<p><strong><strong><img src="images-joomla/guides/minus.png" alt="minus" style="vertical-align: middle;" />&nbsp; Too little </strong>Vitamin A<br /></strong></p>
<p>Vitamin A is required for normal vision, for the skin and other epithelia, and bone formation.</p>
<p>Vitamin A deficiency may lead to poor vision at dusk and during darkness, runny eyes, weak and scaly skin, loss of appetite, reduced growth rate, poor conception rates and general weakness.</p>
<p><strong>Solutions</strong>: Concentrates and most vitamin/mineral mixtures for horses contain ample amounts of vitamin A. Cod liver oil, carrots, green grasses, haylage and well cured hay are all good sources of vitamin A. #Grasses and haylage also contain beta-carotene which forms vitamin A in the body.</p>
<p><strong><strong><img src="images-joomla/guides/plus.png" alt="plus" style="vertical-align: middle;" />&nbsp; </strong><strong><strong>Too much </strong>Vitamin A</strong><br /></strong></p>
<p>Vitamin A if found in two forms: retinol and betacarotene. Betacarotene is a precursor for vitamin A and is present in grasses and other feeds which contain red or yellow pigments.</p>
<p>During normal feeding conditions the risk for toxicity from betacarotene is low, since it is not all absorbed from the diet.</p>
<p>Grasses, haylage and carrots are feeds which contain high amounts of betacarotene. When using such feeds you may experience red lines for Vitamin A.</p>
<p>If a major part of vitamin A in the diet comes from such betacarotene-rich feeds you can accept the ration even when the line showing vitamin A is red.</p>
<p>The center window on the help screen gives an analysis of the relative contribution of the different feeds to the total intake of vitamin A.</p>
<p>Prolonged over feeding of vitamin A will lead to intoxication resulting in weak or abnormally formed bones, hair loss and abnormal skin.</p>
<p><strong>Solutions</strong>: Give supplements which contain less vitamin A. Substitute commercial (vitamin-fortified) concentrates with grain. Be careful of giving more than one vitamin/mineral mix as many will contain vitamin A.</p>
<p>Do not give cod liver oil if the ration already contains a lot of vitamin A.</p>
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