Gut health supplement

[taylorelaine]

My horse has been on this gut supplement for the last two years because the barn I was boarding him at had all their horses on it. The trainers and barn owners there swore by this supplement and said it was the only one they would give their horses.

Now that I have my horses home, I’m just trying to figure out what they need, what they don’t need, and what’s truly best for them.

Can someone let me know their thoughts and opinions on this supplement and whether they think it’s worth continuing to feed?

Digest Plus — Natural Equine Essentials

[Simkie]

No.

Get your horses settled on the hay you’re feeding, then figure out how much grain you need or don’t.

THEN address any issues YOU see.

[Posting_Trot]

Looking at the ingredients listed for the supplement, it seems like a lot of money for essentially flax seeds, chia seeds, black sunflower seeds and some papaya extract: $82 for a month’s worth.

@Simkie is right: get your horses situated and their hay tested and then see what they need. But, you might consider weaning them off the supplement over the course of the first month just to ease the transition to a different feeding regimen.

Edited to add: if you look at the list of articles listed at the bottom of the supplement’s webpage, they seem to all refer to human studies about the importance of lutein and Zeaxanthin in the diet or one study references the usefulness of lecithin (also an ingredient) on the prevention of ulcers in horses taking bute. It’s a weird group of articles for a purported digestive supplement.

For example, here is one: Mozaffarieh, M., Sacu, S., & Wedrich, A. (2003). The role of the carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, in protecting against age-related macular degeneration: a review based on controversial evidence. Nutrition Journal, 2 (1), 20

[Simkie]

@Posting_Trot

It’s a weird group of articles for a purported digestive supplement.

Right?! Totally noticed the same thing! What a weird list.

If I wanted my horses on a “digestive” supplement, this sure isn’t the one I’d pick, and if I wanted a flax supplement (which is all this is, mostly) that can sure be done for a lot less $$$$.

[taylorelaine]

Thank you so much! That’s what I needed to hear

[RhythmNCruise]

That’s a silly looking supplement.

Can I just say, whatever your budget is going to be for your horse’s care, spend the bulk of it…like…almost ALL of it…on the absolute best hay you can get. Hay that the horse will clean up. Hay that provides high-quality nutrition and protein. Hay that is fresh and smells good. Think of it as your main source of nutrition for your horse (because it is!) and feed it at the recommended 1.5-2% of body weight. This will dramatically cut down on the other crap you need to buy and feed. Feeding cheap hay costs so much more than feeding high-quality hay. Especially when you see so much of it wasted and the horse’s condition lacking.

Top notch hay fed at appropriate amount = probably no need for any gut supplement at all.