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Treatment of clinical laminitis usually fails to prevent some degree of persistent disability; thus, intervention should aim at avoiding risk factors and preventing the disease. Efficiency of intervention would be improved by identifying predisposed horses and ponies. A herd of 160 healthy ponies included 54 previously laminitic (PL) and 106 never laminitic (NL). Pedigree analysis was consistent with dominant inheritance partially suppressed in males. Blood analysis revealed higher plasma concentrations of insulin and triglycerides but not cortisol, glucose, or free fatty acids in the PL group. Proxies for insulin sensitivity and β-cell responsiveness, which were calculated from plasma insulin and glucose, indicated compensated insulin resistance in the PL group. A prelaminitic metabolic syndrome (PLMS) was derived statistically to have cut-off points for the 2 proxies, hypertriglyceridemia, and body condition score. It had a total predictive power of 78%. It identified 62 ponies with PLMS, and 98 as PLMS-free. Two months later, pasture starch concentration doubled, and 13 clinical cases of laminitis developed, 11 in the PLMS group and 2 in the PLMS-free group, giving an odds ratio of 10.4 (P = 0.0006). The PLMS can be used to identify predisposed ponies in need of special care; the efficiency of intervention would increase nearly 3-fold in the present case. It enables the design of new interventions suitable for testing. The PLMS also might influence market values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhanced microbial activity in the equine hindgut increases nutrient availability, reduces fecal waste, and adds value to low quality forages. The dietary supplement DigestaWell® Fiber (DF; fibrolytic cofactors: methionine and B vitamins), designed to increase microbial efficiency, has been shown to improve in-vitro digestibility of alfalfa and tall fescue forages after 48h incubation. The objective of this study was to determine if DF would improve in-vitro dry matter digestibility (DMD) and ADF digestibility (ADFD) of alfalfa and coastal bermudagrass hays incubated for 48h or 72h. Utilizing a crossover design, four mature Quarter Horse mares were fed 2% BW daily of alfalfa (AF; 32.8% NDF, 27.1% ADF) or coastal bermudagrass (CB; 63.2% NDF, 35.4% ADF) hay for 19d periods. DMD and ADFD were determined after 48h or 72h incubation with or without treatment (320mg/L DF) at 37.5°C in an ANKOM Daisy II incubator inoculated with 200g fresh feces. Forage samples were run in triplicate. Data were transformed to approximate normality, then analyzed using a repeated measures mixed model in SAS with main effects of forage, treatment, incubation time, and feeding period, and statistically significant interactions. Across incubation times, DMD was higher for AF than CB (P < 0.01; 49.4% vs 42.1%). Across forages, DMD was higher at 72h than at 48h incubation (P < 0.01; 47.5% vs 43.9%). DF improved DMD across forages at 48h (P = 0.03), but not at 72h (P = 0.47). Across incubation times, DF improved DMD of CB (P < 0.01), but not AF (P = 0.79). Additionally, across both forages and both incubation times, DF improved ADFD (P < 0.01). In conclusion, DF may improve microbial fermentation in the equine hindgut. Future research should investigate in-vivo effects of oral supplementation of DF on forage digestibility measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhanced microbial activity in the equine hindgut increases nutrient availability, reduces fecal waste, and adds value to low quality forages. The dietary supplement DigestaWell® Fiber (DF; fibrolytic cofactors: methionine and B vitamins), designed to increase microbial efficiency, has been shown to improve in-vitro digestibility of alfalfa and tall fescue forages after 48-h incubation. The objective of this study was to determine if DF would improve in-vitro dry matter digestibility (DMD) and ADF digestibility (ADFD) of alfalfa and coastal bermudagrass hays incubated for 48h or 72h. Utilizing a crossover design, four mature Quarter Horse mares were fed 2% BW daily of alfalfa (AF; 32.8% NDF, 27.1% ADF) or coastal bermudagrass (CB; 63.2% NDF, 35.4% ADF) hay for 19-d periods. DMD and ADFD were determined after 48-h or 72-h incubation with or without treatment (320mg/L DF) at 37.5°C in an ANKOM Daisy II incubator inoculated with 200g fresh feces. Forage samples were run in triplicate. Data were transformed to approximate normality, then analyzed using a repeated measures mixed model in SAS with main effects of forage, treatment, incubation time, and feeding period, and statistically significant interactions. Across incubation times, DMD was higher for AF than CB (P < 0.01; 49.4% vs 42.1%). Across forages, DMD was higher at 72h than at 48h incubation (P < 0.01; 47.5% vs 43.9%). DF improved DMD across forages at 48h (P = 0.03), but not at 72h (P = 0.47). Across incubation times, DF improved DMD of CB (P < 0.01), but not AF (P = 0.79). Additionally, across both forages and both incubation times, DF improved ADFD (P < 0.01). In conclusion, DF may improve microbial fermentation in the equine hindgut. Future research should investigate in-vivo effects of oral supplementation of DF on forage digestibility measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]