Feed Room Chemist: An Equine Nutrition Podcast

The old saying “no hoof, no horse” couldn’t be more true. If you have ever found yourself in a situation with a horse that had foot issues, you quickly realize there isn’t much you can do with that horse from a work or athletic standpoint, you may be devoting hours/days/weeks/months to helping the horse heal, and sometimes the situation may be career, or even life, ending. This episode sifts through many hoof conditions and explains when nutrition may or may not play a role.

Resources

• Common Indicators of Hoof Stress – with Dr. Debra Taylor and Dr. Tracy Turner: https://thehorse.com/190264/horse-hoof-stressors/

• A Field Guide to Hoof Cracks – Equus: https://equusmagazine.com/horse-care/field-guide-hoof-cracks-55256

• Hoof Abscesses - University of Minnesota Extension: https://extension.umn.edu/horse-health/hoof-abscesses

• Laminitis – UC Davis Veterinary Medicine: https://ceh.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/health-topics/laminitis

• Quittor - Merck Veterinary Manual: https://www.merckvetmanual.com/musculoskeletal-system/lameness-in-horses/quittor-in-horses

• Quittor – Butler Professional Farrier School: https://butlerprofessionalfarrierschool.com/archives/2237

• Side bone - Merck Veterinary Manual: https://www.merckvetmanual.com/musculoskeletal-system/lameness-in-horses/sidebone-in-horses

• Navicular disease – Iowa State University: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/equine/navicular-disease-western-pleasure-horses

You can now follow @drjyme on Facebook and Instagram! Please tell your friends how #feedroomchemist has made you an #empoweredhorseowner!

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If you have a topic or question you would like addressed on a future episode please email [email protected]

Dr. Jyme Nichols is Director of Nutrition for Bluebonnet Feeds and Stride Animal Health. For more information on these brands or a free virtual nutrition consult from our team just visit bluebonnetfeeds.com/nutrition-consult

Confused by all the feed choices out there? Inspired by a listener question, Dr. Nichols explains her 8-step process for selecting the brand or line of feed to best fit your needs.

Show Notes:

Feed Selection Road Map

1. Is the nutritionist qualified?

2. Least Cost vs Locked Formula

3. Ionophore Stance

4. Feeding Rates

5. Trace Mineral Source

a. Zinc Methionine Complex

b. Copper Lysine Complex

c. Manganese Methionine Complex

6. Amino Acids

7. Bonus Round (supplement replacements)

8. Final Check of Basics (protein, fat, fiber, starch/sugar)

You can now follow @drjyme on Facebook and Instagram! Please tell your friends how #feedroomchemist has made you an #empoweredhorseowner!

….

If you have a topic or question you would like addressed on a future episode please email [email protected]

Dr. Jyme Nichols is Director of Nutrition for Bluebonnet Feeds and Stride Animal Health. For more information on these brands or a free virtual nutrition consult from our team just visit bluebonnetfeeds.com/nutrition-consult

Stallions can fall into a fairly wide range in terms of dietary needs, so there is no one-size-fits-all program. In this episode, Dr. Jyme describes different things to consider in designing a foundational nutrition program for a stallion and then takes it a step further by considering functional technologies that may help with things like semen quality and libido.

Resources

• Ultimate Breeding Guide https://strideanimalhealth.com/ultimate-breeding-guide

• Effect of feeding a DHA-enriched nutriceutical on the quality of fresh, cooled and frozen stallion semen: doi 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2004.07.010

• Use of nutraceuticals in the stallion: Effects on semen quality and preservation: doi 10.1111/rda.13934

• Effect of dietary antioxidant supplementation on fresh semen quality in stallion: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.theriogenology.2010.12.003

• Oral supplementation with L-carnitine improves stallion fertility: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2016.06.068

• Effect of L-carnitine administration on the seminal characteristics of oligoasthenospermic stallions: doi 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2003.11.018

You can now follow @drjyme on Facebook and Instagram! Please tell your friends how #feedroomchemist has made you an #empoweredhorseowner!

….

If you have a topic or question you would like addressed on a future episode please email [email protected]

Dr. Jyme Nichols is Director of Nutrition for Bluebonnet Feeds and Stride Animal Health. For more information on these brands or a free virtual nutrition consult from our team just visit bluebonnetfeeds.com/nutrition-consult

If you plan to breed your mare this year, this is your episode! Dr. Jyme explains her pre-breeding checklist and two special functional ingredients you can add to the diet to maximize your chances of an easy conception and healthy baby.

References:

• Merck Veterinary Manual - https://www.merckvetmanual.com/management-and-nutrition/management-of-reproduction-horses/the-reproductive-cycle-of-horses

• American Association of Equine Practitioners - https://aaep.org/horsehealth/regulating-estrus

You can now follow @drjyme on Facebook and Instagram! Please tell your friends how #feedroomchemist has made you an #empoweredhorseowner!

….

If you have a topic or question you would like addressed on a future episode please email [email protected]

Dr. Jyme Nichols is Director of Nutrition for Bluebonnet Feeds and Stride Animal Health. For more information on these brands or a free virtual nutrition consult from our team just visit bluebonnetfeeds.com/nutrition-consult