Hi Dr. Getty. I have just discovered this forum...what a godsend! Thank you!

We are re-hab an 18 year old dressage horse who has been out of consistent work for about 5 years with soundness issues. We got him in Sept and have slowly been conditioning him with excellent results, so far! He is on about 10 hours of turn-out a day, with access to some winter grazing that my husband planted...I also have good quality timothy hay available to him at all times.

He receives 2 qts of TC Low Starch feed, 3 times a day. I give him the TC Safe Starch forage, soaked with his meals to make sure he getting enough water, although he is a good drinker. His suppplements are Equine Saver, Joint Saver, Recovery EQ, Lubrisyn all at the recommended dosage, 1/2 cup BOSS and 2 tbls of flax-seed. I will probably stop with the Recovery EQ at the end of the month as I will need to re-order and it might be over-kill on the joint supplements. This horse looks wonderful...his coat is the best it has ever looked, he has excellent weight and is going sound!! But, he is passing a huge amount of gas and it worries me. Any suggestions on what I can eliminate (or add) to his diet to help this? I started him on Ration Plus a week ago, but no decrease in the gas yet! Thanks so much, and I'm sorry this is so long! Peggy

Where are you from? South Carolina

How did you locate this forum? Chronicle of the Horse Bulletin Board

Hi Peggy,

Sounds like you're doing a wonderful job with him! I have a couple of suggestions that may help.

First, I would suggest discontinuing the sunflower seeds. They are high in omega 6 fatty acids, and while some are important, too many cause an increase in inflammation, and you're working very hard to reduce his inflammation.

Second, you mentioned flaxseeds. If they are not ground, they are not doing him any good. And, they are going undigested, as well, which will also lead to gas formation. So, give him plenty of flaxseed meal, but it must be ground ahead of time (and fed within 1 to 2 days) or you can use a stabilized product.

And, finally, Ration Plus is very effective for this problem, but you may not be giving him enough of it. The maintenance dose is only 1 teaspoon per day, but in his case, I would give him 3 teaspoons per day. Shake the bottle well before using.

Hope this is helpful! Keep up the fine work!

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO

Hi Dr. Getty...thank you so much for getting back to me!! I discontinued the sunflower seeds and flax seeds last night...the more I read the info on your forum I decided that might be contributing to the problem. Also doubled the Ration Plus...will definitely keep him on that. Am wondering if possibly the Equine Saver might just have too much "stuff" in it...they refer to it as a "super food". Perhaps the Recovery EQ and the lubrisyn will be enough, with maybe Cosequin instead of Joint Saver. I read somewhere that too much MSM can cause gas, and the Joint Saver has 5000mg and Recovery EQ has 10,000...maybe that is to much??? Thanks again so much. I was really getting worried! Peggy

Where are you from? SC

How did you locate this forum? COH bulletin Bd

Hi Peggy,

Tell me what's in the Equine Saver, or let me know their website and I'll be happy to take a look at it.

MSM may cause some gas -- it's possible. 15,000 mg of MSM is not dangerous.

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO

Hi Dr. Getty. Thanks so much for taking the time to help me out! I'm going to try to attach a link for the Equine Saver...its got so many ingredients it would take forever to send them to you! I've quit giving it to him, and also the joint saver, (with 5,000mg MSM) and the gas does seem to be better. Think I'll give him a weeks worth of Sand Clear next week...give him time to get over whatever has caused this. Thanks again. Hope this link gets you there! https://figuerolalaboratories.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=166

Where are you from? SC

How did you locate this forum? COH bulletin Bd

Hi Peggy,

I looked at the link and it sure it lengthy! Since you are giving TC low starch -- go ahead and weigh it -- that way you know how much your horse is getting. Then, if you are not feeding according to the directions, you can purchase Triple Crown's 12% supplement to go along with their feed. This would be a better, and more economical way to go. It may also be safer, since there may be too many overlaps with this product plus the complete ration (Triple Crown low starch).

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO