<< if you add vinegar to the horse's feed, it can help prevent
> stone formation. >>
A horse I owned a few years ago was diagnosed at UC-Davis with kidney stones.
The symptoms: blood in the urine during and after exercise caused by the
stones irriting the insides of the kidneys. These stones are calcareous, and
I'm guessing are similar in makeup to enteroliths.
The vet at Davis could offer no cure, but gave me a specific diet. I came
across it yesterday, so here it is. It's based on NRC requirements for a 15
hand 900-lb or so horse at medium work:
6 kg oat hay - about 14 pounds
1 1/2 kg COB mix (corn, oats, barley) - about 3 1/2 pounds
100 grams ammonium chloride ( about 5 ounces)
Molasses or Karo to mask the ammonium chloride
My vet obtained the ammonium chloride for me at a chemical supply company.
It came in huge quantities dirt cheap.
The Davis vet said they had been able to at least partially dissolve kidney
stones in horses with the ammonium chloride.
After a year, there was no significant change in my horse so I retired him,
but perhaps the ammonium chloride could be a good preventive if you feed a
lot of alfalfa and/or have calcium in your water.
Linda and Chaco
San Francisco