Targeted Diets Can Aid Horses with Liver Disease

The power of targeted equine nutrition programs is unquestionable. Take, for instance, the feeding management practices that almost entirely relieve horses of the crippling signs associated with tying-up. By reducing starch intake and filling the caloric void with fat and fiber, many racehorses that are genetically predisposed to the disease have become successful athletes. This demonstrates
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The power of targeted equine nutrition programs is unquestionable. Take, for instance, the feeding management practices that almost entirely relieve horses of the crippling signs associated with tying-up. By reducing starch intake and filling the caloric void with fat and fiber, many racehorses that are genetically predisposed to the disease have become successful athletes. This demonstrates the benefits of dietary manipulation.

Even more precisely targeted diets can benefit horses with certain compromised organs, such as horses with liver disease. The liver accounts for approximately 1% of an adult horse's bodyweight. The organ lies almost entirely to the right of the median and is completely encased by the rib cage.

Of greatest significance anatomically is that a horse has no gall bladder. Because of this, bile is emptied directly from the liver into the duodenum. Horses are continuous grazers and constantly secrete bile (unlike humans and other animals with gall bladders that store and release bile when a meal is eaten).

The liver plays a crucial role in digestive processes and is chiefly involved in regulating nutrient distribution

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