Hi
I fed my horses beet pellets tonight, I had only soaked it a few minutes until it softened up.
I had been feeding the shreds but the store was out of them so I got pellets.
My one horse gobbles down his food, and he gobbled the pellets, about four or five cups dry, down and instantly began to colic! I never in all my years with horses had one colic.
I had the vet out and she really scared me saying if they are not soaked completly before eating, as soon as they hit the warm stomache they start expanding and can cause his stomache to burst. She said he could be fine as long as he does not take a turn for the worst by morning, so I am having a sleepless night here.
My real question is in a few days could I again feed the beet pulp pellets if I soak them longer with any ill affects? I am feeding it to put his supplements on.
Just for the record my other horse had the exact same amount and eats much slower and was fine. Sorry this is so long,but I really trust your advice as you have been so helpful in the past.
Sincerely,
Carol

Where are you from? California

How did you locate this forum? from a friend

Hi Carol,

I recently had a problem like yours, except my horse got out and ate dry beet pulp pellets.

When we found him he had choke and the vet came out and drenched him with min. oil and calcium carbonate and we also had a very sleepless night, with the vet saying we'll see if he makes it to morning.

Well the next morning at around 11am he passed away, we think what happened was that his stomach/intestines did rupture.
It was a very sad day.
I really am praying that your horse makes it through this ok, it's a really bad learning experience hey.

As for feeding pelleted BP, it expandes a great deal, so 4-5cups would be a LOT of BP to eat at one time, just so you know for your other horse.

I'm sure Dr.Getty will have awesome advice for you and again I really hope your poor guy is ok, keep us updated please. :)

Jenni

Where are you from? canada

How did you locate this forum? internet

Jenni
I am so sorry for the loss of your horse! Thanks for your kind words, he is doing fine! But I wonder will this make him more sensitive and more prone to colic now?
I have never had to deal with colic before.
Thanks
Carol

Where are you from? California

How did you locate this forum? from a friend

Hi Carol and Jenni,

First, let me say to Jenni how sorry I am about losing your horse. I know what that pain is like and it's something that I think stays with us for a long time.

Carol, you can feed the beet pulp pellets but they need to be soaked for at least 1 to 2 hours in warm water. For this reason, I like the shredded better, so if you can get that variety in the future, I think you'll feel more at ease about feeding it. I would still recommend soaking the shredded beet pulp for your horse that gobbles his food down.

As you know, first hand, every horse is different and some are more prone to colic than others and they eat at different rates. So, a horse that is a fast eater needs to be protected by soaking the beet pulp. One nice thing about soaking it, is that they get extra water in their system. This is especially helpful during the winter months when their water consumption typically lessens.

Thanks so much for writing.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, Colorado

Hi Susan, thanks for your kind words also.
I'm so glad to hear about your gelding, I to had never even seen a colicky horse before, scared the heck out of me, I never want to have to go through that again, hopefully.
I was wondering the same thing, are they more sensitive after colic, I'm not to sure.

Good luck.
Jenni

Where are you from? canada

How did you locate this forum? internet