Probiotics. Comparisions on 'quality' please

Kallibear

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There's quite a few probiotics availible but I don't know enough about them to make an informed decision.

My young ISH has always been barefoot and as a result I'm pretty clued up on supplements and feeding. He is currently on ProHoof.

However he is one of those damn 'metabolic' horses who is overly sensitive to everything diet related and, despite doing everything 'correctly', is still footy on stones at a faster pace.

A probiotics has been suggested to see if that helps reduce his 'metabolic-ness' but I don't know much about them. I know what to look for in decent feed and good supplements, but not probiotics.

Advice please? I don't mind spending money BUT not wasting a fortune.

So far I'm looking at Protexin, Equimins Pro Bio and Feedmark BioPro. The price varies considerably. If the most expensive is also vastly superior, that's fine but I'm not willing to spend double the price on something a 'little better'.
 

be positive

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I was going to recommend Protexin and a quick comparison shows it works out favourably with the other two which I have not used, you only need 10gms per day so the 700gm tub at £26 will last 70 days, far cheaper than the Feedmark one at £38 for just 29 days, Equimins is also more expensive but the price seems to vary rather a lot.
 

SEL

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I've also got one with metabolic problems - PSSM - & a tummy that reacts to everything. Protexin quick fix is a life saver. I use it around worming, changes in fields, whenever she's grumpy around her tummy, watery poo etc.

For just general maintenance you can use a small amount but after a dodgy reaction to a wormer I gave another horse an entire tube - back to normal in 24 hours.
 

Kallibear

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Thanks. Votes so far for Protinex. I just wondered, with BioPro being more than twice the price, if it's significantly better? Is there something in it, or about it, that makes it far superior.

Thanks SEL. Thankfully mine isn't reactive to stress like that but he is very diet sensitive for his barefeet. Despite him leading a textbook lifestyle he STILL has thin soles and prone to under run feet. Far better than your average horse but something is missing to allow him to be rockcrunching enough to hunt barefoot.
 

SO1

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I choose BioPro as it said "Suitable for horses and ponies on a restricted grass intake" as I have a native pony and he has to wear his grazing muzzle to keep his weight down. It only seems to have three ingredients in it. It is quite often on special offer 3 for price of 2 or 50% extra which does bring the price down.
 

criso

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Equimins Probio looks like it's trying to be a vit and mineral supplement as well and the prohoof you feed has a better balance. The active digestive ingredients are Yea-Sacc and Bio-Mos.

Feedmark Biopro FOS (Fructo-oligosaccharide), YeaSacc 1026 Rice bran (I assume the rice bran is in there as filler or to improve palatability as I'm more aware of it as a weight gain feed than a digestive aid)

Assuming you are talking about the Protexin gut balancer then you have Alfalfa meal, Preplex® prebiotic (Fructo-oligosaccharide), Brewer's yeast. I prefer yeasacc to brewers yeast as a source of Saccharomyces cerevisiae however heard good reports about Protexin so maybe down to their trademarked prebiotic.

Note the pro hoof you are feeding already contains yeasacc so you'd be doubling up on that.

I buy straights probiotic and prebiotic - yeasacc and bio-mos. Latter is in progressive earth black friday sale atm.
 

Kallibear

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Thanks.

I've just wasted 2hrs of my life looking up probiotics. I can guarantee the horrid horse won't be remotely grateful.

I have bought a small tub of Protexin. It's not bank breaking. I've also just bought more ProHoof, Platinum this time (worked out the same price roughly, per day, as normal ProHoof) and added BioMos to the order too.

The ProHoof provides the lower end of the RDA for yeasacc, and I'll add lower end amount of BioMos and 1/2 RDA protexin. Figure that covers all bases.....
 
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