Feeding for Longevity: Body Condition is KEY!

We all want our horse's to live forever, and I'll be honest, if there was a supplement that could do it, I'd spend an arm & a leg on it too....but the trick to promoting longevity is actually quite simple!

I focused a lot of my uni studies in both my undegrad & graduate degrees on strategies for longevity in animals, which was largely inspired by a house - and barn - full of aging animals.

The key to keeping your animals healthy & happy for years to come?

A healthy body condition.

Long-term studies in dogs have reported that animals kept lean - while still hitting their nutrient requirements - lived longer lives.

Not only that, these animals had delayed onset of chronic disease, reduced incidences of joint issues - lean fed group had arthritis prevalence similar to dogs half their age.

Over-feeding your animal because you love them might be tempting, but keeping them at a healthy body condition lets you love them longer, and improves their quality of life!

Learning how to assess your animal's body condition and working with a nutritionist who can help you create a diet that covers your animals needs while maintaining an ideal body condition is KEY!

Need a hand with this?

Check out the blog for resources on body condition scoring, and reach out for nutrition or body condition scoring help!

As the owner of a 25 year old horse, I understand needing as much time as possible with your equine best friend, and together, we can help ensure your horse's diet is supporting that!

References:

Lawler, D.F., Larson, B.T., Ballam, J.M., Smith, G.K., Biery, D.N., Evans, R.H., & Kealy, R.D. (2008). Diet restriction and ageing in the dog: major observations over two decades. British Journal of Nutrition, 99(4), 793-805.

Smith, G. K., Paster, E. R., Powers, M. Y., Lawler, D. F., Biery, D. N., Shofer, F. S., McKelvie, P. J., & Kealy, R. D. (2006). Lifelong diet restriction and radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis of the hip joint in dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 229(5), 690–693.

Kealy, R.D., Lawler, D.F., Ballam, J.M., Lust, G., Biery, D.N., Smith, G.K., & Mantz, S.L. (2000). Evaluation of the effect of limited food consumption on radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis in dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 217(11), 1678-1680.