Oxalate pastures are definitely one of the most worrying and poorly understood aspect for many horse owners.
With these grasses being so prolific in some areas of Australia, we have aimed to create a product which can help these owners to support their horses when exposed to high oxalate pastures. This is a general supplement and not aimed at treating oxalate toxicity. We have formulated this product to help protect the body against some of the damaging effects of oxalates whilst providing available calcium for the body to utilise.
We cannot possibly put all information on the treatment of oxalate pastures on the labelling of this product. In our experience horses owners are conscientious and aim to do the best for their horses. We find the majority are well educated on their horses needs and they are also proactive at seeking information they need for supporting the optimal health for their horses.
This is one of the reasons we provide a free consultation service for owners that are not sure about what is the best protocol for their horses health. In our experience, most horse owners will enquire about a new product prior to adding this to their horses daily feed regime.
The oxalate levels in pastures varies to the climactic conditions, the pasture type and the percentage of this pasture in their diet. Any supplementary feed a horse is eating will also affect their nutrient intake.
In horses which require additional considerations such as pregnancy, lactation and growth, we do not recommend any supplementation to be undertaken without guidance.
For horses that are only on setaria, or other high oxalate pastures they should be pulled from the pasture and allowed time with access to food without oxalates present. This will all vary as to the amount of oxalate rich pasture they are eating, and what pasture type it is. I completely agree that in this situation, a pasture analysis would be required and supplementation adjusted accordingly.
It is not safe for us to label a huge dosage window, as we do not want people overdosing their horses which can also have different detrimental effects. This is why we say if their horse is already on supplemental feed, they may not require supplementation. Some owners do not even know what their pasture grasses are.
If a horse was only on setaria no amount of calcium supplementation will overcome the damage and irritation caused by the oxalates. We are not removing the oxalates from the diet with this product, we are helping to bind them up with an available form of calcium which makes them insoluble oxalates so they are passing along the bowel to be passed out with the manure, and not being absorbed through the bowel wall, into the blood steam and processed through the kidneys. However this means the bowel will still need protection from the oxalates to prevent inflammation and damage.
Our aim is to provide a product that is affordable and helps horse owners to balance their horses diets to accommodate this pasture type.
If you have any other questions, or concerns, please don’t hesitate to ask.
