Every horse owner dreams that his or her ponies live a happy, healthy life! It all starts by ensuring that everything at their digestive system runs smoothly. The horse’s gut or digestive tract is designed to allow continuously for ingestion of substantially large amounts of forage.
It is important to note that the equine digestive system is immensely delicate. With surprising intake, keeping it in balance is the key to avoiding digestive upset and maintaining health. While essential bacterial thriving in the hindgut plays a significant role in the process, it is incredibly important to support with ingredients available in digestive aids to help the animal manage effectively the digestive stress. More often than not, these digestive health supplements help enhance and balance the normal digestive process. They are specifically beneficial if the targeted horse already has a record of digestive issues.
Well, since not digestive aids are created equally, the level of meeting the desired expectations vary from product to another. However, the bottom line is choosing the best supplement that will at least deliver the best results. To help you pick the very best, we have compiled a list of top ten products based on the statistical reports and recommendations from highly reputed clinical equines for your consideration.
Best Horse Digestive Aids – [Reviews & Buyer’s Guide]
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10. Durvet – Kaolin-Pectin Antidiarrheal
If your horse is seriously battling with digestive problems, then perhaps you want a supplement that will instantly deliver results. That product is none other than the Durvet – Kaolin-Pectin Antidiarrheal. This digestive aid is best used after noticing the very first signs of diarrhea in ponies and horses. The award-winning supplement is a palatable oral suspension for use in managing and controlling acute and even chronic diarrhea in horses.
Specifications:
- Net content -32 ounces
- Main ingredient –Kaolin-pectin
- Item weight -2.5 pounds
- Product dimensions -9 by 4 by 4 inches
- Mode of use –for internal use only
9. Bute-Less Solution by Absorbine
Are you looking for a daily probiotic formula to maintain your equine’s digestive health? If so, then you perhaps need to consider the Bute-Less Solution by Absorbine. This is one of the leading digestive aids out there in the market known for providing probiotics and prebiotics to support hindgut and digestion health. It also offers support for a healthy inflammatory response. Unlike other supplements, this gentle to stomach product nourish the ‘good’ bacteria present in the gut and support quick digestion.
Specifications:
- Main ingredients –Devils claw extract, Yucca, and vitamin B-12
- Item weight -5 pounds
- Product dimensions -7.2 by 8.1 by 9.4 inches
- Mode of use –internal use only
8. Horse Guard Equine Vitamin & Mineral Supplement
The Horse Guard Equine Vitamin & Mineral Supplement is one of the most concentrated horse vitamin-mineral digestive supplements available in the market today. This product has been formulated to heal the horse’s gut and help them get the most out of their feeds with powerful prebiotics and probiotics. Unlike other standard digestive aids, this one ensures needs for mineral traces and sufficient vitamins are met as a mere two ounces every single day guarantee your horse with all the critical nutrients typically missing from the conventional hay. With a 4.5 mg of biotin present in every dose, the Horse Guard Equine Vitamin & Mineral Supplement arguably helps keep hooves strong. Taking the guesswork out of supplementing world, this product has been formulated by a certified equine nutritionist so you this is a high-quality supplement.
Specifications:
- Main ingredients –zinc, biotin, yeast, vitamin E, organic selenium, prebiotics, and probiotics
- Product dimensions -11 by 5 by 15 inches
- Item weight -10 pounds
7. Uckele Gut Horse Supplement
The Uckele Gut Horse Supplement is one of the leading equine health supplements formulated to support gastrointestinal function in adult horses as well as foals. It comes with a soothing, natural ingredient that stabilizes the gut tissue by typically supporting healthy digestion. Besides maintaining proper gut flora, this supplement also aids in the normal detoxification systems while maintaining normal PH so horses achieve optimal gut function and health. This highly palatable supplement is best suited for horses that are often prone to gastric upsets.
Specifications:
- Main ingredients –marshmallow root, aloe vera gel extract, and slippery elm bark as well as minerals like silica, L-glycine, L-glutamine, sodium copper chlorophyllin, and gamma oryzanol among others
- Item weight -2 pounds
- Product dimensions -4.8 by 4.8 by 6.5 inches
6. Manna Pro Cool Calories Supplement for Equines
Over the years, Manna Pro produces high-quality animal care and nutrition products for a wide range of animals. The Manna Pro Cool Calories Supplement for Equines is never exceptional. This high-calorie density supplement boasts of more than 100 calories that provide cool, focused energy for horses. It is best suited for hard-keepers and underweight horses. This formulation aims at reducing the need for more grains. Administered along with fortified feeds, this 100 percent dry vegetable fat supplement is highly palatable and digestible delivering instant results noticeable by a glossy coat.
Specifications:
- Main ingredients –fractionated vegetable fat, artificial flavors
- Item weight -8 pounds
- Product dimensions -4.5 by 13.5 by 16 inches
5. Manna Pro Senior Weight Accelerator
If you are looking for one of the best equine weight gain supplements, then the Manna Pro Senior Weight Accelerator is the right choice. This product has been formulated to target the special health needs of adult horses. The supplement includes essential calories much needed for weight gain and general body condition. This extremely palatable digestive aid features Omega 3 fatty acids for healthy skin & coat, probiotics for proper digestion, and biotin for healthy hoof growth.
Specifications:
- Main ingredients –crude protein, fat, fiber, vitamin E, biotin, ascorbic acid, lactobacillus acidophilus, saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Omega-3 fatty acids among others
- Item weight -8 pounds
- Product dimensions -4.5 by 13.5 by 16 inches
4. Probios Dispersable Powder
The Probios Dispersable Powder contains naturally occurring microorganisms that help maintain digestive function when a horse is undergoing stress from weaning, diet changes, or illness. This product contains formulas that improve feed conversion, stimulate appetite, and increase growth. A dose of 10-15 grams of this supplement on a daily basis goes a long way in ensuring that the digestive system performs well for optimum health.
Specifications:
- Item weight -5.3 pounds
- Product dimensions -10 by 5 by 5 inches
- Main, active ingredients –dried whey, sucrose, sodium silico aluminate, dried lactobacillus, and dried enterococcus faecium fermentation product among others
3. Farnam Sand Clear Digestive Aid
Are you looking for the best supplement that can help your horse remove sand and dirt from the digestive system? If so, then the Farnam Sand Clear Digestive Aid is the right choice. This product is often used during conditions of colic, typically caused by sand and other indigestible materials. It achieves this objective thanks to psyllium seed husk that helps support the removal of dirt and sand from the ventral colon. Rich in dietary fiber, this supplement is ideal for ponies that graze off the ground. With apple and molasses flavor, the Farnam Sand Clear Digestive Aid can be administered to horses of all ages, including the young foals.
Specifications:
- Item weight -10 pounds
- Product dimensions -10 by 10 by 10 inches
- Main ingredients-psyllium husk, mineral oil, artificial flavors, propionic acid, and natural flavors
- Directions for use –for use in horses only
2. Farnam Apple Elite Electrolyte
Did your equine clinician recommend that your horse needed extra electrolyte salts to improve its digestive functions? If the answer is YES, then perhaps you need to try out the Farnam Apple Elite Electrolyte. This is a high-quality electrolyte supplement with a formulation designed for horses. It works by providing additional electrolyte salts that could have been lost as a result of excessive dehydration. Besides that, this easy-to-feed granular base aids in preventing dehydration from taking place. Because this supplement has an apple flavored taste, it is highly palatable and best suited for any horse, including the foals.
Specifications:
- Item weight -5 pounds
- Product dimensions -6 by 6 by 7.8 inches
- Ingredients –sodium chloride (normal table salt), potassium chloride, potassium sulfate, calcium lactate, artificial coloring, and artificial apple flavor
1. Probios Vet Plus Dispersible Digestive Powder
The Probios Vet Plus Dispersible Digestive Powder is rich in live, naturally occurring microorganisms known to help horses maintain a healthy gut system. It also helps improve and maintain a healthy appetite, hence the reason why this product is recommended to be part of a regular health maintenance program. This supplement is best used at weaning, during & after antibiotic therapy, after diet changes, or during hospital treatment. Unlike other digestive aid supplements where you have to struggle to administer, this presents an easy to dispense & administer option –just sprinkle the powder on the equine feed.
Specifications:
- Item weight -104 ounces
- Product dimensions -4 by 3.5 by 3.5 inches
- Main ingredients –sucrose, sodium silico aluminate, dried whey, dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, and dried lactobacillus casei fermentation product among others.
Buying Guide How To Choose Best Horse Digestive Aid:
The digestive system in horses, just like in other animals, including all of the organs that are involved in one way or the other in taking and processing food. The primary role of this system includes, but not limited to grasping and chewing food, drinking water and creating saliva as well as swallowing food/water, digesting food, maintaining a proper balance of salts & fluids, absorbing nutrients, and eliminating waste products.
Adding that the signs and symptoms such as excessive drooling, dehydration, poor performance, bloating, loss of appetite, diarrhea, constipation, reduction of feces, or straining to defecate among others are clear indicators that your horse is experiencing some challenges with its digestive system. While the solutions for gut problems are wide and varied, administering the appropriate digestive aids can do miracles.
The best gut aids can indeed help eliminate most (if not all) of the symptoms of the common digestive system problems. The million-dollar question now is how to choose the best product bearing in mind that there are dozens of such supplements in the market. How do even start your selection, especially if it is your first time buying these products?
Factors to Consider When Choosing The Horse Digestive Aid:
In a bid to choose the best product for your horse’s digestive system, it is important to consider the following factors:
Check through the list of ingredients of the supplement
Despite the fact that most of the digestive aids you find in the store claim to solve all the gut issues, it is important to take a closer look at the packaging and read the ingredients. We all know that some ingredients may have detrimental side effects on a specific group of horses. You may rely on the results from clinical trials to decide if the said product is best for your horse.
Get a veterinarian conduct medical tests
Just like humans, you do not just buy supplements for the sake of buying! You have to know precisely where the problem is. The best option to get this information is to consult a clinical equine perhaps after conducting several gut tests. With the veterinarian advice, you can easily find the best digestive aid for your horse.
Side effects
It is a requirement that every supplement has a statement indicating directions of use and possible side effects. When choosing the best digestive aid, ensure to check the stated side effects and consult with your horse clinician the possible consequences. If they could be severe, then stay away from such products as it may cause more harm than what you are trying to treat. It is important to note that pregnant mares and young foals need refined supplements with no or fewer side effects.
Conclusion
There you are and now you know some of the best digestive aids for horses to consider in 2021. As you might have noticed, most of these products contain powerful ingredients, including live microorganisms – prebiotics and probiotics. These and other ingredients help in keeping your horse’s digestive system on track. If administered regularly, it is more likely that your horses will live a healthy life. The good news is that most of the products making into our list have no or fewer side effects, hence the reason why we recommend for use on horses of all ages, including pregnant mares and foals. The bottom line is that you should stick to the manufacturer’s recommendations for use in equines.
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