The fermentation of hay and starch when incubated in vitro with faecal inoccula from either normal healthy horses or horses with a history of laminitis

摘要

Horses have evolved to consume small, frequent, forage-based meals in a trickle feeding manner. Such diets would typically be high in fibre and low in starch. Domesticated equidae are often meal fed feeds high in non-structural carbohydrates, which can, if fed in large amounts, lead to metabolic conditions such as laminitis. The current study examined the effects of incubating hay and starch, in vitro, with inocula comprising faecal material from either normal healthy horses, or those with a historyof laminitis. The extent and rate of degradation was measured using the gas production technique. Substrates were inoculated with faecal slurries from either normal healthy horses, or horses with a predisposition to laminitis (they had suffered laminitiswithin the last 12 months). Significant differences (/5<0.001) in the rate and extent of gas production were found between healthy horses and horses prone to laminitis when breaking down hay. Healthy horses had a significantly higher rate and extent ofgas production than laminitics. In contrast, horses with a history of laminitis had significantly higher (P<0.001) gas production profiles when fermenting starch, than healthy horses, suggesting that the bacterial profile collected from these animals wasmore efficient in the breakdown of starch.