Tharos News — horse digestion

Hind-gut Acidosis can be acute (sudden) or chronic (long-standing). An example of acute hind-gut acidosis would be the pony who breaks out of his stable and gets into the feed room. He gorges feed, and the result is a massive overflow of starch into the hind-gut. There is a sudden reduction in the pH of the hind-gut, and the healthy bacteria in the gut get very stressed at the change in pH, and begin to die. As they die they release toxins which are absorbed into the blood of the pony. These toxins result in an inflammatory response by the body which can...

The collection of bacteria, protozoa, viruses and fungi in an animal's gut is known as the microbiome.  It is very complex with over 500 species and strains of bacteria alone, and a total of over a trillion organisms. In humans there are 10 bacterial cells for every human cell. This applies to horses too, where research into the microbiome is showing that it plays a very important part in the overall health of the animal.