Horses that test positive to multiple foods could be dealing with a condition called Leaky Gut Syndrome. Leaky Gut Syndrome is a breakdown of the protective intestinal tract lining, coupled with an imbalance in the horse’s natural intestinal flora. This imbalance interferes with the horse’s ability to completely digest their food. The breakdown of the intestinal lining allows the larger proteins from improperly digested food to be absorbed in the bloodstream. These larger proteins are interpreted as foreign invaders and trigger an immune response, resulting in a food sensitivity or true food allergy.

If your horse’s allergy test results indicate they are sensitive to certain foods, reduce the sensitivity by removing these foods from your horse’s diet.

• The stomach is only 10% of your horse’s digestive tract – holding about 2 gallons
• It’s ideal for your horse to eat small, more frequent meals
• Nearly half of your horse’s digestive tract is made up of their colon – holding about 15 gallons

Food allergies & sensitivites in horses; Madalyn Ward, DVM.