Nutrition

Nutrition


Feeding for Seniors



Basic Information image



Overview and Goal(s)


No exact chronological threshold for old age in horses has been identified. Although 20 years of age has been suggested as a threshold for old age in horses; the age at which horses show physical signs of aging (eg, body condition score chronically below 5, loss of muscle mass over the top-line yielding a swayback appearance, hollowing out of the grooves above the eyes, graying of the coat and dental disease) varies considerably between horses. Therefore the combination of chronological age and physical signs of aging may be the most effective means of establishing the old-age threshold for individual horses.


Nutrition Requirements



• Currently there are no published nutrient requirements specific to senior horses. Requirements for adult horses are used with modifications discussed below.


• For specific nutrient requirements of horses the reader is referred to NRC Nutrient Requirements of Horses, 6th edition. The NRC Model program can be accessed free online at http://nrc88.nas.edu/nrh/ and used to generate requirements for specific feeding classes of horses.


Requirements Potentially Affected By Old Age



• Calories:


image The actual metabolic requirement for calories probably does not increase with age and may actually decrease due to loss of lean body mass. However the ability to digest fibrous feeds (eg, forage and other roughage) that typically provide a large proportion of calories for adult horses may decrease with age due to age-related changes in dentition. Therefore, high quality forage (ie, low level of plant maturity; relatively high leaf : stem) should be used in feeding older horses to help counter the effect of potential reduction in fiber digestibility. Additionally, routine dental care should be maintained.

image Low body-condition score (ie, body condition score <5) and subsequent lack of insulation from fat covering may increase heat loss from old horses in cold climates. Increased heat loss increases metabolic and dietary requirements for energy. Therefore, appropriate shelter should be available for old horses with low body-condition score during the late fall and winter months.

image The sixth edition of the NRC Nutrient Requirements of Horses provides three different estimates for maintenance digestible energy requirements: low, average, and high. Using the “high” estimate may be prudent for senior horses having difficulty maintaining a body condition score of 5 (ie, ribs cannot be seen, but are easily felt). The high maintenance digestible energy (DE) requirement is 36.3 kcal DE/kg of BW or 18.2 Mcal DE / 500 kg BW.
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Jul 24, 2016 | Posted by in SMALL ANIMAL | Comments Off on Nutrition

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