VITAMINS

VITAMINS

Vitamins are tiny organic compounds with a huge impact on the health and well-being of the horse. Certain pro vitamin exists e.g. beta carotene and 7-dehydrocholesterol that do not posses vitamin activity but which can covert to active vitamins by the body.

Each vitamins have different functions with differing demands on reserves.

Fat soluble vitamins

Vitamin A

Source:Green herbage and lesser extend in carrots,yellow maize and legumes seeds

Deficiency : Night blindness,poor growth,excessive lacrimation, reduction in disease resistance and reduced appetite.

Clinical signs:

Excess; Bone fragility and malformations plus some teratogenic effects.

Adults unthriftiness ,poor muscle tone ,ataxia,and loss of hair.

VITAMIN D

Vitamin D provided as vitamin D3,through ultra violet irradiation of 7-dehydrocholesterol in the skin and D2 through exposure of ergosterol,found in plants.

Vitamin D is not believed to be essential for the absorption of calcium in horses.

Source exposure to direct sunlight

Clinical signs skeletal abnormality in foals and osteomalacia in adults.

Decrease in appetite,food intake and impaired mineralization of growing bone.

Excess hypercalcemia, hyperphospatemia,bone resorption,soft tissue calcification,anorexia and poor performance

VITAMIN E

Vitamin E occurs naturally as several isomers of tocopherol and tocotrienol.

Source oils of green plants,wheat germ oil is richest source.

Whether athletic performance is improved by high dietary concentrations of alfa-tocopherol is unproven. But some evidence that exercising animals may benefit from additional supplementation.

Vitamin E is important for immune system in general.

Clinical signs white muscle diseases,depressed immune status,poor performance,reduced fertility and fetal death.

Equine motor neuron disease is believed to be caused by lack of vitamin E.

High dose interferes with absorption or utilization of other fat soluble vitamins.

VITAMIN K

The horse appears to have no need for supplementary sources as the intestinal bacteria seem to synthesis the vitamin k2 which are absorbed in adequate quantities .

Vitamin k status affects bone metabolism as well as blood coagulation.

Water soluble Vitamins

VITAMIN C

Synthesise adequate amount from liver and other tissues from glucose under normal circumstances.

Vitamin C is the key antioxidant in the fluid lining the lungs and that levels are reduced in horses with Recurrent airway obstruction(RAO).

Addtional supplements are required in such circumstances

VITAMIN B1

Synthesized in the intestinal tract and in natural diets.

The richest source is brewer s yeast and baker s yeast

Deficiency

Reduced growth rate,and appetite,leading to anorexia and loss of weight ,ataxia, bradycardia,missing heart beats.

BIOTIN

source is brewer s yeast,oil seed meals,alfalfa meal and maize grain.

Equine hoof defect may be aided by biotin supplementation over many months or years.

Deficiency :poor skin ,poor coat or poor hoof quality .

FOLIC ACID AND VITAMIN B12

Source brewer s yeast, green forages,wheat bran ,oilseeds and whole wheat.

The foal has the greatest need for dietary sources of folic acid and vitamins B12.

Clinical signs Megaloblastic anemia with macrocytosis

Reference

The Equine manual Andrew J.Higgins and Jack R.Snyder