substrate (food) is supplied and conditions within the gut favor the “good” bugs over the “bad” bugs. And because the gut is forever emptying, the resident microbial population is also maintained and replenished as needed through healthy grazing. However, digestive disorder, antibiotic
therapy, chronic physical or psychological stress, excessive intake of starches or simple sugars in grain or grass, and any number of other challenges may alter conditions in the large intestine enough to compromise the population of gut microbes. Under such cir- cumstances, the horse may go in search of a source of microbes to replenish its disordered or depleted gut microbes. I suspect that eating soil, especially the mi-
crobe-rich soil surrounding the plant’s roots, is very oſt en an at empt to consume benefi cial microbes in order to maintain or restore gut health. When I think of the times the healthy horses in my practice have eaten dirt, it’s usu- ally been in the spring or autumn, when the sugar content of the pasture can be quite high. I’ve become so convinced this concept
is valid that I typically recommend access to healthy soil over the use of commercial probiotics in almost all situations in which I might advise probiotic therapy. I do still use commercial probiotic or “direct-fed micro- bial” products in horses, but I much prefer to let nature to dictate the what, when and how of it. I haven’t yet found a probiotic product on the market that is as good as healthy plants and healthy soil for set ing a disordered gut right.
CLAY At times, horses may eat soil or bare earth
primarily for its absorbent properties. Many diff erent topsoils contain at least a lit le bit of clay. Clays comprise very absorbent particles that when used medicinally can bind up bac- terial toxins, organic acids such as those pro- duced by sugar fermentation, certain viruses,
For more information about the best horse-health products, see:
Clays comprise very absorbent particles that when used medicinally can bind up bacterial toxins, organic acids such as
those produced by sugar fermentation, certain viruses, and other potentially harmful substances
and other potentially harmful substances in the gut. T e bound toxins are then harmlessly removed from the body in the manure. T is eff ect has been documented in equine
studies using a commercially available smec- tite (Bio-Sponge® by Platinum Performance, Inc.). In a laboratory study, smectite was shown to bind the clostridial toxins commonly associated with enteritis in adult horses and foals. And in a hospital study, smectite de- creased the incidence of diarrhea following colic surgery in horses. An added benefi t to clay is that natural clay
deposits such as bentonite, montmorillonite, smectite, and some others of the zeolite fam- ily tend to contain a wide assortment of trace minerals. Azomite, for example, which has been my favorite clay for a few years now, is a loose acronym for “A to Z of minerals and trace elements.” It has been analyzed and documented to contain over 70 different trace minerals. T at can be very important in immune system function and recovery from illness or injury. Long before Bio-Sponge appeared on the
market, farmers, feed manufacturers, and vets were using clays such as bentonite for the
Bimeda, p. 21 Boehringer Ingelheim, p.29-30 California Earth Minerals, p.31 Equiforce, p.90 T e Natural Feeder, p.28 Triple Crown Nutrition, p.5
treatment and prevention of digestive prob- lems in horses and other livestock. I learned the value of these clays fi rst-hand very early in my career, particularly in racehorses and show horses on high-grain diets. But perhaps the most memorable and
instructive instance for me occurred several years ago, when I visited a vet friend whose hospital is devoted primarily to the treatment of horses with severe laminitis. We pulled up some fresh clumps of grass to off er to one of the patients and stood amazed as he ignored the green parts and devoured the roots, clods of dirt and all. In fact, he seemed to be going for the dirt that clung to the roots, and couldn’t get enough of it. Was he aſt er microbes, miner- als, clay? Who knows. But he eloquently makes my point about the power of dirt. Perhaps we need a new sort of ad campaign:
“Got dirt?”
Dr. Chris King is an Australian veterinarian cur- rently living and working in the Seat le area. With a foot in each world, she combines the best of her
conventional education and experience with a deep and abiding interest in holistic medicine. Visit Dr. King on the Web at
www.animavet.com
WWW.TRAILBLAZERMAGAZINE.US • December 2011 | 31
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