Re: probiotics

["Susan Evans Garlinghouse" <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>]

IMO, probiotics are useful, but they're not a magic bullet.  No way do they
guarentee that your horse will never colic, there are just too many causes
of colic that are totally unrelated to the microbial population, which is
what probiotics affect.

In my experience, overuse or sudden introduction of probiotics can make
horses a little gassy and/or crampy.  That doesn't mean you should shy away
from using them, it just means (again, IMO) that it doesn't do any harm to
take a few days to introduce them to a horse's ration, ie, start with a
half-dose for a few days.

I have seen improvements in my horse's and my client's horse's feed
efficiency and condition with consistent use of probiotics and there's quite
a bit of good research to back up their use.  Like anything else, just use
them with consistency and look for gradual improvement, not overnight
miracles.  But I think in the long run, you'll be pleased with them.

Good luck.

Susan G
-----Original Message-----
From: Anna Wolfe <awolfe@etsc.net>
To: ridecamp <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Date: Friday, January 29, 1999 11:11 AM
Subject: probiotics


>Dear Ridecamp,
>
>I am looking for advice for the proper way to use probiotics.  When my
>coming two year old colicked a few weeks ago, someone whose opinion I
>value, but who is not an expert in this field, advised that I keep all
>my horses on probiotic powder, and they would never colick.  So I got
>some, took me three days to open that bucket, and started to feed it.
>The second day, my oldest mare colicked.  Now I am not sure there is a
>connection here, but it has me thinking.  Is it a good idea to feed it
>on a regular basis, or not?  Please advise!
>
>Many thanks,
>
>Anna in New Mexico - snowing today - wish I were riding!
>
>