Comparison of Nutrient Digestibility Between Adult and Aged Horses |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI;2. WALTHAM Center for Pet Nutrition, Leics, UK;1. The Laboratory of Veterinary Molecular Pathology and Therapeutics, Division of Animal Life Science, Institute of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan;2. Racehorse Hospital, Miho Training Center, Japan Racing Association, Tokyo, Japan;3. The Laboratory of Comparative Animal Medicine, Division of Animal Life Science, Institute of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan;1. Clinical Department of Companion Animals and Equids, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Equine Teaching Hospital, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium;2. GIGA (Groupe Interdisciplinaire de Génoprotéomique Appliquée), Transgenics platform, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium;3. Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, Economics and Animal Selection, Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium;4. Equine Sports Medicine Practice (ESMP), Waterloo, Belgium;1. Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN;2. Department of Clinical Sciences, Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, MA;1. Department of Pig and Small Livestock Breeding, Institute of Animal Science, University of Agriculture in Krakow, al. Mickiewicza 24/28, 30-059, Krakow, Poland;2. Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Aarhus University, P.O. Box 50, 8830, Tjele, Denmark;1. Facultad-de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Guerrero, Mexico;2. Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture, Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji-arakeji, Ilesha, Nigeria;3. Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Estado de México, Mexico;4. Department of Veterinary Science, Autonomous Agrarian University Antonio Narro, Torreon, Mexico;5. Animal Production Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Cairo, Egypt |
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| Abstract: | There is little published work comparing digestibility in healthy adult versus healthy aged horses. Researchers hypothesized that there would be no differences in macronutrient digestibility between eight adult (5–12 years) and nine aged (19–28 years) horses fed three diets in a Latin square design. Seventeen stock-type mares were randomly assigned for a 5-week period to one of three diets: hay only (HAY), hay plus a starch- and sugar-rich concentrate (CHO), or hay plus a fat- (oil) and fiber-rich concentrate (FF). Each diet period comprised 3 weeks of outdoor group drylot feeding, 2 weeks of indoor stalled individual feeding, followed by a 72-hour digestibility trial including total urine and fecal collection. Feed, fecal, and/or urine samples were analyzed to determine dry matter, crude protein, fat, energy, calcium, and phosphorus apparent retention as well as apparent digestibility. Neutral detergent fiber digestibility was also determined. Mean body weight was lower in aged than in adult horses (455 ± 12 kg vs. 500 ± 13 kg; P = .02), but body condition score (BCS) did not differ between groups (aged horses, 4.8 ± 0.2 BCS and adult horses, 5.1 ± 0.2 BCS; P = .20). No age differences in digestibility, apparent digestibility, or apparent retention were seen for any of the variables measured. Based on the results of this study, total tract macronutrient digestibility appears to be similar between healthy adult and aged horses. |
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| Keywords: | Nutrient Equine Aged Adult |
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