Re: Unidentified subject!

[CMKSAGEHIL <CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com>]

In a message dated 98-03-15 23:02:00 EST, benamil@juno.com writes:

<< I really believe that dosing probiotics along with electrolytes at vet
 checks can help with keeping the gut turning over.  At least my anecdotal
 evidence indicates it to me.  The older of my two horses always got 
 low ratings on gut sounds until I started the probiotics...
  >>

I feel about probiotics like I do about most other additives, tack items, etc.
If there is a need, use it.  If there is not, don't mess with what is already
working.  Have also seen a couple of horses get such a shift in flora with
probiotics that they have had problems, too.  They are the exceptions, in my
observation, but I still would not use them in a horse that eats like a vacuum
cleaner, stays almost fat all season, has plenty of bloom and energy, and gets
almost all A's for hydration and gut sounds.  I know mine isn't the only one
that does that, because I vet lots of 'em that do, as well as lots of the
"other" kind...

Heidi Smith, DVM--Sagehill Arabians (Oregon)