EQUINE VETERINARY EDUCATION / AE / SEPTEMBER 2018
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may be quantified by analysis e.g. docosahexanoic acid (DHA), biotin or probiotic cfu/kg.
• Is there support that the feeding of the active ingredients at the level recommended to horses is safe?
• Are the active ingredients considered allowable by the rules of competition or racing etc.?
• What are the contamination risks for prohibited substances? See below.
Analysis
Complementary feeds should provide on their label an indication of the provided level of certain (but usually not all) nutrients but depending on the country and the legislative requirements the values given may represent maximums or minimums, or the actual analytical value may fall within set limits of the declared value. The information on the label, as well as any additional information on the manufacturer’s website for example, can give an indication of the suitability of this diet for its intended purpose but additional or confirmatory analysis may be required especially in complex cases. It is also important to note that individual nutrients such as percentage protein or starch should always be viewed in the context of the amount being recommended to be fed. For example, a 30% protein balancer fed at 500 g/day to a 500 kg horse would deliver half as much protein in grams compared with a feed containing 10% protein fed at 3 kg/ day. The delivery of all nutrients within a feed should always be taken in the context of how much is fed and this is a concept that many horse owners do not grasp fully.
Laboratory analysis of feeds may be required to assess the suitability of the diet either in terms of nutritional content, stability or hygiene (see below). There are a number of analytical parameters that may be more important to consider under different situations (Table 2).
Nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) content The NSC (starch and WSC [simple sugars and fructan] [Harris and Geor 2009]) content of complementary feeds can vary considerably, as can the source of starch and degree of processing, which will significantly affect precaecal digestibility as discussed above. Currently, intake thresholds of <1 g/kg bwt per meal and <2 g/kg bwt per day have been recommended (Harris et al. 2013) in general as well as total rations providing <10% NSC on a dry matter basis for those animals prone to laminitis (Geor and Harris 2013). Although we do not know definitively which aspect is more important, the authors suggest that the overall NSC intake/day and number of meals per day, as well as the NSC load per meal should all be considered as potentially clinically relevant. Meal size is therefore another basic issue that should always be addressed due to the effect of meal size on consumption rate and digestive transit time. This influences precaecal starch digestion and therefore not only the glucose and insulin response to the meal but also the pH of the hindgut. Table 3 gives an insight into meal size of various proprietary concentrate feed options required to remain on or below the currently recommended levels. Typical proprietary complementary feeds can range from 5 to 35% starch depending largely on the content of cereals
TABLE 2: Examples of analysis that may be helpful to undertake for specific purposes (adapted from Dunnet 2013)
Rationale: undertake in order to understand
Nutritional contribution of pasture to overall ration or identification of issues such as low copper or high heavy metal content Nutritional contribution of hay
to overall ration or fitness to feed (respiratory) and or stability
Nutritional contribution of hay
to overall ration or fitness to feed (respiratory) and or stability
Calculation of DE and or adherence to declared analysis
Assessment of suitability for individuals with laminitis
Calculation of DE and or assessment of Ca:P ratio of overall ration
Stability and indication of oxidation of oil
Assessment of supplement being fit for purpose, or adherence to declaration
Complementary feed
Complementary feed, hay or haylage
Cereal grains e.g. oats Haylage
Sample type Pasture
Core analysis
Full macro and micro mineral screen.
Additional useful analysis that could potentially be helpful
DM, CP, O, CF, NDF, ADF, ash
Hay
DM, CP, O, CF, ash,
total moulds and yeasts at 25 and 37°C
DM, CP, O, CF, ash,
total moulds and yeasts at 25 and 37°C
DM, CP, O, CF, ash, copper, Vitamin E
Starch and total sugars, NSC
Ca and P, DM, CP, O, CF, ash (or other parameters required for calculation of DE)
High oil feed e.g. vegetable oil
Probiotic supplement Peroxide value
Total viable count (CFU/ kg)
DM, dry matter; CP, crude protein; O, Oil; CF, crude fibre; VFA, volatile fatty acids; NSC, nonstructural carbohydrate; DE, digestible energy.
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Mycotoxin screen and characterisation of moulds
Fermentation parameters pH, VFA, lactic acid etc.
Full macro and micro mineral screen plus vitamins A & D
Full macro and micro mineral screen plus vitamins A & D Mycotoxin screen
Fatty acid profile or omega 6:omega 3 ratio
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