it'sfor laminitis. The next-best fibrous energy source giveaways and more! a good idea to have him examined for medicalfor older horses is grass hay, such as timothy, conditions, particularly kidney or liver dysfunction.bromegrass, and orchard grass, cut and baled at If all correctable causes have been ruled out, thebud stage (before the mature seed head forms). Arizona Real Country is owned andhorse may need a diet change. Senior diets wereThese hays are more digestible than the stemmy published by Barna Broadcastingdevised to meet the special needs of older horses,hays like alfalfa or over-mature grass.LLC. No person, organization or partyand they do a very good job, too. However, they can copy or reproduce the contentmay be too expensive for some owners. OneProtein needs may rise in geriatric horses because on our website and/or magazine orstrategy for cost control, if this is an issue, is tothey are sometimes less efficient at absorbing and any part of this publication withoutcopy down the analysis figures from a bag of seniorutilizing this tissue-building nutrient. Younger a written consent from the editorsfeed and shop around for a regular complete feedmature horses typically require about 9 to 10 that is similar. A horse that is having serious weightpercent protein in their diet but some aged horses panel and the author of the content, asissues is going to need most, if not all, of his diet toneed 12 to 14 percent.applicable. The publisher, authors andcome from processed feeds.contributors reserve their rights withFeeding wet meals can make a huge difference with regards to copyright of their work. The major advantage of processed complete oran older horse. Whether this helps them swallow, senior feeds is that they are more digestible.replaces fluid from decreased saliva production, Because of the small particle size, they arecontinued on page 7ArizonaRealCountry.com November 2022 5"