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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 545
 
Location: Texas | What is your favorite probiotic and why? I used to feed Fastrack, it was recommended at a clinic I went to. We had good luck with it, or it seemed to help our horses. I am not currently feeding a probiotic, number one because sometimes I wonder do supplements really help that much and two, I want the best product for my money. It seems sometimes it's hard to get unbiased opinions on products, when they're trying to sell them. I feed good grain and quality hay and don't have a horse I feel "needs" a lot. She can sometimes go off her feed and is extremely picky so sometimes I wonder if a probiotic would help her with what she does eat and hopefully prevent any future problems. My second part to this post, do you feed any joint supplements or anything else? If you do what and why? I have fed Cetyl M, Platinum CJ, and a pelleted formula my old vet had made. I feel like Cetyl M seems beneficial, but again it's like am I feeding stuff my horse needs, or is it just a waste. The only other thing I give her is Immunize by Oxygen, it just seems to help with any allergies. I'm all about my horse feeling her best, but am a skeptic at times as to what really works and what doesn't. I know too each horse is an individual and what works for one, might not work for the other. Just wanting some opinions. |
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 Hummer's Hero
Posts: 3071
 
Location: Smack Dab in the Middle | I have fed Forco and liked it. I really liked that it was shelf stable and didn't need refridgerated. However, I have a horse that has some severe digestive issues (IBS) and needed a higher count and live culture. He's now on E-One and Goldspike from Priority IAC Nutrition and I'm in love with their products. I've managed to keep him off of meds for almost a year and a half. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 575
| Love the Performance Probiotics equine Microbials. I tried herbs and other products and mine feel the best on the Microbials. I don't do feed through joint supps because I feel like they're pointless. I am on board for injectables like Adequan |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 883
Location: Southern Indiana | I've wondered the same about Probiotics. I feed Tribute which contains probiotics, but I feel like a couple of my horses could still benefit from one.
As far as joint supplements, I have fed Acti-flex for nearly 12 years and I think it works! My oldest horse is 17 and does not need injections. He has been on actiflex for the majority of his life. At minimum I feed MSM for joint support, but usually feed both. MSM is really cheap and is effective. I'd rather spend a little for prevention than be at the vet all the time. |
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  Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | Cutting Edge has one of the best out there. I fed it to a foal last year that was fighting joint ill and had been on a ton of antibiotics all summer. https://www.grazingbitperformancehorses.com/product-page/ProActive-P...
Edited by wyoming barrel racer 2018-05-08 1:48 PM
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Expert
Posts: 1694
Location: Willows, CA | At my nutrition clinics I always point that the way to maintain a proper microbial population in the hind gut is to quit killing them. More grain than can be properly digested in the small intestine will badly effect the good bacteria in the hind gut. If you feed a lot of grain, your horse may benefit from both a probiotic and an additional omega 3 source. If you feed a roughage based diet, with little or no high starch grains, your horse may benefit from a prebiotic much more than a probiotic. A prebiotic feeds the existing good bacteria. A probiotic is used to attempt to introduce more bacteria to replace those that were destroyed by an improper PH level in the hind gut. For a prebiotic, I like FORCO. My recommendation for a probiotic is to leave it at the store and normalize the horses digestive system. The only place that I ever use a probiotic is for a few days after a major upset, antibiotic treatment or surgery. I never use one on a daily basis if the digestive system is fully functional.
Edited by winwillows 2018-05-08 1:54 PM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 545
Location: Texas | winwillows - 2018-05-08 1:52 PM At my nutrition clinics I always point that the way to maintain a proper microbial population in the hind gut is to quit killing them. More grain than can be properly digested in the small intestine will badly effect the good bacteria in the hind gut. If you feed a lot of grain, your horse may benefit from both a probiotic and an additional omega 3 source. If you feed a roughage based diet, with little or no high starch grains, your horse may benefit from a prebiotic much more than a probiotic. A prebiotic feeds the existing good bacteria. A probiotic is used to attempt to introduce more bacteria to replace those that were destroyed by an improper PH level in the hind gut. For a prebiotic, I like FORCO. My recommendation for a probiotic is to leave it at the store and normalize the horses digestive system.
I feed Total Equine and alfalfa and coastal mixed and not a large amount of grain in my opinion, so I feel like I'm good there. Thanks for the information and I'll check into the FORCO. |
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 I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | You can over populate the gut by feeding probiotics daily. I give probiotics for a few days after deworming or giving a round of antibiotics.
I've been feeding FORCO, a prebiotic, since 2005 to our horses and dogs. Love this product. 
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 Texas Taco
Posts: 7499
Location: Bandera, TX | FORCO!!!! My horses look great, even my 28 year old!!
I also give it to my dog. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 639
Location: God's country...aka TEXAS | I use and sell Oxygen products. But I also feed Bluebonnet feeds which has probiotics in it. That alone will help a lot. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| I’ve fed several complete supplements over the years and regular Platinum is the only one where horses I thought looked good already just bloomed in front of my eyes.
We feed 1 scoop/day and buy through their bulk barn program since we have 8 head on it, it’s vey affordable.
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 851
Location: West Texas | I feel probiotics are a waste of money and view them in feed as pure snake oil. I really don't feed prebiotics either, but a good feed program will help grow and maintain a proper hind gut microbial population. Whole oats, in the right amounts, also has a nice prebiotic effect.
Edited by Tdove 2018-05-10 3:45 PM
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Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | Tdove - 2018-05-10 2:15 PM I feel probiotics are a waste of money and view them in feed as pure snake oil. I really don't feed prebiotics either, but a good feed program will help grow and maintain a proper hind gut microbial population. Whole oats, in the right amounts, also has a nice prebiotic effect.
I like this idea to a point, but any meds (even some natural preventitives like MSM) can cause stomach upset and that will ruin what is going on in a healthy gut. Deworming, fever, really any level of sickness or change of diet etc. I think we would be surprised how often a good proibiotic given a few days will get that stomach and hind gut back where it needs to be. Horses are sensitive creatures and after having 4H pigs, they may be even worse  |
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Location: in the ozone | TXBarrelRacer84 - 2018-05-08 12:05 PM
What is your favorite probiotic and why? I used to feed Fastrack, it was recommended at a clinic I went to. We had good luck with it, or it seemed to help our horses. I am not currently feeding a probiotic, number one because sometimes I wonder do supplements really help that much and two, I want the best product for my money. It seems sometimes it's hard to get unbiased opinions on products, when they're trying to sell them. I feed good grain and quality hay and don't have a horse I feel "needs" a lot. She can sometimes go off her feed and is extremely picky so sometimes I wonder if a probiotic would help her with what she does eat and hopefully prevent any future problems. My second part to this post, do you feed any joint supplements or anything else? If you do what and why? I have fed Cetyl M, Platinum CJ, and a pelleted formula my old vet had made. I feel like Cetyl M seems beneficial, but again it's like am I feeding stuff my horse needs, or is it just a waste. The only other thing I give her is Immunize by Oxygen, it just seems to help with any allergies. I'm all about my horse feeling her best, but am a skeptic at times as to what really works and what doesn't. I know too each horse is an individual and what works for one, might not work for the other. Just wanting some opinions.
If something worked, why change? Fastrack Equine Microbial has both prebiotic and probiotic in it. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 545
Location: Texas | slipperyslope - 2018-05-14 6:18 PM TXBarrelRacer84 - 2018-05-08 12:05 PM What is your favorite probiotic and why? I used to feed Fastrack, it was recommended at a clinic I went to. We had good luck with it, or it seemed to help our horses. I am not currently feeding a probiotic, number one because sometimes I wonder do supplements really help that much and two, I want the best product for my money. It seems sometimes it's hard to get unbiased opinions on products, when they're trying to sell them. I feed good grain and quality hay and don't have a horse I feel "needs" a lot. She can sometimes go off her feed and is extremely picky so sometimes I wonder if a probiotic would help her with what she does eat and hopefully prevent any future problems. My second part to this post, do you feed any joint supplements or anything else? If you do what and why? I have fed Cetyl M, Platinum CJ, and a pelleted formula my old vet had made. I feel like Cetyl M seems beneficial, but again it's like am I feeding stuff my horse needs, or is it just a waste. The only other thing I give her is Immunize by Oxygen, it just seems to help with any allergies. I'm all about my horse feeling her best, but am a skeptic at times as to what really works and what doesn't. I know too each horse is an individual and what works for one, might not work for the other. Just wanting some opinions. If something worked, why change? Fastrack Equine Microbial has both prebiotic and probiotic in it.
I'm not necessarily into changing, just asking for opinions on what is best. I am not feeding it right now because I never reordered it and really just was worried about whether I was feeding it because someone said so or if it really helped. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1079
Location: MN | I've been really happy with MVP's Mare N Foal forumla. Can be fed to any age horse. |
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Probiotics/Other Supplements