Arington-E Supplement

17/08/2024

In the last year, over six thousand horse owners from all over North America used Mad Barn to analyze their horses' diets. We looked at diets for weanlings, broodmares, pasture pets, prize-winning racehorses, the odd mule, and everything in between. We learned a lot from examining those feeding prog...

14/08/2024

Thanks for the review Lacy Stormes Barefoot Show Jumping USA 😊

13/08/2024

This essential nutrient readily found in green grass may be lacking in hay-fed stabled horses, in which case supplementation is key.

12/08/2024

“eNAD / EDM results from abnormalities of certain neurons in the spinal cord and brainstem. Horses are genetically predisposed to acquiring this disease. However, environmental triggers in the form of insufficient vitamin E are also required before you see clinical signs.”

https://www.equineinfoexchange.com/health-education/grayson-jockey-club-research-foundation-spinal-cord-diseases #:~:text=eNAD%20%2F%20EDM%20results%20from%20abnormalities,before%20you%20see%20clinical%20signs.

What to Know Before You Import

11/08/2024

Recent research found that horses with gastric ulcers have elevated proinflammatory cytokines, and thus may benefit from antioxidant therapy

10/08/2024

Vitamin E deficiencies can cause neurologic and other health problems in horses. As such, at-risk horses—from breeding stock and foals to equine athletes and pasture pets—might benefit from supplementation.

01/08/2024

We’ve all heard the wealth of information on how to best control gastric ulcers and behavioral problems: Turn the horse out and allow him to eat frequent, small meals throughout the day by grazing on pasture. So how do you accomplish this if pasture is in short supply?

30/07/2024

Click to read on equusmagazine.com

27/07/2024

https://thehorse.com/157545/nutrition-and-recovery-for-eventing-and-other-hard-working-horses/?fbclid=IwAR3dReHBgAijSWKDaGB_0UOCBeh_Y3ZPFtUglzBSqm_AW1bRDLcZvcTPV00

Restoring muscle glycogen, rehydrating, and ensuring a horse’s diet offers enough vitamin E all help with recovery after strenuous exercise.

25/07/2024

Fresh pasture provides an abundance of vitamin E but hay is devoid of vitamins after harvesting.

My horses have always been on VE supplementation during the winter & since moving to Arizona they have been on it full time.

However as of late I’m learning it’s not enough. 😖

The NRC recommends a daily intake of about 1000 IU per day for the average horse in light work, although many experts insist this should be higher.

I typically provide 2-3000 IU to my horses depending on their workload however after my best boy Prowler displaying odd and unusual behavior, off to the vet we went.

Over the last few months he has been becoming unpredictable, overreacting at the smallest thing, feeling out of control even at a trot & exploding for no reason (the latter resulted in bucking me off very badly).

After cervical xrays, ultrasounds, THO & hyoid scopes, the vet came up with nothing. But she agreed something was “wrong” as Prowler seemed to have vision impairment & failed his baseline neuro exam.

We started with running blood work for EPM which came back negative, so her next idea was testing for Vitamin E through which we uncovered he is dangerously low in this essential piece of nutrition. 🏥

Symptoms of VE deficiency that look like other common problems:
🩺Eye & vision changes aka: becoming spooky, reactive or nervous
🩺Muscle pain & stiffness: we often reach for the magnesium here
🩺Dry/damaged coat: more omegas are typically toted as the answer
🩺Neurological problems: often we reach for trial treatment of EPM & Lyme.

Untreated - vitamin E deficiency can cause severe issues including permanent vision problems as well as equine motor neuron disease and equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (this is fatal).

Although we finally have a direction of Prowler’s problems, now begs the question if we found it soon enough. For me, as the ever advocate of prehab & prevention, it feels like I’ve failed my horses once again by having to learn the hard way.

He’s now on 10,000IU of natural VE per day and we will retest in 3 months 🙏 Natural VE is also the key, with liquid form being more bioavailable than powder, but both are better than synthetic. If you do feed a powder it is essential to feed an oil alongside it for optimal absorption.

Running testing for vitamin E will become a regular part of my veterinary workups for all my horses - how about you?

21/07/2024

(See page 29)

17/07/2024

Try these two simple tests to tell if your horse's simple stumble is a sign of something much worse. >>https://bit.ly/EQStumbleOrNeuro

16/07/2024

Nonenzymatic antioxidants, such as vitamin E, are critically important to protect horses from tissue damage and disease, and they might enhance immunity during these processes. However, the form of vitamin E your horse obtains determines the

06/07/2024

Equine motor neuron disease (EMND) is a neurodegenerative disorder of the somatic lower motorneurons that results in a syndrome of diffuse neuromuscul…

29/06/2024

“Vitamin E stands out as a fundamental component in promoting the health and performance of horses. From its role as a potent antioxidant to supporting muscle function and immune system health…”

Vitamin E, a potent antioxidant, plays a crucial role in maintaining the health and well-being of horses. As an essential nutrient, it contributes to various physiological processes, and its supplementation has gained attention in the equine community. Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin with antioxi...

29/06/2024

Few of us think of vitamin E unless we’re also supplementing selenium, but vitamin E deficiency can cause neurological diseases, […]

25/06/2024

😢 Have you dealt with an injured horse stuck on stall rest? We’ve been there & it’s not fun😢.
🌟 Even horses that normally test within the adequate blood range for vitamin E can quickly become depleted with any dietary changes due to circumstances such as stall rest.
🙋‍♀️ Any horse on on hay based diet (so most horses, really) are at risk for vitamin e deficiency since hay looses up to 80% of vitamin e content by the time it’s baled and stored.
🧬 “Vitamin E plays a role in many functions throughout the body, but it is known primarily as a potent antioxidant, meaning it binds with and limits the damage caused by free radicals”- link below

Click to read on equusmagazine.com

23/06/2024

Question: My 19-year-old, 1000-pound gelding is showing occasional awkwardness in his left hind leg. My vet terms this ataxia due […]

22/06/2024

Knowing the signs of a possible nervous-system issue can mean the difference between recovery and lingering disability (or worse) for your horse.

18/06/2024

Equine neurological examinations* evaluate horses from head to tail. They are performed to evaluate signs consistent with neurologic disease or to establish that a horse is neurologically normal, such as during a pre-purchase exam. A neurological exam can be divided into two parts: static and dynami...

16/06/2024

Your old horse's rations might not need to change just because he's got a few more gray hairs around his eyes. Still, owners should consider some key points when feeding their seniors.

14/06/2024

Living pasture grasses and alfalfa are rich in fat and water-soluble vitamins, essential fatty acids, minerals, carbohydrates, and protein. But once they are cut, dried, and stored as hay, many nutrients that were once plentiful begin to dwindle.

12/06/2024

Episode 42 of the Disease Du Jour podcast features Dr. Stephanie Valberg updating veterinarians about equine muscle disorders.

04/06/2024

Neurologic disease can often mimic or be mistaken for a lameness, especially when horses present for performance problems. A careful history, clinical exam

01/06/2024

“Vitamin E deficiency is strongly associated with EPM. Unfortunately, with the soil and natural grass type in coastal Georgia, Vitamin E deficiency is very common increasing the risk of EPM developing in exposed horses.”

31/05/2024

What is the best way to test for vitamin E deficiency, and how often should you test your horse? Dr. Carrie Finno of the University of California, Davis, offers advice.

24/05/2024

“Some horses have poor muscle development and soreness related to nutritional factors, such as vitamin E deficiency in horses that are not turned out on pasture”

Back pain in horses can be challenging to overcome, but you can address and prevent it with diligent management and rehabilitation.

18/05/2024

Equine neuroaxonal dystrophy (eNAD) and equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (EDM) both plague the horse's central nervous system.