When to call a nutritionist

Many advances have been made in the past 20 years in our understanding of the nutritional aspects of gastric ulcers, diarrhea, developmental orthopedic disease, recurrent rhabdomyolysis, laminitis, impaction colic, weight loss and geriatric nutrition. However popular press and veterinary literature often distort or confuse what is truly known with what feed or supplement vendors would like us to think is known. Traditions and myths that are not based on fact or science are abundant in the equine industry. Since equine nutrition is not covered in depth in most veterinary curricula and the pertinent research is rarely published in veterinary journals, equine practitioners are often ill equipped to sort out hyperbole from fact regarding nutritional issues. When confronted with any of the problems above or suspected toxicities/deficits, it is best to confer with a trained nutritionist, preferably someone specializing in horses ...