Fungi in the intestines
A persistent worm infection that you can’t get under control, despite regular deworming products.
Very annoying, but it happens often.
We regularly come across this at Den Hoek: the persistent recurrent worm infections that the owner cannot get under control.
It is striking that almost all these horses and ponies also have fungi in their intestines.
Horses themselves can build up specific (especially against a particular parasite) and non-specific (general) resistance to internal parasites. This gives the parasite much less or even complete chance to develop in the body of the horse. It takes years before the body can really build up a good resistance and the degree of resistance that can be built up is also different for the various worms. Healthy horses, for example, all have sufficient resistance to the roundworm from their third year of life, so that they get little or no symptoms of disease with a light or moderate infection.
Fungus affects the entire intestinal flora, causing the resistance to drop significantly. The worms are given free rein, as it were.
Stress is also a very important factor in lowering the resistance.
Obesity, insulin resistance and fungi
In addition, we see at our practice a lot of horses and ponies with obesity and insulin resistance .
Fungus in the intestines is also remarkably common in these animals.
The excess of sugars and starches in the diet cause a shift in the intestinal flora. Fungi thrive on these sugars and starches.
Nutrients, and therefore also supplements and regular medication, are no longer properly absorbed.
Diet often plays a very important role in fungus in the intestines.
The disrupted intestinal flora also gives the wrong bacteria free rein. Usually it is the Streptococcis Bovis that gets the upper hand in the intestine, which causes changes to the intestinal wall and the release of toxins (poisons).
These toxins cause a process of detachment of the intestinal wall at the level of the basement membrane. This is a layer of cells beneath the lining of most hollow organs. This detachment process releases enzymes that cause a separation of the basement membrane and the layer above it. This is useful in the intestine, because the absorption process of the toxins can be stopped. However, these enzymes also enter the blood. In this way, these substances reach the entire body where they can cause the same reaction wherever a basement membrane is present. Also in the hooves. Underneath the horny layer of the hoof is also a basement membrane and so the hoof is released from “life” there.
This process has been extensively researched by Doctor CC Pollit. These two processes have also been demonstrated by Pollit in parallel in laminitic animals.
When there is a reduced blood flow in the feet due to the clogging of the vessel wall due to the deposition of fat, the foot does not have sufficient circulation, which can lead to laminitis. This is comparable to a reduced blood flow to the feet of people with diabetes. In a postpartum mare with metritis caused by a retained placenta the release process will mainly take place at the enzyme level, but in an overconditioned animal, the reduced blood circulation in particular will cause problems.
It is extremely important to be the first to tackle the fungus with these types of complaints, otherwise other treatments make little or no sense.
In case of recurrent worm infection, we therefore opt for treatment with phytotherapy in addition to regular deworming.
Eric has a Phytonics supplement line and for this a special supplement which tackles the fungi and restores the environment in the intestines.
Read more about deworming and fungi: