Horses that have an unbalanced diet or are under stress are more likely to experience GI microflora imbalance.
Which horses are more likely to experience gastrointestinal ailments?
If a horse eats more starch than it needs, it can quickly damage the growth of beneficial bacteria. When undigested starch from concentrated feeds reaches the hindgut, it fuels accelerated population growth among certain microbes, which results in greater volumes of lactic acid and a lower pH, killing off other good bacteria in the vicinity.
Similarly, if hours are spent with no grass or hay or the type of feed is changed without a gradual transition, it will alter the hindgut microflora. Finally, stressors like training, travel, competition, and illness can wreak havoc on the hindgut microflora.
If oral antibiotics are used to treat an illness by killing off bad bacteria, the good bacteria in the gut are inadvertently damaged. Therefore, it is recommended to administer a source of healthy probiotics during and after an antibiotic treatment.
by You