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It's important to consider both the level of starch and the amount fed. If you find the calculations difficult why not use our starch calculator? All you need to know is the starch level of the feed and how much you feed and it will do the rest – even telling you whether the amount of starch is too much!
Why is alfalfa beneficial for horses with ulcers?
The short answer is calcium. Not only does calcium act as a natural buffer to acidity in the digestive tract, it may also be important for counteracting the effect of ulcer medication. Early studies suggest that omeprazole – the medication used to treat gastric ulcers – reduces calcium absorption. This effect is seen in humans and is now thought to affect horses too. As alfalfa is naturally rich in calcium in a form that is easy for the horse to absorb, it is a great addition to the ration for horses on ulcer medication.
Alfalfa is also a source of fibre and so takes more chewing than cereals, three times as much in fact and, more chewing means more saliva production by the horse, helping to neutralise acid in the stomach.
Alfalfa is also naturally very low in starch and sugar. Like other plants, alfalfa makes sugar but it cleverly stores it as starch in its roots – the part that horses don’t eat! This means the stalks and leaves that are used in Dengie feeds are low in both sugar and starch making it a very safe source of nutrition!
Should I really withhold feed prior to using oral omeprazole?
Although it seems really counterintuitive, studies suggest that in some cases this could be beneficial. In some horses the combination of medication, dietary and management changes are not sufficient for ulcers to heal. This could be for a number of reasons, one of which may be that ad lib hay might be reducing the bioavailability of omeprazole by as much as two-thirds. In these cases, withholding feed overnight, administering the omeprazole first thing in the morning followed by feeding plenty of forage may be a more effective way to address the ulcers. It is important to stress this is during the treatment phase only and once the ulcers have healed and treatment is finished, the horse should be fed ad lib forage if possible. Discuss with your vet if you think this strategy might benefit your horse.
An independent assessment
The BETA Approval Mark for horses and ponies prone to Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS) is a truly independent assessment of the suitability of a feed. A feed with the BETA approval mark must be able to demonstrate it meets certain the criteria, meaning the feed should not exacerbate the problem. Products are also assessed to ensure the company producing them doesn’t make any false claims in their sales and marketing material.
Dengie are proud to have three products approved with the BETA approval mark for horses and ponies prone to EGUS.
• High-calorie/energy providing 12.5MJ/kg of DE from fibre & oil
• Promotes weight gain & condition without excitability
• Naturally low in starch & sugar
• Free from molasses, straw & preservatives
• Nutritionally-balanced, pure alfalfa fibre feed
• Contains ADM Protexin In-Feed Formula, supplying prebiotics for gut health
• A high specification of vitamins & minerals, plus additional magnesium & calcium
• Free from molasses, straw & preservatives
• High-calorie/energy providing 12MJ/kg of DE
• Soft grass & alfalfa blend to tempt fussy eaters
• Naturally low in starch with a spearmint oil coating
• Can be used as a partial forage replacer
For further information or friendly feeding advice for your horse or pony please contact the Dengie Feedline on 01621 841188 or visit www.dengie.com
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