Beet Pulp Question

[Tapestry Minis]

I was just wondering if anyone might happen to know if Beet Pulp....being that it is a highly digestable Fiber....works the same way as Metimucil/Sand Clear to help clear sand out of horses?

I just happened to be talking to our outside salesman who knows the basics but wasn't real sure if it would work the same but being they are both high fibers I was wondering if I was putting the puzzle together correctly or just wishful thinking? :lol:

Thanks everyone. :saludando:

 

[Miniv]

I'm afraid it's not as good, but it does help with horses who don't drink enough during the winter time.

One thing that the moist beet pulp does not do is make a gel, which helps bind or grab loose granulars of sand in the digestive system as it passes through........

However a regular (daily) amount of the moistened beet pulp does keep things "flowing" through the horse's system which will reduce the possibility of impaction. This does help during winter months when horses naturally drink less water.

People who have smaller herds benefit from doing the beet pulp additive in their horses' diets, IMO. Unfortunately folks who have numbers over 50 head find it hard to manage.

MA

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

No, totally different

The sand products turn into a gel in the stomach, picking up sand and removing it. Its almost 100% fiber. The dosage for fiber supplimentation is different from the dosage for sand colic prevention.

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

actually my vet was telling me there have been some studies that show that horses eating fairly large amounts of beet pulp (soaked) in there diet he was talking 25-40 percent seem to have the same amount of sand or lack there of as horses in simular locations getting monthly sand treatment when the beet pulp horses have not had sand treatment.

He told me while it has not been "proven" there are many that feel that it does aid in the prevention of sand build up I would guess of course alot of it depends on the amount of sand you have in your particular area.

I do test regularly for sand and my horses have very little or in his words never enough to even give it a second thought.

 

[Robin_C]

University of Florida did a field study of sand removal methods in horses. The results showed that a high fiber diet was equally as effective at reducing intestinal sand as other products. Florida would be an excellent "lab" for this study, given the amount of sand our horses are exposed to.

The UF study implicates that high fiber diets, which include beet pulp, have proven effective in reducing sand build-up.

Here is a short abstract (from the University of Florida web site) regarding that study

Factors influencing sand accumulation in horses - Diet, management and behavior are being evaluated to determine what factors influence excessive sand intake and the elimination of sand consumed by horses.

Accomplishments include:

A field trial showed that monthly fecal sand output was highly variable between horses and that outputs were lower in the summer and higher in fall and winter,

Supplementing the diet with wheat bran or psyllium or administering mineral oil by naso-gastric tube were no more effective in removing sand than the control diet. Sand output was highest on day 2 and 3 post treatment.

Dietary sand intake on four grain/hay ratios is being determined.

Recent publications

Lieb, S. 1997. Sand removal from the GI tract of equine. Proc. 15th Equine Nutr. Phy. Sym. Ft. Worth TX. May 28-31. p 335.

Robin C

 

[Margo_C-T]

Robin, the 'short abstract' you quote in your post seems to leave a lot of loose ends, if I may say so...for instance-what exactly is meant by 'supplementing the diet' in the three ways mentioned-how often, what amounts, etc? What was the 'control diet'? Of what overall significance is the statement that 'sand output is highest on day 2 and 3 post treatment?"-post treatment with WHAT-the control diet, and/or the aforementioned the methods/amounts(not specified!)of 'supplementing'??

Logic would support the apparent finding that sand accumulation is generally highest in fall and winter(grass is declining/gone, likely to be less water intake, etc.) I have begun using soaked beet pulp(pellets, no molasses added)-began with a once-daily amount of from one cup to three cups per mini, depending on their size(@ 175 lb. to @ 400 lbs. for my 38" B mare),have increased by @ a cup/horse now that it's winter-fed quite wet, but not a complete 'soup'-after they've first been fed hay, and have been eating that for a while. (Found, with my 24 YO mare, that three cups was a bit much-she developed persistently overly soft manure, which has resolved with a drop back to 2 cups of beet pulp; others are fine with the increased amount. )I like the results, plan to continue to feed the beet pulp. Question: do you feel that the above-referenced study means that some could stop the regular use of psyllium, if feeding proper amounts of soaked beet pulp daily-presuming that the rest of the feeding program provides adequate nutrition AND the right kind and amount of fiber? Where I live, the native soil really isn't sandy; it is a heavy clay (adobe); but, over the years, the horses' runs had crusher fines brought in, and the finest part of that seems to me much like a 'sand'. I would be happy to be able to stop using psyllium, though-would simplify my life (and of course, save money!)- but would not wish to do so without a pretty sure feeling that to do so would not be detrimental.

Will appreciate your educated opinion on this....!

Margo

 

[disneyhorse]

The lady at my barn and I had been debating the use of flaxseed versus psyllium, and then if the flaxseed should be whole, boiled, or ground for best sand removing properties. We did an experiment with the different flaxseed and psyllium concotions... we put a dose in with some sand and manure to see how sticky they would get and grab the sand.

Our vet came by during our experiment and said he admired our effort. He said that:

It is a myth that the flax or psyllium gets sticky and sticks to the sand, thus pulling it out. He said that the ONLY thing that flax and psyllium do is to have a laxative effect on the digestive system... making the stomach convulse and thus shake up the contents including sand settled at the bottom.

He suggested using dry psyllium or whole flax seed for the first week of every month.

SO that's all I know.

Beet pulp does not have as great a laxative effect unless fed in very large amounts. The amount of fiber in a horse's diet is relative anyway, as the MAJORITY of their diet is "fiber".

Andrea

 

[CKC]

I just mentioned in another post about a couple of weeks ago that since we have switched to feeding soaked beet pulp and wheat bran we have not had to use any pysillium product. We've had one sand colic here years ago. Our horses are on dry lots. We've been using the beet pulp and the wheat bran for about a year. We've not experienced any of the loose stool that we use to see.

That's just our experience with it.

Kim

 

[Tapestry Minis]

Thank you everyone for your opinions / experiences. I find all very interesting. Keep them coming!

:aktion033: :aktion033: :aktion033:

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

Hmm I know when I fed psyllium ( i dont anymore and wont until my horses sand tests show an increase) it did quickly turn into a sticky gel since I fed it with soaked beet pulp it literally took moments if not less to go from a powder or pellet to a sticky gel

now what it does internally once it becomes that gel that I have no idea

 

[Robin_C]

Margo - I spent considerable time trying to track down the complete article represented by that short abstract. I have not read it myself, but have read several articles in Equus Caballos (Seminole Feeds magazine), in which Dr. Ott (the former nutrition guru at UF) and Kelly (why can't I remember her last name,-- she is a UF equine nutrition specialist) make reference to this sand study. I'm sure the complete article would answer your very valid questions. I'll contact Kelly and see if I can track down a copy of the entire article.

In the meantime, I tapped into a 157-page PhD dissertation on colic by another vet who used the above cited article as reference in his paper (the Hammock 1998 reference). A short excerpt follows:

The laxative effect of psyllium has also been investigated in normal ponies submitted to

laparotomy to place 10 g/kg of body weight of sand into the cecum. All ponies were fed hay and

grain, while ponies in the treatment group received daily doses of psyllium (1 g/kg of body

weight) with the grain or by nasogastric tube. Treatment with psyllium was started 3 days before

surgery and was continued until the end of the experiment. Treatment with psyllium did not

affect the amount of sand recovered from the gastrointestinal tract at necropsy 11 days later

(Hammock et al. 1998).

Please note that I am not putting forth this information to discourage anyone from using psyllium products, or other mucillage-producing supplement (flax seed is said to produce the same effect as psyllium by some authors). However, as with any method of feeding our horses, there are LOTS of opinions and theories out there -- best to be armed with as much information as possible IMHO!

Robin C

 

[shminifancier]

You can do a simple test. Take a glass of water put some sand in it. Stir it around then using a Psyllium base product pour in some stir and let sit. and see just how much sand settles to the bottom. Do the same with say any other type product like bran etc. and notice which one the sand settles out from~! Yup you guessed it the Bran mixture. So if you want the sand to adhere to something the Psyllium products is the way to go.

 

[Tapestry Minis]

Bumping to see if Robin has heard anymore from her friend Kelly? Thank you!