The main aim when managing a horse with Equine Grass Sickness (EGS) is to find something they will consume that is easy to chew and swallow. We also want to use highly digestible feeds so they are digested and absorbed more easily. It is likely to be necessary to try a variety of different feeds to see which is most appealing and this may change on a daily basis!
Depending on the severity and stage of the disease, a slurry or mash is often the best way to reduce the risk of choke in particular. Here are some suggestions of which products might tempt your horse:
- Mashes are designed to be fed soaked so tend to contain small particle sizes. You can add more water than the manufacturer recommends to make them easier to swallow. Add as much water as you need to so your horse can slurp/drink the feed.
- Mashes based on sugar beet, grass, alfalfa and linseed will contain more nutrients than those based on straw and other cereal by-products such as oatfeed and wheatfeed – ingredients are listed in order of inclusion so look for high quality ingredients at the start of the list.
- The aim is to provide nutrients and energy in concentrated forms to reduce the amount of food the gut has to process. Whilst it is high in starch, a cooked cereal meal can be a useful way of supplying lots of highly digestible energy in a small amount of feed – the total intake is therefore not likely to be excessive. The meal format is easy-to-chew and swallow when water is added. It can be made with warm water to tempt horses to eat.
- There’s no need to avoid molasses – a small inclusion of molasses will make the feed sweeter and provide some energy that is relatively easy to absorb.
- Products containing pure dried grass, like grass pellets, are naturally sweet which can help to tempt horses to eat.
- Straight pellets such as grass pellets and alfalfa pellets can be fed ad lib in the short term.
- Compound feeds such as high fibre cubes can also be made into mashes or gruel. If they have added vitamins and minerals it is theoretically possible to over-supply those nutrients if they are fed in large quantities. Very poorly horses are unlikely to consume enough for this to be of a concern but, longer term, it is likely that a combination of straight fibre pellets and fortified feeds will be needed.
Tempting the Horse to Eat
Different horses can have different preferences so it can take some trial and error to determine the best choice of feed for your horse. Here are some things to try that may help encourage your horse to eat:
- Hand feed from a raised bucket to start with.
- Use a shallow bucket on a raised platform
- Try grated succulents such as apples and carrots – you can also put them through a blender and mix in to a mash if it will tempt them
- Add flavours like mint, garlic or diluted apple juice or fruit cordial. Appetites may vary day to day so having a variety of flavours on hand can help to stimulate interest and provide some different tastes without having to repeatedly change the base feed.
- Other herbs or flavours that your horse might find tasty include cinnamon, honey, banana, thyme, oregano, ginger, rosemary or fenugreek.
- Split the ration up into several smaller meals across the day (ideally 4-5 meals) to avoid over-facing them, starting off with small handfuls in each.
- Try different consistencies; some horses may prefer a drier feed over time whereas others may prefer a mash or wet feed.
- Try mixing it with warm water as this can enhance the aromas from the feed.
- Picking some fresh grass or hand grazing can help to increase forage intake.
- Feeding alongside or in sight of a friendly equine companion may also encourage eating.
If the horse’s appetite starts to increase, then the aim is to increase the energy (calorie) and protein levels in the feed to try and restore the weight and condition that has inevitably been lost as a result of EGS. Given the extreme disruption to the gut, providing some digestive support is recommended. There are no live bacterial probiotic supplements approved for use in horses and so the following categories of digestive aid are recommended:
- Probiotics – live yeast is approved for use in horses. Yeast are fungi and fungi are an important part of the fibre digestion process so supplementing with yeast helps horses to get more out of their forage.
- Prebiotics are ingredients that feed beneficial bacteria in the gut. FOS prebiotics provide a food source for bacteria helping them to flourish and thereby keeping pathogenic species at bay.
- Postbiotics are non-living microorganisms or fermentation products that provide health benefits. They can help support the gut’s natural defences, particularly during times of stress or digestive upset.
A combination of these digestive aids is recommended in an extreme case such as EGS. They are all approved ingredients which means they have demonstrated a good level of safety and efficacy.
Providing Calories
A longer term feeding strategy for an EGS case will largely be influenced by how much the horse will eat each day especially in relation to forage. For those whose appetite is still very limited, liquid oil or high oil feeds are very energy dense and so can provide a lot of calories in a small volume of feed. However, they tend to be less palatable than feeds higher in carbohydrates, so may not be well-received.
Feeds that already contain a high level of oil as part of the formulation commonly have added flavours to help aid palatability as well. These may come in the form of high oil pelleted supplements or chopped and pelleted fibre feeds containing added oil. Micronised linseed is another option which can be tastier than liquid oil, and up 100g per 100kg of bodyweight daily is an appropriate quantity to aim for if the horse will tolerate it (i.e., 500g per day for a 500kg horse).
Providing a balanced diet
Balancers provide some quality protein and vitamin and minerals in a small volume of feed and so although they aren’t high in calories, they are a useful way of trying to supply a lot of nutrients. Broad spectrum vitamin and mineral supplements are easy to mix into a mash but are unlikely to supply as much quality protein. This may not be an issue depending on what else is being consumed. We really recommend speaking to a nutritionist to help ensure the diet is balanced for the longer term.
Other information – Refeeding Syndrome
A phenomenon called refeeding syndrome exists whereby if too much is fed too soon, a rapid rise in blood glucose and an associated surge in insulin ensues. The insulin drives glucose and potassium into cells which also utilises other minerals and electrolytes. These are depleted because of the horse’s illness, and so the sudden shift away from other functions can cause organs to fail – most commonly the kidney, lungs, and the heart. The most common time for this to occur is three to seven days after refeeding starts and it can be a major problem. Though the temptation may be to feed a higher volume as soon as your horse seems like they want to eat it again, it is important to reintroduce feeds slowly and to use feeds that are less likely to result in refeeding syndrome.
Independent research from the US has shown that one way to reduce the risk of refeeding syndrome is to use high fibre feeds like alfalfa as it is low in starch and so doesn’t cause the increase in glucose and insulin associated with feeding cereals. It is also relatively abundant in minerals such as potassium, magnesium and calcium and provides good levels of quality protein to support the horse’s recovery. Alfalfa pellets may work well here as they can be soaked for ease of chewing. Although not included in the study, the same can be said of unmolassed sugar beet pulp which is also low in starch and sugar and contains a valuable level of calcium.
Given the unique circumstances of Equine Grass Sickness, we recommend contacting a nutritionist for advice and guidance for each horse as the appropriate amounts of each feed will vary considerably.
