mineral oil and bran

Question
Does this work to help prevent colic? I feed 2 or 3 feedings a week. so far so good. Cam anyone help?

Answer
Hi Jeanne,

Thank you for your question.  Regular feedings of warm bran mash and mineral oil have long been used as a preventative for impaction colic in horses.  Realistically, however, the combination really doesn't do much to prevent colic...it's more likely that horse owners that are conscientious enough to go to that trouble have excellent management practices that keep their horses colic-free.  Bran does not have the same 'laxative' effect on the digestive system of the horse as it does on the digestive system of people.  Horses are herbivores, and are designed to handle this type of fiber in a controlled manner...so the bran does not create a 'poop' response to clear the large colon.  Mineral oil is used to 'lube' the digestive system.  In fact, mineral oil is completely un-digestible and in 'lubing' the digestive system it will block absorption sites for valuable nutrients and will coat and inhibit beneficial bacteria in the hindgut of the horse.  Of course, you may not feed enough of the mineral oil for it to be a real problem to your horse...but it is worth keeping in mind.  You will even find that many vets have moved away from drenching colicy horses with mineral oil, and instead simply use water.

If colic is a going concern for you, I would suggest instead that you feed yeast on a regular basis as it will improve forage digestibility (often at the root of impaction colic).  Ensure that your horse has access to salt and if possible feed loose salt with your grain (start with 1/8 cup per day) and ensure that your horse has unlimited access to fresh water.  If sand colic is your concern, feed a psyllium based product designed to clear sand from the digestive system.

The one benefit of feeding a bran mash is getting additional water into the horse's digestive system...especially helpful for show horses who don't like to drink a lot.  A better alternative would be wet beet pulp.  It provides fiber in a digestive format, and gets more water into the horse.

I hope that helps.

Thanks, Corlena