Question

I own a 17-year-old Appaloosa stallion that weighs about 1,200 lb (545 kg) and stands 16.1 hands (165 cm). I’d say his body condition score is a 3, so he’s thin and needs to gain weight. He gets turned out every other day for exercise, and he’s fed grass hay, 6 lb (2.7 kg) of a local-made sweet feed, and 1 lb (0.5 kg) of a high-protein supplement intended for all species. While he is a hard keeper, I feel part of the reason he’s in such poor condition is because of constant heaves. He is also very gassy. I was wondering if fish oil would help his weight and heaves.

Answer

To provide your stallion with additional calories for weight gain, I would first suggest free-choice access to good-quality forage and upping the feed to the maximum recommended by the manufacturer. The total amount of feed should then be split into multiple meals, with no single meal more than 5 lb (2.25 kg). Also, adding a fat supplement such as stabilized rice bran or top-dressing your current feed with vegetable oil (soybean or canola oil) with amplify energy consumption. Dietary fat offers a highly digestible source of energy and can boost the caloric value of his diet without significantly increasing the amount of feed offered.

Because your horse is suffering from a severe case of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, heaves), I wanted to offer some management practices that can help reduce his exposure to airborne irritants.

• Soaking or steaming long-stem hay reduces the level of dust, mold spores, and pollen that can aggravate COPD. Feeding long-stem hay from the ground is preferred, as it allows the horse to naturally clear mucus from its airways.

• If the hay available has a high dust or mold spore count, then I would recommend replacing some, if not all, of the hay with a processed product such as hay cubes, hay pellets, or chopped forage. Good-quality processed forage products tend to contain less fines and are harvested at the optimal time, so the presence of mold and bacteria is significantly reduced.

• Select low-dust bedding such as newspaper, cardboard, wood shavings, or wood pellets, as these will help reduce environmental particulates when he has to be stalled and lower the likelihood of troubled breathing.

From a nutritional perspective, there are a few management practices that could help with the respiratory and weight-gain issues.

• Omega-3 fatty acids can mitigate inflammatory processes and dietary supplementation of DHA can be an effective therapeutic approach to reduce airway inflammatory symptoms. Supplementing with marine-derived sources of omega-3 fatty acids, such as EO•3, means the horse is directly receiving the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA), whereas supplementation with plant-based sources requires the conversion of the short-chain fatty acid (ALA) into EPA and DHA, which is not efficient in the horse. DHA has been shown to promote reproductive health and vigor. Daily supplementation of omega-3 fatty acids can improve semen quality, specifically cell membrane integrity and functionality during the cryopreservation process.

• Make sure the stallion’s diet provides complete and balanced nutrition for trace minerals and vitamins, particularly vitamin A and E, as these are important in maintaining or improving fertility. Supplementing with natural source vitamin E, like Nano•E, offers additional antioxidant support that aids in strengthening the immune system and reproductive health, especially during stressful periods such as busy breeding season or during a severe case of COPD. While you’ve provided some information in your question, a thorough diet evaluation will require more details, such as the nutrient composition of the sweet feed.

• Because your horse is producing excessive gas and is in poor body weight and condition, which may be the result of his health issues, I would recommend adding a digestive supplement such as EquiShure to his diet. EquiShure is a time-released hindgut buffer that works to maintain a stable environment in the hindgut and prevent dramatic fluctuations in pH. Supporting maximal digestive health and function ensures he is receiving the most from his diet.