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Ask the Nutritionist: Dr. Getty's Forum for Equine Nutrition

   Welcome to my forum. 

Here you will find more than 6 years of questions and my answers. It is searchable and offers a great deal of information. 

Currently, I am discontinuing new questions. This may change in the future, but in the meantime, please know that It has been a true pleasure serving you. 

Take a look at my Nutrition Library and Tips of the Month for a variety of answers on selected topics. Be sure to sign up for my monthly e-newsletter, Forage for Thought

I also have a growing number of recordings on "Teleseminars on Nutrition Topics that Concern You" as well as the new, Spotlight on Equine Nutrition Series -- printed versions of favorite teleseminars.

And finally, look for my articles in a variety of local publications and online newsletters, as well as the Horse Journal, where I am the Contributing Nutrition Editor.  

 

All the best,

 Dr. Getty 

 



Ask the Nutritionist: Dr. Getty's Forum for Equine Nutrition
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Re: Beet pulp and hind gut activity

Hi Billy,

No, beet pulp is not considered a pre-biotic because it doesn't "feed" the existing microbes. Instead, it is fermented by the bacteria into useful volatile fatty acids. These VFAs are absorbed into the bloodstream, where they can be used for energy.

Starch is supposed to be digested in the small intestine by digestive enzymes that the horse, itself produces. But, if starch were overfed to where it reaches the hindgut, the bacteria can ferment it into lactic acid, which ends up destroying those bacteria, leading to lamintis caused by endotoxins in the blood.

So bottom line... beet pulp does not result in hindgut microbial destruction. And its benefit is to provide an energy source (VFAs) without the insulin response that starch creates.

Thanks for asking!

All the best,

Dr. Getty
Author of Feed Your Horse Like A Horse


Billy Blackman
Hello Dr Getty,

I am a big fan of beet pulp. But I have a couple of questions.

First, does beet pulp act like a pre-biotic creating a flourishing environment for the growth of fermenting bacteria;
2) and if true, does this increased in bacteria create the same type problems as increases in starch related lactic acid, thus causing problems when the food source rounds out and the bacteria begin to die off.

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO