NEW PREBIOTIC FROM BAILEYS HORSE FEEDS
Food for the "good" bacteria

As autumn turns to winter many horses will, by necessity, be experiencing changes in their diet and routines. Hay, or other forage alternatives, will increasingly replace grass, and compound feed may be introduced or increased to maintain condition. Whilst we endeavour to make these changes gradually, the microbial population of a horse's gut may still be disrupted resulting in digestive upsets and associated under performance. New Baileys Digest Plus is a prebiotic intended to help restore the natural bacterial content of the gut and with it, overall good health in the horse.

The equine gut plays host to a multitude of species of bacteria, some of great benefit to the horse and some potentially pathogenic. Baileys Digest Plus contains short chain fructo-oligosaccharides (scFOS) which are made up of molecules of fructose and glucose. The bonds joining them can only be broken down by the beneficial bacteria and not by the horse itself, so Digest Plus acts as a food source for the good bacteria allowing them to flourish at the expense of any "undesirable" species.

Loose droppings or diarrhoea are a clear sign that the balance between "good" and "bad" bacterial species has been disrupted. Stress, from competing, travelling or changes in routine, increases the passage of food through the gut and with it the bacteria. The content of the diet, or changes made to it, could allow pathogenic species to flourish at the expense of the beneficial ones. Baileys Digest Plus can help to reverse these imbalances by "feeding" the good bacteria encouraging them to proliferate and keep the pathogenic ones at bay.

Available in 1kg and 5kg tubs, it can be fed as a short term remedy or on an on-going basis. Horses or foals with loose droppings, after a course of antibiotics for example, may be fed Baileys Digest Plus for one to two weeks or until symptoms have cleared, whilst older horses, those on a high starch diet or prone to digestive upsets, would benefit from daily use. "The results that have been achieved among horses of all ages, especially scouring foals, have been remarkable," said Katie Lugsden BSc (Hons), Nutritionist at Baileys Horse Feeds. "With Baileys Digest Plus, owners have reported improvements in a matter of days where several other products have failed," she enthused.

The maintenance of a healthy, efficient digestive tract enables optimum utilisation of feed bringing a whole host of benefits, not least a horse who is happier, healthier and able to perform at its best. So whether its simple changes in routine or diet, or stress from illness or competition, if your horse's digestive system is upset, Baileys Digest Plus can help restore the status quo.

Baileys Horse Feeds
www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk