Hi Dr. Getty,
I would love to hear your opinion on my concern: my 21 year old mare had tendon surgery 6 months ago and had been on alfalfa cubes 3 times/day (and looking a bit overweight)...her work is light trail riding. In preparation for her 3 month lay-up, I took her off the alfalfa and put her on orchard grass hay, along with about 1 lb. of senior pellets. Now that she's healed, she's lost weight (and muscle tone) and my vet wanted to put her back on alfalfa, but I've heard so much negative about alfala (so I was glad to take her off it during her recuperation--I was waiting for a reason). I have decided to keep her on the orchard, increase her senior feed to about 4-5 lbs. per day, but I know she needs more fat and protein. Her other daily supplements are vitamin C, MSM, electrolytes, and "Arthri-soothe," for arthritis. My local feed store suggested stabilized rice bran (powder form). Do you think rice bran is too "gluey" for her system? I've read that vegetable oil is used as weight builder, but not sure about how that affects the stomach lining. Friends have suggested adding some pellets, like a timothy/oat or timothy/alfalfa combo. I'm also trying to keep this cost efficient. What to do???

Where are you from? Orange County, CA,2

How did you locate this forum? from a search on equine nutrition

Hello Bonnie,

Alfalfa has received a lot of “negative press” but in actually, there is no scientific evidence that it is in any way harmful. In fact, it's just the opposite. Alfalfa complements the protein found in your grass hay, so you create a high quality protein source. Alfalfa is also an excellent source of calcium and vitamin E, both of which are important for healing and bone strength.

I would suggest that you add some alfalfa to her existing diet, such as the timothy/alfalfa combo. Rice bran is an excellent source of soluble fiber and it is highly digestible, so her bacterial flora is protected against the potential harm that too much starch can create (from grain).

So bottom line – Add some alfalfa and rice bran. Reduce her senior feed some, so you don’t overdue the grain-based feed. And, add a probiotic to keep her digestive system running smoothly. The goal is to give her energy for weight gain, and high quality protein so she can build muscle tissue. If she still requires extra calories to gain weight, try adding some flaxseed oil to her diet or even flaxseed meal.

Hope this is helpful!

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Thanks so much, Dr. Getty, for your prompt response.

Bonnie

Where are you from? Orange County, CA,2

How did you locate this forum? from a search on equine nutrition