I need some advice on nutrition on a 9 month old filly we rescued when she was born. We have bottle fed her since she was only hours old. We used a mares milk suppliment and later added a mare and foal pellet. I am de- worming her every two months and she eats quality grass/alfalfa the same as my other horses. But she just doesn't seem to be gaining in weight the way I feel she should. She actually seems to be declining. I need a good balanced suppliment safe for foals. I would appreciate any advice you could give me. Thanks,veronica

Where are you from? utah

How did you locate this forum? thru cowboy.com

Hi Veronica,

What a wonderful experience for you having had her since birth. Are you feeding any complete feed or grain? She is getting a good mixture of hay, but she will require have more than hay in order to gain weight. A general feeding guide is to offer approximately 1 lb of total feed per month of age. So, at 9 months, she will need at least 9 lbs of feed each day (including hay).

I would recommend that you offer a low starch complete feed such as Nutrena’s “Safe Choice.” ACCO Feeds also offers the same product under the label, “Safe and Sound.” A standard quart scoop is approximately 2.5 pounds, so offering ½ scoop, three times a day, would provide her with a fair amount of extra energy, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids that she is not able to get from hay alone.

In addition, a good probiotic would be helpful. A produce I highly recommend is "Ration Plus " (www.rationplus.com). It will help her optimize her digestive process so she can get all the nutrients from her feed.

I hope this is helpful. Please keep me posted on how she is doing.

All the best,

Dr. Getty