Horse — gut / hindgut health & colic prevention — dietary management (Europe PMC)

Horse — gut / hindgut health & colic prevention — dietary management (Europe PMC)

Source: Europe PMC (Europe PubMed Central) REST search, query "(horse OR equine) AND (gut health OR hindgut OR colic prevention OR fermentable fiber OR prebiotic) AND (diet OR nutrition OR feed OR management)", 13766 hits (2026-07-22). Each entry is a first-hand peer-reviewed study; the abstract opening is quoted verbatim. 6 representative studies below (filtered for species + nutrition relevance).

1. PMID 41815495 — The importance of prebiotics in managing colic in horses: focus on (Frontiers in veterinary science, 2026). Abstract (opening): Colic remains one of the most frequent and costly causes of equine morbidity and mortality, with significant welfare and economic implications. Disturbances in the gut microbiome a *[CC BY — Open Access, verbatim with attribution.]*
2. PMID 41375540 — The Role of Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs) in Colic and Anti-Inflammatory Pathways in Horses. (Animals : an open access journal from MDPI, 2025). Abstract (opening): Equine colic remains a prevalent and potentially life-threatening condition with multifactorial origins, including dietary imbalances, stress, and microbial dysbiosis. Central to e *[CC BY — Open Access, verbatim with attribution.]*
3. PMID 41865910 — *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* A 2026 Journal of Equine Veterinary Science study examined how adding a commercial fiber-based feed formulated for both hydration and nutrition affects the equine hindgut microbiome. The authors note that horse health is increasingly linked to the gastrointestinal tract and its microbial community structure, which diet helps shape, and that many such feeds are commercially marketed; the excerpt is cut off before the results are detailed.
4. PMID 41600662 — Effects of Feeding Strategies on Gut Microbial Communities in Donkeys: A Comprehensive Narrative Review. (Veterinary sciences, 2025). Abstract (opening): Donkeys ( *[CC BY — Open Access, verbatim with attribution.]*
5. PMID 42046684 — Synergistic effects of (Veterinary world, 2026). Abstract (opening): The equine hindgut depends on microbial fermentation for efficient nutrient utilization but remains vulnerable to dysbiosis, hindgut acidosis, and suboptimal fiber digestion. Growi *[CC BY — Open Access, verbatim with attribution.]*
6. PMID 40980339 — Correlation of hindgut microbiome and fermentation properties with a history of gas and/or impaction colic in Japanese draft horses. (Journal of equine science, 2025). Abstract (opening): Colic, a major gastrointestinal disease in horses, has a high recurrence rate and can lead to surgery or fatal outcomes, highlighting the need for effective prevention measures. Di *[CC BY — Open Access, verbatim with attribution.]*

Note: study selection and synthesis are left to the API consumer; this topic only surfaces primary sources with verbatim abstract openings.

Source text: pdf-raw/evidence/europepmc_evidence_equine_gut_health_diet_2026-07-22.txt (Europe PMC REST + PubMed efetch, 2026-07-22).

License & attribution

Mixed licensing per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3: Open Access (CC BY / CC BY-NC / CC BY-NC-ND) studies are reproduced verbatim with attribution under their specific CC license; non-Open-Access studies are paraphrased as derived fact summaries (numbers and proper nouns preserved, sentences rewritten). Original records:

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40980339/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41375540/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41600662/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41815495/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41865910/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42046684/