A Randomized Controlled Trial Assessing the Effects of Feeding High Water Soluble Carbohydrate (WSC) Oaten Hay Versus Low WSC Oaten Hay on Equine Peripheral Dental Caries.
Authors: Jackson Kirsten, Kelty Erin, Meylan Michelle, Tennant Marc
Journal: Journal of equine veterinary science
Summary
Peripheral caries in horses has emerged as an increasingly recognised dental condition, with oaten hay identified as a potential risk factor, possibly due to its higher water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content. This randomised controlled trial assigned 28 horses completing the study to either high or low WSC oaten hay for three months, with baseline and follow-up intraoral examinations performed under sedation, followed by a seven-month intervention period on meadow hay for affected horses. Whilst 60% of horses fed high WSC oaten hay showed deterioration in caries grade compared to 53.8% improvement in the low WSC group, this difference failed to reach statistical significance (P = 0.274), suggesting that WSC content alone may not be the primary driver of peripheral caries development. Notably, all three horses reassessed after switching to meadow hay demonstrated improvement, indicating that hay type change may still be beneficial for managing established disease despite the lack of clear preventative effect shown in this trial. These findings warrant further investigation into other risk factors associated with oaten hay and highlight the potential therapeutic value of forage modification in cases where peripheral caries has already developed, though current evidence does not strongly support WSC content as the definitive causative factor.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Consider feeding low WSC oaten hay or meadow hay over high WSC oaten hay to reduce peripheral caries risk, though the evidence from this trial is not statistically definitive
- •Horses showing significant peripheral caries may benefit from changing to meadow hay, which demonstrated improvement in all available cases during the recovery phase
- •Peripheral caries prevalence appears to be increasing in equine populations and should be monitored during routine dental examinations
Key Findings
- •60% of horses fed high WSC oaten hay deteriorated in peripheral caries grade over 3 months versus 53.8% improvement in low WSC hay group, but difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.274)
- •All three horses available for recheck after switching to meadow hay showed improvement in PC grade over 7 months
- •Higher water soluble carbohydrate content in oaten hay may be associated with worse peripheral caries outcomes, though statistical significance was not achieved in this trial