Q&A: Using Two Digestive Supplements at Once

Conscientious horse owners often have questions about the research-proven products offered by Kentucky Equine Research. Recently, one of our nutrition advisors tackled this question posed by a horse owner that shows ponies.

We currently feed EquiShure. While we are pleased with the results, we’ve looked into switching to Neigh-Lox and wanted your opinion. Our theory is this: if the stomach and small intestine environments have been modified by Neigh-Lox, then a hindgut balancer like EquiShure would be superfluous, as the acid is controlled prior to the ingesta’s arrival in the hindgut. Your thoughts?

The nutritionist’s reply: EquiShure and Neigh-Lox work quite differently and, as you have indicated, they target different regions of the digestive system. Therefore, the use of Neigh-Lox will not negate the need for EquiShure, if both products are indicated.

Horses continually produce gastric acid, which is naturally buffered by the saliva generated from chewing. Unlike humans, horses only secrete saliva when they eat. Further, significantly more saliva is produced when forage is chewed in comparison to grain. For horses that do not have continual pasture turnout or spend time off forage for training and competition, their ability to buffer gastric acid by saliva is reduced. Therefore, their risk of gastric ulcer formation increases.

This is where Neigh-Lox can be beneficial, as it contains a blend of antacids and coating agents designed to protect the lining of the stomach and to help in the maintenance of a normal stomach environment. While these ingredients are effective in the stomach, they do not serve to buffer acid in the hindgut. Neigh-Lox is pelleted for convenience and should be split into two feedings whenever possible.

A horse can have a healthy stomach but still have an acidic environment of the hindgut. Horses have a small stomach, especially when compared to their size. When they consume large meals (generally greater than 2.5 kg) high in starch (from grains) or fructans (from pasture), meals can travel through the stomach and small intestine quickly, resulting in incomplete digestion. Undigested starch or fructans reach the hindgut, which is designed to digest fibre, not starch. When this occurs, the starch or fructans are fermented, causing the acidity of the hindgut to increase. This is referred to as hindgut acidosis.

Hindgut acidosis has been associated with hot or fizzy behaviour, poor appetite, weight loss, poor feed conversion, loose manure, and laminitis. For these horses, it may be beneficial to include a hindgut balancer such as EquiShure in the ration. EquiShure promotes normal digestive function by helping to maintain an optimal hindgut pH, thus creating a favourable environment for the microbes to flourish.