Hi!! I recently purchased a 2 year old Appendix mare. She stands about 16.2 hh and is at an excellent weight, great coat and hoofs. She recently had a pasture accident injuring her stifle area. She will be in her stall for the next month. I currently feed her purina ultium, not the full amount with nutraflax and Accel Lifetime. I tried giving her alfalfa pellets, but alfalfa gives her diahrea. I was just wondering if there is anything else I should be giving her while she is kept in her stall. She is aloud to walk twice a day. Anything to help the healing process? Thank you :)

Where are you from? PA

Hi! I forgot to ask something else. The flies drive her crazy. She has her chest all scratched up the the flies biting her. She wears a fly mask and sheet, but when you take it off she starts shaking her head. She does that also when I ride her. Is there anything I could put in her feed? Thank you once again :)

Where are you from? PA

Hi Sherry!

Oh my -- so sorry to hear that she had this accident and has to be stall-bound.

Yes, there are three main things you should consider giving her. Do you still have the Glanzen Lite? That contains B-Plex, so you'll want to give that to her, along with an additional dose of just B Plex to boost her B vitamin intake. This will do three things: First, it will expedite her tissue healing since the B vitamins are involved in protein synthesis and red blood cell health. Second, it will reduce her stress response that she is experiencing by being stalled. And, third, it will reduce her attraction to flies.

The other nutrient you will want to give her is extra Vitamin E. She is not getting enough in what you're already providing. This will help her injury heal faster. So, plain vitamin E (not a vitamin E/Selenium product) such as E5000 is what I'd recommend. Give her 5000 IU/day until she heals. Then, slowly wean her off of it.

And, lastly, she needs extra Lysine. She is still growing, and this essential amino acid is not found in high enough quantity in her diet to meet her growing needs. So, Pure Lysine would help -- add an additional 8 grams (2 scoops) per day while she's healing and 4 grams each day on a regular basis until she is 4 years old.

So, that's a lot to consider, but the goal is to get her back to health faster. Please keep me posted!

All the best,

Dr. Getty

P.S. Also, try adding some apple cider vinegar to her water or feed. While there's no real scientific evidence that it reduces fly bites, it does seem to help.

Where are you from? Colorado

Hi!! Thanks for all the info. Since I am giving her the Glanzen lite, do I need to give her Flaxseed? I give my 4 year old flaxseed along with the glanzen lite. He is a little on the thin side. My 2 year old is close to 17hands and aboud 1200 lbs. By giving her Ultium, extra vitamin E, lysine and her Glanzin lite be enough for her? She is excellent weight, nice coat, nice feet, very well muscled. I feel like I have her on so much now. I would like to cut back on how much I spend.

Hi Sherry,

No, you would not need to give additional flaxseed meal with the Glanzen-Lite. The only reason you would do that is to provide more calories for an underweight horse. But, in your case, the Glanzen-Lite (since it is flax-based) will be quite sufficient.

Yes, I'm all for simplifying things and saving money!

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Colorado

Hello. My horse is still in her stall. Sounds like a ligament pull. I have her on the ultium, glanzen, and I just purchased the pure Lysine. I was reading about Grape seed extract. Everyone says its stronger than the Vitamin E. What do you think of this product?

Hi Sherry,

Grape seed extract contains antioxidants known as proanthocyanidins and they are very potent. You could consider adding this to the diet, but not in place of vitamin E. Vitamin E and Grapeseed extract are more effective together than they are individually.

There is a product called PreOx that contains high amounts of antioxidants including vitamin E and Grapeseed Extract. You may wish to consider offering this while she is recuperating in addition to the Glanzen-Lite.

Please keep me posted,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, Colorado