Horses - Balancing Your Horse's Diet to Achieve an Ideal Weight

Like people, some horses seem to stay fat off the smell of an empty feed sack, while others can consume enough calories to, well, choke a horse without gaining a pound. Few equine management challenges are more distressing than a "hard keeper" that remains bony regardless of how much he eats. Conversely, horses that are prone to obesity carry significant health risks. Finding the right diet for "special needs" horses doesn’t have to be frustrating and expensive. With the variety of specialty feeds and supplements available, and a basic understanding of the equine digestive system, you should be able to design a feeding program tailor-made to achieve an ideal weight.
James Kerr, DVM, has a thriving equine practice in Santa Rosa, Calif., where he specializes in performance horses. In addition to his practice, Dr. Kerr is also active with the American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) both as a competitor and a ride veterinarian. He says he sees more horses that are overweight than underweight. “People love them so much they kill them with kindness,” Dr. Kerr says. "They want to provide for their every need, which translates into lots of rich food and not enough exercise."

At the same time, he also acknowledges that most underweight horses get that way because of poor management, not a finicky metabolism. So before declaring a moratorium on alfalfa hay or breaking out the beet pulp, it helps to understand why your horse has weight issues. Genetics definitely play a role in regulating equine body mass and metabolic rates, but the environment, exercise and overall health also contribute significantly to whether your horse is ribby or rotund.

Hidden Reasons for Hard Keepers

In the case of the underweight horse, "It’s essential to eliminate any hidden health concerns that may be contributing to your horse’s condition," Dr. Kerr says. Illness, parasites, dental problems, gastric ulcers and stress can all contribute to weight loss. Veterinary exams can help rule out diseases that lead to weight loss. Sticking to a regular deworming program will help safeguard against internal parasites. And scheduling an annual dental exam will ensure that your horse is actually eating all the food you serve up, instead of dribbling it out onto the ground or passing it through undigested.

Stress can also contribute to weight loss. If your horse is a chronic stall walker, weaver or fence runner, he is burning calories needlessly, all day long. Simple management changes, such as daily turnout or the addition of a stall buddy, can alleviate these behaviors. Rigorous training schedules also cause residual stress after the workout is over, and can lead to gastric ulcers that put horses off their feed. Don’t forget horses need vacations too. If your horse is getting mentally “cooked” from intensive training, consider giving him a month or two off to relax and regroup. If he acts hungry but doesn’t clean up his feed, or exhibits frequent, mild colic symptoms, you may want to ask your veterinarian to perform a gastric endoscopy to determine whether a stomach ulcer is present.

Risks of Being Overweight

Conversely, obesity carries significant, potentially life threatening consequences. "Laminitis is the number one danger for overweight horses," Dr. Kerr says. "A cresty neck, bubble butt and fat deposits over the withers and shoulders are warning signals that you are teetering on the brink of founder." Kidney and liver disease, as well as glucose intolerance are also risk factors for overweight equines.

If the weight gain is sudden, not related to any changes in feed or exercise, and does not respond to reduced rations, consult your veterinarian. This could be a symptom of a metabolic condition. Proper diet (low starch/low sugar), exercise, and in some cases, medication, can help manage the problem. Also, keep in mind that a potbelly doesn’t necessarily mean weight gain; instead, it could be a sign of some other healthcondition, such as parasite infestation or equine Cushing’s disease.

Basic Feed Needs For All

The principles of achieving and maintaining optimum weight in horses are the same as they are in humans: balancing calories in, calories used and calories stored. Finding the right combination of roughage, protein, fat and carbohydrates takes some experimenting. Calorie-rich feeds that are mostly comprised of carbohydrates and sugar—sweet feeds—can lead to problems such as founder, colic or kidney strain. Too few calories can rob a horse of essential nutrients and cost you a winning performance. Part science and part intuition, a successful feeding program balances calorie input with energy output.

One feed requirement all horses have in common is the need for high-quality forage. "Horses are grazers by instinct," says Sue Garlinghouse, DVM, MS, of Upland, Calif. Dr. Garlinghouse specializes in equine nutrition and has published several research articles on equine physiology. "In a natural setting, horses will graze up to 22 hours per day. So I like to keep something in front of them to munch on all day long, or else they will start to eat the fence posts, the barn and the trees." The key to preventing obesity in the face of an all-day buffet is selecting the best quality hay and the appropriate type.

Horses thrive on hay with a crude protein level of 10 to 12 percent. "Dairy quality" alfalfa can contain as much as 24 percent protein, whereas grass hays and some grain hays can be as low as 6 to 8 percent protein. Combining high- and low-protein hays and adjusting the ratios in response to weight fluctuation is one of the simplest ways to maintain optimum weight.

With a gut evolved for almost non-stop grazing, horses should consume between 1.5 percent to 2.5 percent of their body weight daily in forage. For an average, 1,000 pound adult horse, this means between 15 to 25 pounds of hay per day. Feeding less than this per day can upset the digestive process, lead to nutrition imbalance and increase the chance of colic.

Packing on Pounds Safely

As caloric needs increase with exercise or other physiological demands, the grain bin might seem the logical place to turn to. With 30 to 50 percent more digestible energy per pound than hay, any grain or grain-based feed product provides more calories and energy per mouthful than hay or pasture grass. Corn packs the most energy per pound, followed by barley, then oats. These grains are frequently combined in a mixture with molasses to reduce dust and make them more palatable, which also adds calories in the form of sugar (simple carbohydrates).

So why not simply bump up the grain ration until the weight begins to pile on? According to Dr. Garlinghouse, large amounts of grain can cause side effects ranging from disruptive to deadly.

"Many horses get overly rambunctious on grain," Dr. Garlinghouse says. "If you want them to be able to focus during training and not be jumping out of their skins, large amounts of grain are a problem." More importantly, Dr. Garlinghouse says that studies show the risk of colic increases as grain rations rise. Laminitis, or founder, is also a threat with excessive grain. Additionally, some horses don’t seem to process carbohydrates efficiently, leading to a propensity for metabolic problems that can lead to such conditions as chronic "tying up." Dr. Garlinghouse never recommends feeding more than 3 pounds of grain per feeding, or more than a total of 8 pounds per day. Instead, she says supplements and specialty feeds are a safer way to get more calories into the diet without the health risks associated with feeding a lot of grain.

Feeding for Weight Gain

Hay

Alfalfa hay is often recommended for weight gain. Alfalfa cut at the beginning or end of the growing season is appropriate for horses because of its protein levels. Even when weight gain is the goal, avoid feeding alfalfa hay cut at the height of the growing season because of its high protein levels. (Dr. Kerr suggests not exceeding a 14 percent protein level.)

Complete Feeds

"Complete feeds" refer to any highly digestible processed feed product made from a combination of chopped forage, grain, vitamins and minerals. Underweight horses can often benefit from the addition of a complete feed to the diet.

A good complete feed will be high in fiber and include trace minerals, fats and vitamins. Although billed as nutritionally "complete," Dr. Garlinghouse recommends including at least a low-protein grass hay to give horses something to munch on, thus reducing the risk of colic by keeping the gut active.

Senior feeds are a specialized type of complete feed formulated for older horses. They are typically heat extruded milled grain products, some with higher forage contents than others. They are designed to be more digestible and easier to chew. Because older equines often have trouble holding their weight, particularly in cold winter weather, senior feeds usually have a higher percentage of fats, with a combination of grains, forage, rice bran or stabilized oils.

Fabulous Fats

If after adjusting feed amounts, formulations and exercise your horse still doesn’t achieve the desired weight gain, it may be time to consider a weight-gain supplement. The quickest route to increased weight gain without risky side effects is by adding fat in the form of a top dressing.

"Horses utilize fat much more efficiently than human beings do," Dr. Kerr says. "It is a good source of energy as well as an additive for weight gain." Fat has a number of benefits for the working equine. Not only is it 85 percent digestible, it’s free from carbohydrates, which means it doesn’t contribute to a risk of colic or founder. It produces 30 percent less heat than protein in the metabolic process, and it is an easy way to increase calories without increasing feed volume. Not to mention the glossy coat it produces!

Commercial weight-gain supplements often contain stabilized rice bran or flaxseed products as major ingredients. Both are excellent sources of high-quality fat calories. Stabilized rice bran alone can be fed as a top dressing, but it is extremely high in phosphorus, which creates the possibility of a calcium/phosphorous imbalance unless the diet is carefully modified. Flaxseed meal can also be fed alone. Freshness is the key, and it can be ground at home from whole flaxseeds using an electric coffee grinder. Flaxseed must be ground for horses to benefit; otherwise it passes right through the digestive system.

The most economic way to increase fat calories in the diet is by adding common vegetable oil. One cup of corn or safflower oil contains 240 grams of fat, the equivalent of 1.2 pounds of corn or 1.5 pounds of sweet feed. Thus it can be substituted as part of the daily grain ration. But standard cooking oil does not contain the beneficial fatty acids found in flaxseed oil, and it is important to store properly to avoid rancidity.

Digestive Enzymes

The overall health of a horse’s digestive tract will affect his ability to gain and maintain weight. When digestive enzymes and bacteria don’t function properly, it can interfere with nutrient absorption and utilization. Supplements and complete feeds provide more fats, carbohydrates and vitamins, but "probiotics" and "prebiotics" may help the digestive tract make optimum use of those nutrients.
Probiotics contain yeast fermentation (Lactobacillus) products that may help repopulate the hind gut with good bacteria. These beneficial bacteria aid digestion, helping horses get more nutrition out of what they are eating. While a healthy horse probably has enough gut flora, probiotics can be useful after a bout of diarrhea, rapid feed changes, debilitating disease, gastric ulcers, or following a course of oral antibiotics.

Prebiotics are the newest advancement in equine nutrition. Unlike probiotics, prebiotics don’t contain actual bacteria, but instead contain ingredients that enhance the entire gut’s ability to support bacterial function. They are formulated to increase digestion and absorption by feeding and improving the environment of the good bacteria that reside there.

Tips for Shedding the Pounds

For weight reduction, Dr. Kerr recommends removing all alfalfa and grain from the diet and feeding strictly grass hay, along with gradually increasing daily exercise, until body weight returns to normal. An overweight horse should be consuming mostly low-protein feed. Dr. Kerr’s best advice for the overweight equine is simple: cut back on the calories and increase the exercise. It’s important not to deprive even an obese horse of the minimum required daily amounts of roughage because it can lead to colic (daily forage rations should weigh no less than 1.5 to 2.5 percent of a horse’s body weight).

As for a sensible exercise program for your horse, start by slowly increasing the frequency and duration of your rides. If you are a weekend rider, throw in a couple of mid-week sessions. If you ride for half an hour every day, up your saddle time to an hour or so. If riding isn’t an option, consider longeing at a medium trot until your horse breaks a light sweat, or at least putting him on a hot walker for an hour or so a day. In the wild, horses can typically cover 20 miles per day in search of fresh grass and water. While most riders can’t commit to that much time in the saddle, this serves as a good reference point for what a healthy horse can accommodate under natural conditions.

Long Term Weight Maintenance

Whether your horse is underweight, overweight or just right, it’s important to evaluate his condition through advancing age, environmental changes and performance demands. Addressing unwanted fluctuations before they become potential health risks is the most important aspect of equine weight management.
A balanced approach to a feed regimen that mirrors nature as closely as possible, while incorporating more advanced formulas and targeted nutritional supplements when necessary, will keep your horse not only looking and feeling his best, but also performing up to his optimum potential.

DOG AND CAT MEAT CONSUMPTION

BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhuanet) -- In a gloomy and damp single-story house in the rural-urban fringe of the city, hundreds of cats are locked in a foul-smelling room. The terrified animals were rounded up in neighboring provinces, and they will be killed in southern China to end up on dinner tables.

"After gathering a certain number, around 300, the cats will be moved to sell to restaurants in Guangdong province and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region," a 'guardian' of the cats surnamed Zhou, told China Daily on Tuesday.

Zhou said, since it is getting cold, people in Guangdong and Guangxi will eat cat meat to supplement their diet.

So his boss opened this cat shipping station on Baishazhou Avenue, Wuhan, in October, and is paying him around 1,000 yuan ($156) a month.

"Sometimes there are 70 or 80 cats a day, other times just 20 or 30," said Zhou, a 60-year-old man from Xiaogan, Hubei province. He began the job, which was described as a "guardian", at the end of October. His main task is to watch the cats and load them into trucks.

At the dark site, around 100 cats were packed in cages, nervously nestling against one another.

Most of the cats Zhou handles are the common type, but occasionally there are special breeds, he said.

"But they all cost the same - 10 yuan a kilogram," Zhou said.

A LANDSCAPE OF SUFFERING

A staggering atrocity is happening every day in South Korea: dogs and cats living tormented lives in the margins of an unfathomable existence—victims of the dog and cat meat industry, with its deliberate and indefensible cruelty, and the South Korean government’s hovering inert over the pervasive smell of human injustice.

There are two South Koreas: the dazzling country whose lofty financial status as one of the fastest growing economies in the world after years of devastation by the Korean War and Japanese occupation is nothing short of stunning and, tragically, just beneath the breathtaking progress, the sordid and shameful dog and cat meat trade.  Even the South Korean Catholic Church has an intimate relationship with the unsavory and dirty business, where some clergy breed dogs for slaughter, and dog meat is being served at charity functions and food markets, much to the horror of many congregants.

Because of conflicting laws and the very definition of what a dog is—livestock vs. non-livestock—dog and cat meat is neither legal nor illegal but inhabits “a legal blind spot.”  During a visit to South Korea, Dr. Tae-Yung Kim, Ph.D., and director of the General Animal Health Division, of the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MIFAFF), told IDA “there are no legal grounds for the practice of eating dogs in Korea. A vacuum exists in our legal framework.” MIFAFF does not recognize dog meat as legal while the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MHW), which controls dog meat post-slaughter, does, and therein lies the problem. There isn’t a country in the world that has legalized the dog meat industry, nor developed a humane way of supplying dogs and cats for human consumption.

This $2 billion dollar-a-year industry extinguishes the lives of approximately two and a half million dogs a year for meat or gaesoju, a dog broth or stamina food, and about 100,000 cats, for soup and goyangyeesoju or “health tonics.” At the end of their brief and miserable lives, farmers and butchers kill in the most horrific fashion with impunity: dogs are murdered with high-voltage electrocution, not dying immediately, are hanged, beaten to death, and frequently have their throats slashed. They are killed within sight of their doomed cage mates, thrown into a tub of boiling water, then into a rotating drum for the removal of their fur, and finally blowtorched, often while still alive. Cats are bludgeoned and thrown into boiling water while conscious. Many have their legs broken so they can’t escape, and are skinned alive. Unlike dogs, cats are not farmed for their meat, but are stolen, surrendered, or picked up as strays. Perhaps most pernicious of all is the nightmarish fiction, fueled solely by profit, that the more suffering endured during slaughter, the more tender the meat and more potent the so-called medicinal properties.

IDA has dedicated itself to helping the dogs and cats of South Korea since receiving a letter from a South Korean woman begging for help after witnessing a beautiful white dog being literally torn apart and told with a big smile that the meat would be more tender the greater the terror and pain the dog experienced. Suffering is suffering, no matter where it occurs and no matter how often the terms “culture” and “tradition” are used as carapaces from the truth.

South Korea is the only country in the world that makes a distinction between dogs—edible or meat dogs and animal companions, and the great lie is that only a certain type of dog is eaten—the yellow mixed dog known as Nureongi (the ones you see all over the Moran Market, stuffed into cages). But any dog ends up in the meat trade: former animal companions, purebreds (Cocker Spaniels, Shih Tzus, Schnauzers, Malteses, Beagles, among them), dogs from puppy mills, shelters, dogs sold at closed dog auctions, Jindos who failed to pass the Jindo Preservation Ordinance (Jindo is a designated breed as the 53rd Natural Treasure in SK). All of these dogs are eaten as meat or gaesoju or “health” food or boshintang as dog meat soup.

And while the self-proclaimed Dr. Dog Meat lays claim to dog meat as the single greatest health food in South Korea, consumers of dog meat may be ingesting sickly, diseased dogs riddled with antibiotics and fed rotting fermented human leftovers that carry human saliva, making them vulnerable to contagious diseases and dangerous for human consumption.

South Korea is a country possessed of an intricate culture soaked with politics and tradition, and it recoils when the subject of dog and cat meat consumption arises, experiencing a soul’s unease with the very subject. Its glittering global status cannot hide the shame so many South Koreans feel about this abomination.

This site is dedicated to the tens of millions of dogs and cats who have suffered and died in this unspeakable industry of horror.

Dog Care Summary

DOG Feeding Information

Provide your dog with dog foods that are high in nutritional value, with 80% of the dogs diet daily diet coming from dry dog food. A quality dry dog food should contain varied ingredients with sufficient amounts of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins (amino acids). Table foods can cause gastrointestinal distress and load the dog’s food with unnecessary fats and sugars. Always consult with a veterinarian about the best dog food for your dog and about any supplements that may be necessary.

Dry Dog Food

A quality dry dog food should contain approximately 10% water and contain a mixture of soy, meat products, grains, vegetables, animal fats, and added vitamins and minerals. These types of dry dog foods are coated with a meat flavoring to encourage consumption. Smell and taste the animal fat on the food and will eat until they are satisfied. In addition to nutritional value, dry dog foods provide a rough texture to help clean the dog’s teeth and gums.

Unless specified as a dietary precaution by the dog’s veterinarian, the dog’s food bowl should be kept full at all times to encourage healthy eating.

Canned Dog Food

Canned dog food is generally not recommended as a regular dietary item. Although dogs will prefer the taste of canned foods, canned dog food is mostly water (nearly 80%) and does not help promote good health for the dog’s teeth and gums. Care should be taken that dogs do not over eat when fed canned food.

Semi-Moist foods

These types of dog foods are created to look and smell like meat, but are generally made of soy, cereal grains and meat by products – they are also heavy in preservatives. These foods contain 25 – 30% water and are high in proteins. While not recommended as the primary source of nutrition in a diet, semi-moist foods are a great supplement to a diet and are a great reward for dogs.

DOG Grooming

Taking a dog regularly to a professional groomer can be very expensive. While an occasional trip to a professional groomer may be necessary, simple care and grooming can be done at home.

If you plan on grooming your dog regularly at home, it’s important to start early when they are puppies. Puppies that get used to being handled during grooming, will grow up to be much more well adjusted dogs during the grooming process. Although puppies require a lot of patience, the learning will pay huge dividends throughout your dog’s life.

Dogs should be taught to sit or stand as still as possible during grooming.

Caring for your dog’s coat

Your dog’s coat should be brushed daily – frequent and regular brushing will help to remove loose fur and loosen pet dander. The fur should always be brushed in the direction of the fur.

Dogs should be shampooed with a shampoo that is meant for dogs. To give your dog a bath, place him in a tub of warm water and use a cup or hand held shower head to wet him. Rub the shampoo in evenly over the entire dog, paying particular attention to the legs, underbelly and paws. If you are concerned about getting shampoo in the dog’s eyes, you can always use baby shampoo on the dog’s head. Be sure to rinse thoroughly.

After taking your dog out of the tub, towel dry the fur and use a brush to smooth out the fur and prevent knotting.

Trimming your dog's nails

To trim your dog’s nails, purchase a set of nail clippers that are meant for dogs at your local pet store. Scissors generally do not work well, and can cause unneeded discomfort for your dog during clipping.

Begin by holding your dog's paw in one hand, and the clippers in the other. Place the clippers over the nail and clip only the tip of the nail. Be careful not to clip too close, as cutting off too much will damage and expose the vein. As the vein can be difficult to see, begin by clipping off a bit at a time. If the vein does accidentally get cut, apply pressure to the wound with a clean gauze pad until the bleeding stops.

Cleaning your dog's teeth

When brushing your dog’s teeth, do NOT use regular toothpaste as it isn’t safe for dogs to swallow. Use a medium to heavy bristle toothbrush or a rubber “finger brush” to gently rub on your dog’s gums and teeth.

To open your dog’s mouth, hold its mouth open by lifting the loose skin at the sides of his mouth. The teeth should be brushed in the direction that they grow. Choose a special doggie toothpaste that comes in a flavor dogs prefer.

A dog’s teeth can also be cleaned by providing it with a dog biscuit that is designed for keeping tartar off your dog's teeth.

Dogs teeth should be checked and cleaned during it’s annual visit to the veterinarian.

Cleaning your dog's ears

To clean your dog’s ears, lightly dampen the end of a cotton tip swab. Do not stick the swab directly into the ear, as you may inadvertently damage the dog’s ear drum. Use the damp swab to gently clean the exterior areas of its ears. Mineral oil should never be used to clean dogs ears – the oils tend to remain in the ear causing hearing problems.

Frequent ear scratching generally means ear mites. Dog’s ears should be checked annually during their regular visit to the veterinarian.

If you encounter difficulties in grooming your dog, take him to a professional groomer and watch to see how it is done. The dog groomer can also give you advice and more tips on how to deal specifically with your dog.

DOG Housing

When choosing a location for a dog’s bed or living space, it’s important to remember that dogs are creatures of habit –where you start out your puppy is probably where your grown up dog will end up sleeping. If the dog will be an indoor dog, choose an out of the way location that is cool and well ventilated. Puppies that are allowed to sleep in the owner’s bed will grow into large unwelcomed sleeping partners later in life.

Outdoor dogs should be sheltered in a dog house that will prevent wind and rain from getting inside. The house should be big enough to allow the dog to enter completely, and turn in a full circle before lying down. During the winter months, a heavy cloth should be hung over the door to keep in heat and prevent wind and moisture from entering. Dogs prefer loose bedding, generally a couple of warm blankets work best. Make sure to clean the dog house regularly to keep the dog healthy and comfortable.

DOG Exercising

The amount of exercise required by dogs varies from dog to dog – smaller dogs get plenty of exercise just playing with a ball in the family room, while larger dogs need room to run and stretch their legs. But regardless of how much exercise a dog needs, it’s important that they a get regular, daily opportunity to run. Just like humans, dogs need plenty of water and intermittent rest during exercise, especially on hot days.

Sometimes the best exercise for dogs is to allow them to play with other dogs in the neighborhood. As outdoor dogs get more exercise just doing their normal routine, indoor dogs can be encouraged to exercise by providing them with toys.

Puppies should begin training at approximately 10 weeks of age
Dogs need plenty of daily exercise – three times a day is recommended
Dogs should be checked frequently for ticks, fleas and other parasites
Dogs should be bathed with dog shampoo and not human shampoo (baby shampoo ok for washing the head)
Dog ears should be cleaned weekly
Dog teeth should be brushed at least twice a week – dog biscuits between brushing will help keep teeth clean and breath fresh.
Dry dog food is recommended, supplemented with a high quality vitamin
Dogs should take a heartworm pill once a month
Dogs should visit their veterinarian once a year for an exam and regular vaccines