I am delighted to have a special guest joining me on the show today as we wrap up

for 2023!

Dr. Lizzie McCready is an expert in equine veterinary medicine, having worked in bustling referral hospitals and as an ambulatory vet in the UK and Australia. Her passion lies in handling emergencies, with colic and various medical crises constituting her daily round-the-clock responsibilities. 

Dr. Lizzie has dedicated herself to educating horse owners about effectively managing emergencies. Stay tuned to learn from the insights, knowledge, and veterinary experience she has accumulated over the last ten years. 

Mindset and Making Informed Decisions  

Mindset is crucial- especially when dealing with emergencies. Dr. Lizzie also underscores the need for horse owners to be well-informed and proactive because their quick and informed actions can positively impact their horse before the veterinarian arrives. 

Clear Communication  

Clear and effective communication between horse owners and veterinarians is essential because it helps owners understand the veterinary advice and feel confident in asking questions. 

The Importance of Trust 

Trust is crucial for an owner's relationship with their horse and for collaborating with veterinary professionals.

Energy Exchange Between Horse and Owner

Horses can sense emotions. So they feel everything their owners are feeling. If thereis an emotional connection between a horse and its owner during times of crisis, it helps the horse maintain positive energy and trust in the healing process. 

Leadership 

Leadership is essential for handling horses, particularly in stressful situations like vet visits. Dr. Lizzie emphasizes the need for owners to stay grounded and calm as horses look for emotional leadership. When horse owners are rushing or panicking, it can increase their horse’s stress, making difficult situations even more challenging.

Pressure and Stress Levels

Horse owners often feel pressured to resolve their horse’s issues instantly. Dr. Lizzie explains that chronic pressure and stress will only hinder the healing process. She points out that owners who remain calm and confident during emergencies will positively influence their horse's response.

Training and Mentoring

Foundational training, continuous learning, and being open to new information are all crucial for veterinary practitioners and horse owners because they face a constant learning curve. Dr. Lizzie highlights the value of having mentors in the veterinary field and encourages horse owners to find mentors who inspire them. 

Guilt and Shame in Owners

Lizzie shines a light on the guilt and shame often experienced by horse owners, especially when dealing with long-standing issues. She advises owners to let go of their guilt, focusing instead on the present and the future. 

EmergencyPreparedness

The three-step framework for emergency preparedness:

1. Assess
2. Communicate
3. Treat

Lizzie emphasizes the value of having a systematic approach to emergencies. She highlights the importance of proactive prevention rather than reactive responses.

Intention, Mindset, and Perspective in Assessing Injuries

Horse owners will benefit from setting positive intentions and maintaining a proactive mindset when assessing their horses’ injuries. Dr. Lizzie encourages owners to retain their perspective and asses the entire situation rather than fixating on the most visible issues. She stresses the need for thorough assessments and a routine and structure for managing horse’s health.

Continuous Learning and Prevention

Continuous learning is an essential and ongoing process. Dr. Lizzie also emphasizes the significance of prevention, encouraging horse owners to prioritize their horse's health through lifestyle choices, nutrition, and stress management. 

Master Class on Colic

Colic is currently the leading cause of death amongst horses around the world, and Dr. Lizzie wants to change that. She is offering a free Colic Masterclass on the 3rd of January, where she will address what veterinarians wish horse owners knew about colic. The class will cover the causes of colic, preparation for emergencies, and mental and emotional readiness for decisions like hospitalization or euthanasia. She invites all horse owners to join the free class! 

Links and resources:

Connect with Elisha Edwards on her website 

Free Webinar Masterclass: Four Steps to Solving EquineMetabolic Syndrome Naturally

Links for Dr. Lizzie:

EquineEmergency Response Training 

Register for the Colic Masterclass  [January 3rd, 2024] 

This week, I dive into more ways to support a healthy equine microbiome.

In the last episode, I explained what a microbiome is and why it is essential for every aspect of a horse's health. If you have not already done so, I suggest you tune in to that episode to understand why supporting the microbiome is crucial for the hindgut and every organ in a horse’s body.

Maintaining Healthy Gut Bacteria

Maintaining a healthy population of bacteria in a horse's digestive system is essential, especially considering that 75% of their energy comes from fermenting fiber. When the balance gets disrupted due to poor feeding practices, exposure to toxicity or chemicals, or stress, health issues like colic, ulcers, fecal water syndrome, diarrhea, or immunity-related problems like scratches, rain rot, festering infections, and chronic thrush may arise. 

Creating a Supportive Environment

A supportive environment starts with carefully considering the horse's diet, avoiding high-sugar and high-protein intake, managing fat levels, minimizing exposure to chemicals and preservatives, and regulating pH levels.

How Medications and Stress Affect the Microbiome 

Apart from diet, medications and stress levels also significantly impact the equine microbiome. Medicines can alter bacterial populations, so it is always essential to evaluate how necessary they are and their potential side effects. Emotional or physical stress can elevate acidity levels in a horse’s body. That could affect their bacterial populations and cause inflammation. Assessing lifestyle factors, addressing stressors, and making necessary changes will all contribute to maintaining a healthy equine microbiome.

Introduction to Prebiotics for Gut Health

Providing your horse with prebiotics is a proactive way to support their gut health. Prebiotics are in the soluble and insoluble fibers of plants. Foraging horses can access their probiotics naturally from the grasses, leaves, and shrubs they eat. In a domestic setting, however, you must give those to your horse in a feed bucket. Beet pulp, chia seeds, cooked barley, cooked oats, and certain herbs are all options that will help in creating an environment conducive to healthy gut bacteria.

Understanding Probiotics and Their Benefits

Probiotics are living biological organisms crucial for modifying the microbiota, producing beneficial compounds, and enhancing intestinal immunity. Studies have shown that common strains, like bifidum and lactobacillus, positively affect equine digestive conditions, immunity, weight gain, and energy levels. When selecting probiotics, it is best to choose refrigerated options that do not contain any added ingredients.

Dosage and Timing of Probiotic Supplementation

Dosage for probiotics gets measured in colony forming units (CFUs), typically ranging from 50 to 100 billion CFUs for horses. Specific circumstances, such as post-deworming or antibiotic use, may warrant probiotic supplementation. 

How Effective are Probiotics?

Even though the studies on the survival of probiotics in the gastrointestinal tract vary, I have seen how effective probiotics are for improving gut health, especially in colic situations. Monitoring how your horse responds to probiotics will help you determine their efficacy. 

Assessing Probiotic Effectiveness

To truly understand the effectiveness of probiotics, you will need to observe their immediate benefits, re-evaluate after long-term use, and recognize the instances where they do not produce your desired outcome. If the probiotics consistently offer no improvement or cause adverse effects, you must reassess your horse's overall health, diet, and environment. 

Valuable Contributors to Gut Health

Probiotics are valuable contributors to gut health. They are most effective when you use them as part of a comprehensive approach to your horse's well-being.

Links and resources:

Connect with Elisha Edwards on her website 

Free Webinar Masterclass: Four Steps to Solving Equine Metabolic Syndrome Naturally

Today, I explore the equine microbiome. 

The microbiome is a crucial aspect of overall equine health. It is an ecosystem in the gut that supports the immune system of horses. It helps them stay healthy by keeping their energy levels up and ensuring they get the correct nutrition.

The Equine Digestive System  

The equine digestive system encompasses the mouth, teeth, stomach, and small intestine, with the hindgut constituting 65% of the digestive tract, including the large intestine and cecum. Maintaining a healthy hindgut is crucial for proper digestion, as issues can lead to diarrhea or a leaky gut.

Microbial Population and Fermentation in the Hindgut 

The hindgut houses 10 to 15 trillion bacterial cells, responsible for fermenting complex carbohydrates and providing around 75% of the horse's energy. That process produces volatile fatty acids, B vitamins, amino acids, and neurotransmitters. Imbalances in the microbiome can result in energy level issues and deficiencies, affecting a horse's ability to ferment fiber adequately.

Microbiome Beyond the Hindgut 

Every organ in a horse's body, including the skin and respiratory tract, hosts localized populations of microbes. Those microbes are crucial for supporting immunity and maintaining the communication between different body parts.

Unique Microbial Fingerprint  

Each horse has a unique microbial fingerprint influenced by their genetics, the environment, and exposure to stress or health events. The diversity of microbial populations significantly impacts a horse's overall health, affecting their immunity, metabolism, digestion, and detoxification.

Microbial Contributions to Health 

Microbes in the horse's body produce B vitamins, butyrate, and glutathione. Those substances contribute to gut health, protect against disease, and facilitate detoxification. Microbes also create neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, influencing brain health and hormone regulation.

Environmental Factors and pH Balance 

Maintaining a pH between 6.4 and 6.7 in the hindgut is crucial for microbial health. Over-fermentation of starches and sugars can increase acidity, damaging the microbiome and causing conditions like acidosis and leaky gut. Excess acidity also contributes to inflammation and the release of toxins.

Toxins, Leaky Gut, and Auto-Intoxication 

When toxins from an imbalanced hind gut enter the general circulation, issues arise, progressing from leaky gut to auto-intoxication, where the entire body becomes toxic. Maintaining a healthy microbiome is crucial for preventing those conditions.

Factors Damaging the Microbiome 

Several factors may contribute to damaging the microbiome, lowering pH, and fostering unhealthy bacteria. Feed and forage are the primary fuel for microbial populations. Long-term stress, dewormers, medications, and age can impact hindgut health, and overmedication, especially with dewormers and antibiotics, can disrupt the microbial balance. 

Age and Microbiome Damage 

Age is critical, as prolonged exposure to stress, over-fermentation of starches and sugars, and various medications contribute to hindgut damage over time. Supporting a healthy microbiome becomes increasingly crucial as horses age.

Choosing the Right Feed for Your Horse 

Always be mindful of what you feed your horse. Too much sugar and carbohydrates, especially from corn in commercial feeds, can upset the balance of microbes in the hindgut by affecting its acidity. Keeping an eye on the sugar content in grains and grass is crucial, as it can feed bacteria that might be harmful. Too much protein, dietary oils, feed byproducts, artificial additives, dairy byproducts, and molasses can also lead to hindgut problems. Paying close attention to the ingredients in your horse's feed will help to avoid unnecessary issues and keep your horse healthy.

Conclusion and Next Steps 

Simplifying and cleaning up your horse's nutrition, avoiding unnecessary additives, and focusing on hindgut support will contribute to its overall digestive health. Whether for prevention or addressing existing health challenges, prioritizing a healthy gut and microbiome is the key to equine well-being.

Links and resources:

Connect with Elisha Edwards on her website 

Free Webinar Masterclass: Four Steps to Solving Equine

Metabolic Syndrome Naturally