Many horse owners are keen to find out more about the benefits of giving microbial supplements, such as probiotics and prebiotics. Essentially, the equine hindgut contains billions of fibre-fermenting bacteria that create an energy source and maintain digestive health. Fibre-digesting bacteria are the ‘good bugs’ and are essential for digestive efficiency. Bad bugs may cause pathologies if they over-populate the gut. Think of it as an army, and of your microbial supplements as the band of good soldiers fighting away the bad guys.
Probiotics and Prebiotics
Probiotics take the form of protected yeast - these promote the fibre-digesting bacteria in the hindgut. Prebiotics ‘mop up’ pathogenic bacteria.
Our equine Nutri-Gut product contains both pre and pro biotics; but there’s still confusion from horse owners over what each element does. Probiotics are commonly yeasts - live microorganisms which help the efficiency of the fermentation process in the animal’s hindgut. Probiotic yeasts contain a thick cell wall which allows them to travel through the horse’s digestive tract to the large intestine, where they are utilised. Probiotics require daily replenishment.
Prebiotics do not include live bacteria. There are two main types of prebiotic - Fructo-Oligosaccharide (FOS) and Manan Oligosaccharide (MOS), and our Nutri-Gut product contains 10,000 mg of each. FOS is a simple sugar source, feeding the good bacteria in the horse’s gut, whereas MOS physically binds and removes harmful bacteria.
Feeding a supplementary product with both pro and prebiotics improves equine digestion and also the absorption of key dietary nutrients, as it is a natural solution to support gastric health. You will also find that it helps horses maintain weight and good condition - very important over the autumn and winter when feeding regimes change, and some owners under-estimate fibre requirements; such a product will also help reduce the risk of digestive problems and provide your horse’s gut with beneficial bacteria to help keep that army fighting the ‘baddies’.
To find out more about the range of Horse Supplements and Glucosamine for Dogs available from Scientific Nutritional Products including Nutri-Gut, visit their website at www.horsesupplementsdirect.co.uk or contact a member of the friendly team to receive bespoke nutritional advice for canines and equines on Tel: 01377 254900 or FREEPHONE 0800 032 7774
