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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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Flax seed

Dear Dr. Getty

Thank you very much for all your efforts of teaching horseowners how to feed our horses correctly!

I have a question on flaxseed - I know that it's a very useful product for horses, although I always thought of it as being very good mainly for digestive system.

However, the product you refer to "flaxseed meal(?)" - if I understand correctly - it's milled (grounded) flax seeds?

Here in Russia we don't have such a product, we have just whole seeds. But it's a common understanding here that you can't feed whole flax seeds to horses because they contain hydrocyanic acid which is toxic for horses.

Is it true or it's just a wide-spread myth?

The way we feed flaxseed - we boil it for 1-2 hours in water, and it looks like jelly (and because of this is very good for digestive system). However, it's a hassle to cook all the time, so we can not do this on everyday basis.

Another flaxseed product that we have - is extruded flaxseed cake(?) (not sure about translation), which is said to be safe for horses because of extrusion process. But they also recommend to add hot water to it to get a jelly.

So, my qyestion actually is: could you please recommend a safe and simple way to feed flaxseed to horses (since we don't have here special stuff made for horses)?

Thank you very much! (sorry for a lot of words!!)

Where are you from? Russia

How did you locate this forum? internet

Re: Flax seed

Hello Ekaterina,

Yes, it is always best to feed flaxseeds ground because the outer hull is not adequately chewed and therefore, the horse will not benefit from the nutritious pulp inside. Plus, unchewed flaxseeds will end up in the hindgut, where the bacterial population may ferment them, leading to laminitis.

Soaking is not a good idea, and boiling is actually making the product unsafe. You see, flaxseeds contain high amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids called Omega 3s. These fatty acids are highly vulnerable to damage from water, heat, and air. So, when you boil them, you are not only destroying them, but the result of that destruction is the production of free radicals -- very volatile, damaging molecules that you certainly don't want to feed to your horse.

So, grind fresh flaxseeds and feed them right away. They start to go rancid immediately upon exposure to air, also leading to free radical formation.

Or if you have access to a commercially stabilized product such as Nutra Flax, you can store this product for up to 6 months at room temperature.

About your concern regarding hydrocyanic acid... many foods contain trace amounts, including apples, and grapes. So, overfeeding flax is just a damaging as you eating 5 lbs of grapes at one time. This is why I suggest feeding approximately 120 ml (1/2 cup) of flaxseed meal per 180 kg (400 lbs) of body weight. This amount weighs approximately 56 grams (2 ounces) per 180 kg of body weight. And do not exceed 454 grams (one pound) per day (upper safe level).

I hope this helps clarify this important topic.

Thank you for writing.

All the best,

Dr. Getty
Author of Feed Your Horse Like A Horse

Ekaterina
Dear Dr. Getty

Thank you very much for all your efforts of teaching horseowners how to feed our horses correctly!

I have a question on flaxseed - I know that it's a very useful product for horses, although I always thought of it as being very good mainly for digestive system.

However, the product you refer to "flaxseed meal(?)" - if I understand correctly - it's milled (grounded) flax seeds?

Here in Russia we don't have such a product, we have just whole seeds. But it's a common understanding here that you can't feed whole flax seeds to horses because they contain hydrocyanic acid which is toxic for horses.

Is it true or it's just a wide-spread myth?

The way we feed flaxseed - we boil it for 1-2 hours in water, and it looks like jelly (and because of this is very good for digestive system). However, it's a hassle to cook all the time, so we can not do this on everyday basis.

Another flaxseed product that we have - is extruded flaxseed cake(?) (not sure about translation), which is said to be safe for horses because of extrusion process. But they also recommend to add hot water to it to get a jelly.

So, my qyestion actually is: could you please recommend a safe and simple way to feed flaxseed to horses (since we don't have here special stuff made for horses)?

Thank you very much! (sorry for a lot of words!!)

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO