Keep your horses strong and fit with Novatek Horse Feed

by Wiehan Visagie

Whoever said a dog is man’s best friend never owned a horse. Our equine counterparts have been part of human civilisation for many years. First, they were only used as working horses, but as of late horses are used for a variety of sport disciplines, farm animals, as well as companion animals. When it comes to feeding our fourlegged friends, there is a fine balance to ensure that their needs are perfectly met. Nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism (NSH), also known as bran disease, big-head disease, and miller’s disease, is caused by excessive mobilisation of calcium from the skeleton under the influence of parathyroid hormone. For all horse types, the maintenance of blood calcium in the body is critical for their muscular and nervous system to function optimally. However, it is under close regulation by the hormones calcitonin and parathormone. Whenever the blood calcium level drops below normal, the horse will reabsorb calcium from their bones in order to re-establish normal blood calcium levels. When this process occurs over a long period of time, the horse will become lame. The main reason for this is that the bones constantly get depleted from calcium and lose their structural integrity. Even the facial bones become fibrotic and enlarged, hence the name big-head disease. The main cause is always a deficiency, usually caused by a mineral imbalance, whether it is an oversupply of phosphorus, an undersupply of calcium, or high levels of oxalates which affect the digestion and absorption of calcium. Previously, millers used to feed their horses a by-product from the mill called wheat bran. This product is low in calcium and high in phosphorus. Many of their horses developed this condition and from there the name bran disease or miller’s disease. As of late, the problem is most prevalent when horses graze pastures with a high oxalate content, or when a lot of grain is being fed without calcium supplementation. Instinctively, horse owners might want to draw blood to analyse for blood calcium levels, but there is a strong homeostatic mechanism controlling blood calcium, which may cause the blood calcium to appear normal. It is always better to evaluate the ration in order to determine if the problem exists. The calcium requirements for each breed of horse can be different, and the ration should be evaluated accordingly. If phosphorus is oversupplied compared to calcium intake, it may cause problems. However, if this ratio is well-balanced, then the disease may be caused due to high levels of oxalates. In cases where there is a calcium shortage, it is always good to consult with a veterinarian or an animal nutritionist. Horses respond well to supplemental calcium in the form of calcium carbonate. When horses are fed well-formulated feeds with adequate roughage, miller’s disease should not be a concern to horse owners.

Novatek Animal Feeds have a variety of well-balanced horse feeds. For more information, please contact Robert Kanyembo on +26-097125-2522 or Naomi Musonda on +26-097-041-3042.