The equine gastrointestinal microbiome: impacts of weight-loss.
Authors: Morrison Philippa K, Newbold Charles J, Jones Eleanor, Worgan Hilary J, Grove-White Dai H, Dugdale Alexandra H, Barfoot Clare, Harris Patricia A, Argo Caroline McGregor
Journal: BMC veterinary research
Summary
# Editorial Summary Obesity remains a significant welfare concern in equine practice, yet individual horses respond variably to dietary restriction despite identical feeding protocols—a variation that may be explained by differences in gastrointestinal microbiota composition. Morrison and colleagues examined faecal microbiome profiles in 15 obese Welsh Mountain pony mares using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, comparing bacterial communities during a maintenance feeding phase (2% body mass hay daily) against a 7-week dietary restriction period (1% body mass hay daily). The research identified specific shifts in microbial populations associated with weight-loss response, suggesting that baseline microbiome composition may influence an individual's capacity to lose weight effectively under caloric restriction. These findings have considerable implications for practitioners: microbiome profiling could potentially identify animals predisposed to poor weight-loss outcomes, allowing targeted interventions (such as prebiotic or probiotic supplementation) to enhance metabolic adaptation and improve welfare outcomes in obese equines. Understanding the microbiota-weight loss relationship may ultimately refine our approach to obesity management, moving beyond one-size-fits-all dietary protocols towards individualised strategies that account for each animal's microbial ecology.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •The equine microbiome changes with dietary restriction for weight loss—understanding these shifts may help explain why some horses lose weight more effectively than others on the same diet
- •Microbiome profiling could potentially become a tool to predict individual weight-loss responses and tailor feeding programs accordingly
- •Gut bacterial composition may be a welfare indicator during weight management in obese horses and warrants monitoring alongside traditional weight metrics
Key Findings
- •Faecal microbiome composition was analyzed in 15 obese Welsh Mountain pony mares before and after 7-week dietary restriction protocol
- •Study tracked bacterial community changes across two consecutive years using 16S rRNA gene sequencing
- •Dietary restriction reduced feed intake from 2% to 1% of body mass daily as dry matter over 7-week intervention period