Ask the Nutritionist: Dr. Getty's Forum for Equine Nutrition
Welcome to my forum.
Here you will find more than 6 years of questions and my answers. It is searchable and offers a great deal of information.
Currently, I am discontinuing new questions. This may change in the future, but in the meantime, please know that It has been a true pleasure serving you.
Take a look at my Nutrition Library and Tips of the Month for a variety of answers on selected topics. Be sure to sign up for my monthly e-newsletter, Forage for Thought.
I also have a growing number of recordings on "Teleseminars on Nutrition Topics that Concern You" as well as the new, Spotlight on Equine Nutrition Series -- printed versions of favorite teleseminars.
And finally, look for my articles in a variety of local publications and online newsletters, as well as the Horse Journal, where I am the Contributing Nutrition Editor.
All the best,
Dr. Getty
Hi Dr. Getty:
You have helped me before on some youngins I am raising and they are doing great. I have another question. We acquired a 14 year old mare. She has more gas then I have ever seen in a horse. What would you suggest feeding her to quiet the "tuning". She is out on pasture all night and in during the day due to tempatures right now but then will be switched to day rotation when the temps cool. She gets two flakes of timothy & orchard grass hay when she is in her stall and just a 1/4 cup of 10% grain feed. No corn in feed. I have another mare on Safe Choice and was thinking about switching her to that but wanted your advice first. Your help will be appreciated. Thanks!
Steph
Hi Steph! Nice to hear from you!
Two things will help tremendously – one is Ration Plus. This will allow the bacteria in her hind gut to more efficiently digest forage. And, two – give her the Safe Choice instead of grain. Grain, if fermented, tends to produce more gas. However, you said you are only giving her ¼ cup, which is so little that I don’t think it is a problem.
Keep me posted!
Dr. Getty
Hi Dr. Getty:
I have ordered the Ration Plus for her. Thank you for your advice on this matter. Approximately how long will it be before we might see some results? Is this a supplement that we will need to keep her on continually or just til the "plumbing" starts working better? Do you offer automatic shipping of this product? Thanks so much for your help and the free shipping of the product it was very much appreciated. Steph
Hi Steph,
For a horse that has digestive problems, I have found a maintenance dose of Ration Plus keeps the “plumbing” working quite nicely, so it’s helpful to keep using it as part of her feeding regimen. To begin with, however, a double dose (2 teaspoons/day) is best, until you see results. Depending of the horse, this can take a week or it can take a month. But, you should see results within a month’s time. Then, you can go down to a maintenance dose (1 tsp/day).
So, please keep me posted on how she is doing.
Dr. Getty