Can We Ease the Stress a Mare Experiences on the Path to Motherhood?
Photo courtesy of LIFELINE.
LIFELINE Equine
Anyone who has seen a mare through late pregnancy, parturition and early lactation understands the stress these events can place on the horse. One way or another, nature is going to take its course, but research has shown this stress can interfere with the immune system of both the mare and her foal. Is there anything we as humans can do to help ease the effects of stress the mare experiences on her path to motherhood?
The Effects of BioThrive® for Peripartum Mares and their Neonatal Foals from Birth to 60 Days of Age was published this week on The Journal of Equine Veterinary Science website. For the study, researchers at Blue Hors in Denmark answered this question by showing that oral bioactive proteins (marketed as BioThrive®) can indeed support a proper immune and inflammatory response in perinatal and postpartum mares and their foals. BioThrive® improved overall well-being in the pregnant and lactating mares in the study, a finding that is consistent with extensive research in other species on the effects of oral bioactive proteins during the stress of pregnancy and lactation.
Blue Hors conducted the blinded study at their own facility and at the nearby Ask stable. The effect of BioThrive® on certain stress biomarkers was monitored in 26 pregnant Warmblood dressage mares from the last 50 days of pregnancy, and in both the mares and their foals throughout the first 60 days of lactation. Of the 26 mares, 13 were given BioThrive® at a rate of 240 grams per day in two doses, and 13 were given a placebo. Caretakers dosing the supplements and recording data did not know which horses were receiving BioThrive®. They regularly recorded data including body weight, behavioral issues and health issues including swelling of joints and limbs in the mares and fecal consistency in the foals. Blood samples were taken at set intervals to evaluate levels of certain components in the blood serum such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and acute-phase serum amyloid A proteins (A-SAAs).
Several significant results from the study suggest that BioThrive® can benefit pregnant mares and their foals, findings that align with results from other studies of the effects of oral bioactive proteins on animals during pregnancy and lactation.
