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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 322
| I am looking into starting our horses on a probiotic. I have done a ton of reseach and I am not sure which product to try first. I am down to two options: Forco or Performance Microbials. I have see a lot of posts on here about Forco, but nothing about Performance Microbials (although, i have seen quite a bit on facebook). What are your recommendations? Has anyone used both?
ETA: Link to Performance Microbials http://www.microbial.com/buy-equine-microbial-products.html
Edited by Mis_Trev 2017-09-21 5:20 PM
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 Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
| I love forco, haven't used the other though, I've actually never heard of it. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 322
| want2chase3 - 2017-09-21 4:16 PM I love forco, haven't used the other though, I've actually never heard of it.
I hadn't either until the beginning of this week. That's actually when I started looking into it to even see what it was. I had already thought about putting my horses on a probiotic anyway... this has just sparked my interest futher. |
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 Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11511
  
Location: 31 lengths farms | I've used both. The Forco is a great product and actually what I'm using right now because I couldn't afford the 50lb bag of the Performance Microbials this month. I've had great success with both products, the Performance one was actually a little cheaper per serving but the woman I get it from only had the 50lb bag and I just couldn't fork over 150 with 3 shoeings coming up on this paycheck too. I've actually heard stories of horses passing small stones after being on the Performance product. The horses did great on it, and I will be going back to it next month, again because per serving it is cheaper and I've gotten the same results from both on my horses. |
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 Quarter Horse HIstorian
Posts: 2878
Location: Aubrey, Texas | I haven't used the Performance Microbials but I've used the Forco and seen great results. PM Nevertooold on here- she is a dealer for Forco and is very knowledgeable and wonderful to work with. |
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 Hummer's Hero
Posts: 3071
Location: Smack Dab in the Middle | I used Forco and had positive results, and my uber picky horse seemed to like it pretty well. However, I've found a better product, hands down and I'll never go back. Forco does have it's perks, one being shelf stable.
I had a horse with some very serious digestive issues--that we still haven't actually found the cause or cure for--but I was convinced to try a product from a company that is just getting into the horse industry from the dairy industry. They are called Priority IAC, and I'm using two products, and base product called E-One and then a healing product called Goldstrike. I've had awesome results!!!! THE highest CIU's of any product I've found. This has kept my horse off of medications and in fantastic weight. It's not the cheapest thing out there, for him--he's on therapeutic/treatment levels, but it's still cheaper than his meds were by half, yielding better results. And for a normal horse it would be cheaper than Forco, and helps their feed efficiency to the point of being able to reduce your feed.
P.S. I don't sell it, I just think it rocks after the results I've seen!!!! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 322
| RockinGR - 2017-09-22 7:23 AM
I used Forco and had positive results, and my uber picky horse seemed to like it pretty well. However, I've found a better product, hands down and I'll never go back. Forco does have it's perks, one being shelf stable.
I had a horse with some very serious digestive issues--that we still haven't actually found the cause or cure for--but I was convinced to try a product from a company that is just getting into the horse industry from the dairy industry. They are called Priority IAC, and I'm using two products, and base product called E-One and then a healing product called Goldstrike. I've had awesome results!!!! THE highest CIU's of any product I've found. This has kept my horse off of medications and in fantastic weight. It's not the cheapest thing out there, for him--he's on therapeutic/treatment levels, but it's still cheaper than his meds were by half, yielding better results. And for a normal horse it would be cheaper than Forco, and helps their feed efficiency to the point of being able to reduce your feed.
P.S. I don't sell it, I just think it rocks after the results I've seen!!!!
Thank you, I am going to look into this for sure! |
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Defense Attorney for The Horse
Location: Claremore, OK | I've used a variety of Probiotics including the one in your link.
I use (and sell) Forco for one reason, IT WORKS ! I can always see results . I've not seen the positive results with the other products.
Forco is a Prebiotic.
Editing has been done. Win and Flittastic are correct. Forco does not have probiotics, it's a prebiotic. Still my favorite product :-)
Edited by Liana D 2017-09-23 8:27 AM
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 Texas Taco
Posts: 7499
Location: Bandera, TX | I have only used Forco. Great product. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 322
| Thank you all! Seems like Forco may be the way to go lol. |
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Expert
Posts: 1695
Location: Willows, CA | People seem to get varied results based on the feeding program that they use. Forco is a prebiotic. It helps support the existing beneficial bacteria in the hind gut. PM is a probiotic that introduces additional bacteria. You don't need to introduce more if you quit killing the ones that are there. If you are on a low starch diet there is much less damage to the existing beneficial bacteria and a pre biotic like Forco, or the one in Renew Gold (because of the low starch contribution) works great. If you feed a grain based concentrate, that can be very hard on the existing bacteria and the introduction of more may help. |
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 Expert
Posts: 5293
| Forco is NOT a probiotic !! It is a PRE biotic. Meaning there are no live cultures. Pre biotics FEED the live bacteria in the gut. My horses love forco. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 322
| winwillows - 2017-09-22 4:58 PM People seem to get varied results based on the feeding program that they use. Forco is a prebiotic. It helps support the existing beneficial bacteria in the hind gut. PM is a probiotic that introduces additional bacteria. You don't need to introduce more if you quit killing the ones that are there. If you are on a low starch diet there is much less damage to the existing beneficial bacteria and a pre biotic like Forco, or the one in Renew Gold (because of the low starch contribution) works great. If you feed a grain based concentrate, that can be very hard on the existing bacteria and the introduction of more may help.
That makes a lot of sense. Our horses are on alfalfa and we also feed Total Equine. My understanding was PM had a probiotic and prebiotic. Can one product contain both?
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 Maine-iac
Posts: 3334
Location: Got Lobsta? | winwillows - 2017-09-22 6:58 PM People seem to get varied results based on the feeding program that they use. Forco is a prebiotic. It helps support the existing beneficial bacteria in the hind gut. PM is a probiotic that introduces additional bacteria. You don't need to introduce more if you quit killing the ones that are there. If you are on a low starch diet there is much less damage to the existing beneficial bacteria and a pre biotic like Forco, or the one in Renew Gold (because of the low starch contribution) works great. If you feed a grain based concentrate, that can be very hard on the existing bacteria and the introduction of more may help.
Win, are you saying if a horse is on RG no need for prebiotics as it is in the RG already? |
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Expert
Posts: 1695
Location: Willows, CA | Mainer-racer - 2017-09-23 6:32 AM
winwillows - 2017-09-22 6:58 PM People seem to get varied results based on the feeding program that they use. Forco is a prebiotic. It helps support the existing beneficial bacteria in the hind gut. PM is a probiotic that introduces additional bacteria. You don't need to introduce more if you quit killing the ones that are there. If you are on a low starch diet there is much less damage to the existing beneficial bacteria and a pre biotic like Forco, or the one in Renew Gold (because of the low starch contribution) works great. If you feed a grain based concentrate, that can be very hard on the existing bacteria and the introduction of more may help.
Win, are you saying if a horse is on RG no need for prebiotics as it is in the RG already?
Yes, we have a proprietary formula non GMO grown prebiotic in RG. If we have a very challenging horse on very poor quality hay we may recommend some additional FORCO. Otherwise, you should be good to go.
Win |
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  Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | Never used the other one but I LOVE Forco  |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 824
Location: Duvall, WA | I have a three year old who had bad loose stools chronically, put her on Forco and normal poops for a year. Ran out for a week and right back to cowpies. I'm a believer. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 317
Location: MS | I've tried them both. I've had much better results with Fast Track. It's alot cheaper. I've been using it for 20 years.
A couple times I've switched, but not had the results I do with Fast Track. A $25 bag will last 3 horses more than a month.
I buy it from Valley Vet |
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Location: in the ozone | I've always used the Fastrack Equine Microbial but switched to Forco to give it a shot. I think it's a good product, but my horses did better on Fastrack, so went back to that. The one PSSM2 horse did not do well on RG.
Also, Fastrack has BOTH pre & probiotics in it. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2097
Location: Deep South | slipperyslope - 2017-09-28 9:34 PM I've always used the Fastrack Equine Microbial but switched to Forco to give it a shot. I think it's a good product, but my horses did better on Fastrack, so went back to that. The one PSSM2 horse did not do well on RG. Also, Fastrack has BOTH pre & probiotics in it.
This is not accurate. Fastrack is only a probiotic.
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Expert
Posts: 1207
| Here is an article I came across about prebiotic and and probiotic.
ebiotics vs Probiotics: Understanding the difference
equine-horse-supplements- kentucky-performance-products-race-horse-eating
Does it really matter?
The terms probiotic and prebiotic are showing up more and more often on feed bags and supplement labels. But what do these terms really mean? Is one better than the other? For many, it is a real mystery.
The logical place to start is by clearly defining each term. Most scientists agree that the term prebiotic refers to selective ingredients that support the growth of the microbes that reside in the horse’s gut. In very simple terms, prebiotics serve as food for the microbes.
Probiotics, on the other hand, are living microorganisms, which reach the intestine in an active state and thus exert positive health effects upon the horse’s intestinal tract, immune system, and the intestinal microflora.
Probiotics and prebiotics are not the same, and depending on the reason you are using them, not interchangeable terms. It is important to know the difference between the two so that you can choose the correct ingredient to address your horse’s problem.
Taking a closer look at prebiotics
One of the most commonly found ingredients on feeds and supplements claiming probiotic benefits is Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, S. cerevisiae is not a true probiotic. Many researchers contend that S. cerevisiae should not be considered a probiotic because it does not reach the intestinal tract in a viable (live) state. S. cerevisiae does support the healthy functioning of other microorganisms within a horse; however, there is limited research that suggests S. cerevisiae directly modifies the health and well-being of the horse itself. Given this information, S. cerevisiae fits the definition of a prebiotic, and cannot be classified as a probiotic.
Common prebiotics used in the horse nutrition industry are derived from components of lysed yeast cell walls, the primary components of which include mannon oligosaccharides (MOS) and beta-glucans. These substances have demonstrated the ability to bind with strains of harmful bacteria such as E. coli, Campylobacter and Salmonella, helping to flush them out of the horse’s system.
By selectively supporting the beneficial populations and activities of the residential bacteria, while simultaneously shuttling harmful pathogens out of the intestinal lumen, prebiotics work double duty to ensure a balanced and healthy microbial population.
Benefits of a true probiotic
Recently a new probiotic has arrived on the equine scene, Saccharomyces boulardii. S. boulardii is recognized as a true probiotic. The key to the success of S. boulardii is that it remains viable in the gastrointestinal tract. S. boulardii not only benefits the microbial population, it directly impacts tissues and cellular functions of the horse. Herein lies the therapeutic value of S. boulardii to the equine host.
S. boulardii does not naturally reside in the horse’s GI tract, so it must be provided in the diet. Since it does not persist past several days, administration needs to be continual so as to optimize its benefits.
S. boulardii mitigates the adhesion of pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli to the tissues of the intestines much in the same way a prebiotic does, by binding to them and flushing them out of the system. However, S. boulardii administration goes one step further and reduces or stops chronic and acute diarrhea by binding up the toxins produced by Clostridium difficile (a major contributor to equine diarrhea).
S. boulardii secretes factors while moving through the gastrointestinal tract that improve the functionality of and expedite healing of the intestinal lining and enteroluminal spaces.
S. boulardii stimulates the enzymes that play a role in sugar and starch digestion in the small intestine, thus reducing the amount of pass-through starches and sugars that negatively affect the microflora in the hind gut.
This all suggests that S. boulardii is more than a preventative agent but also plays an active role in supporting a healthy intestinal environment—the hallmark of a true probiotic.
Article written by KPP staff.
Copyright (C) 2014 Kentucky Performance Products, LLC. All rights reserved. |
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Location: in the ozone | BamaCanChaser - 2017-09-29 7:38 AM
slipperyslope - 2017-09-28 9:34 PM I've always used the Fastrack Equine Microbial but switched to Forco to give it a shot. I think it's a good product, but my horses did better on Fastrack, so went back to that. The one PSSM2 horse did not do well on RG. Also, Fastrack has BOTH pre & probiotics in it.
This is not accurate. Fastrack is only a probiotic.
Not true - please check your information. |
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Probiotics - Forco vs. Performance Microbials