Apple Lytes - Equine America -

The only electrolyte for your horse or pony. Apple Lytes was formulated by Bruce Snipes, creator of Cortaflex®, who pioneered the feeding of electrolytes to horses in the 1960's. 

Composition: Sodium Chloride, Magnesium Sulphate Heptahydrate, Potassium Chloride, Dextrose, Calcium Gluconate

Additives (per kg): Technological additives: Monosilicic acid (E551a) 500mg. Sensory additives: Mixture of flavouring compounds.

Analytical Constituents: crude ash 74.3%, chloride 40.4%, sodium 22.5%, magnesium 1.7%, potassium 6.7%, calcium 0.5%

Feeding directions:

For a 500kg horse, per day: 56g. Add to feed or mix into 15 litres of the horse's drinking water, progressively if required.

Maximum per day: 56 g

56 g measure enclosed.

Note: may not be used in conjuction with Apple Lytes paste

For animal use only. Keep out of reach of children

Below is More about Electrolytes and their Use Electrolytes Replacement Supplements and Rehydration.

There is a great deal of confusion surrounding electrolyte replacement supplements -

This information sheet will look at the basic requirements of the horse and what is currently being marketed as an electrolyte replacer.

What are electrolytes?

Electrolytes are a collection of mineral salts found in blood plasma, which are responsible for many functions in the horse's body, including thirst and fluid balance. Sufficient levels should be provided in a natural diet but, if a horse is lacking in these vital mineral salts, it will try to seek them out from other sources including feeding on mud or tree bark. A continual lack of electrolytes in the diet is detrimental to health, will affect performance and is linked to an increase in conditions such as Tying Up.

When should you feed electrolytes?

When horses work they lose important electrolytes through sweat, the main two being Sodium and Chloride (the constituents of salt). Potassium, Calcium and Magnesium are also lost at lower levels.

Horses in low levels of work sweat occasionally, but still need some replacement Sodium and Chloride, and this can be achieved by the addition of basic table salt to the feed or by providing a salt block in the stable or paddock. Horses in medium to hard work need higher levels of salt, along with the other electrolytes that are lost through heavy sweating and electrolyte replacers have been produced to provide this.

To establish the required content of an electrolyte replacer, a trial was conducted using the sweat taken from horses in training. This sweat was analysed and the exact levels of electrolytes present were recorded. This information was then used to produce a product that provides the correct mix and levels of replacement electrolytes.

The product produced as a result of this trial was Apple Lytes.

Electrolytes Replacement Supplement – Granules or Solution?

As stated above, the main electrolytes lost through sweating are Sodium and Chloride and it is therefore essential to have salt as the base of any electrolyte replacement supplement, along with the correct levels of Potassium, Magnesium and Calcium. Most horses like the taste of salt, but some horses may find it less palatable than others and to ensure palatability for all horses, a small amount of flavouring or scent can be added. Effective electrolyte replacement is best achieved by including in the feed a granular product with minimal sweetening.

By contrast, products with high levels of sweeteners and/or in liquid form are much less effective due to their much lower electrolyte concentration.

In these cases, it would therefore be necessary to feed very large quantities of the products to achieve the necessary level of electrolytes.

As an example, racehorses in competition have been assessed to require 40 – 60 grams of salt per day, which cannot be achieved with a high sweetener and/or liquid based supplement. Consequently, liquid and heavily sweetened products should not be used as electrolyte replacement supplements.

Providing replacement electrolytes during competition.

Endurance is really the only discipline that requires the re-hydration and replacement of electrolytes during the competition, while the horse is still working. Replacing electrolytes in this way must be done carefully as giving a high salt solution to adehydrated horse before it has drunk enough water will draw water from the blood, and dehydrate the horse further. Horses at this level of work should have a good salt-based electrolyte replacement added to their feed on a daily basis and Apply Lytes Paste used during competition to 'top up' the electrolytes being lost, with care being taken to ensure that the horse is also being fully hydrated.

Summary

By taking in to account exactly what electrolytes the horse loses through sweat, you can effectively provide adequate replacement and supplementation.

Electrolyte Replacement – DO

• Use a salt-based (Sodium Chloride) supplement.
• Feed granular electrolytes on a daily basis if the horse is sweating.
• Look for the key electrolytes as the ingredients – Sodium, Chloride, Potassium, Magnesium and Copper.
• Feed high salt solutions to the horse before hydration.Electrolyte Replacement – DON'T
• Use a supplement high in Dextrose.
• Feed liquid electrolytes as an electrolyte replacement.
• Be impressed with a long list of ingredients, they will not add any benefit to electrolyte replacement.

Rehydration

Regaining electrolytes and water lost through sweating, although intimately linked, should be looked at as separate issues.

Dehydration is a very serious condition and, if left, can lead to death.

During and after competition it is very important to rehydrate a horse quickly but correctly and there are supplements available to encourage the horse to drink, whilst providing very low levels of electrolytes.

ANTIDOPING GUARANTEE CLARIFICATION
This product is considered appropriate for horses competing under the rules of FEI, RFHE and Jockey Club
Equine America Message Equine America are pleased to announce that we are certified members of the following Quality Assurance Schemes: • UFAS (Universal Feed Assurance Scheme) (AIC scheme) • BETA NOPS (Naturally Occurring Prohibited Substances) (BETA Scheme) By complying with these externally audited schemes, we demonstrate our commitment to providing top quality equine feed for our customers. Equine America’s QUALITY COMMITMENT Equine America (UK) Ltd sources feed to a strict code of feed safety. Our equine feed products have been manufactured in BETA NOPS licensed premises using quality assured ingredients under strictly controlled production conditions and conforms to the requirements of EU and UK legislation governing the manufacture of animal feeding stuffs. Equine America (UK) Ltd monitors for the presence of specified naturally occurring prohibited substances (NOPS) as required under the rules of racing and other affiliated competitions which are in line with BETA NOPS guidelines. Adherence to these guidelines ensures that the risk of occurrence of such substances is minimised. What is UFAS & BETA NOPS? UFAS forms the bedrock of EU Food and Feed legislation.  The scheme is audited and certified by an independent certification body, in accordance with the internationally recognised standard EN45011. As a fully UFAS accredited supplement company we give quality assurance that we adhere to the high standards of ingredient quality and production methods used in the formulation of our products To the consumer, UFAS accreditation means: 1. Full traceability of ingredients - from the packaged product right back to buying in the raw materials. 2. Guaranteed Good Manufacturing Practice in place. 3. Ingredients are guaranteed dioxin, bacteria, fungi and pesticide free, within EU limits. 4. No cross contamination of ingredients. 5. No external contamination of ingredients. 6. Guaranteed use of approved suppliers only. 7. Guaranteed HACCP plan (globally recognized Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) - which ensures first class quality control and uniformity of production. Naturally Occurring Prohibited Substances (NOPS) can occur in feed or supplements as a result of a natural presence or inadvertent cross-contamination during processing.  All substances classed as NOPS are included in a defined list and featured in the BETA NOPS quality assurance schemes. Companies audited under these schemes work to defined standards to help reduce the risk of feed contamination by NOPS. Companies signed up to the BETA NOPS scheme can make horse feed only on a dedicated non-medicated production line in order to reduce the risk of cross-contamination http://www.beta-uk.org/pages/feed-safety/beta-nops-scheme.php This applies to all supplements manufactured in the UK.