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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 

 



Ask the Nutritionist: Dr. Getty's Forum for Equine Nutrition
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flax seed

Just discovered this fantastic web site! What a wealth of good information. My question is..
I am feeding ground(daily)flax seed to my horse who has slight ESPM symtoms, but have just discovered on this site that it doesn't have a good calcium/phosphorous ratio. How can I raise the calcium intake? If possible not brand/product names as I can't get those products unfortunately over here. Is beet pulp any good for calcium intake?
Thankyou.

Where are you from? English living in Italy

How did you locate this forum? internet search engine

Re: flax seed

Greetings Elizabeth and welcome to this site!

Yes, you can add a high calcium feed to your ground flaxseed meal, such as beet pulp or alfalfa. This will generally take care of the imbalance, as long as you do not overfeed flax. Depending on the need, a dose of 60 to 180 grams is fine (2 to 6 ounces by weight, for my U.S. friends). And, remember to grind it daily and refrigerate it if not fed immediately. Rancidity takes place quickly, resulting in damaging free radicals, and you certainly don't want to feed those to your precious equine friend!

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO

Re: flax seed

Thank you so much for your answer, how nice to see amounts put in weight(grams & ounces) instead of 'cups' as I'm never sure how big a cup should be.
I grind the flax daily and he has beet pulp and cubes that are 50% alfalfa. Over here I can't find pure alfalfa cubes they are always mixed with other hays and unfortunately molasses too, but I'll keep searching.

Thanks again,
Elizabeth

Where are you from? English living in Italy

How did you locate this forum? internet search engine

Re: flax seed

Hi Elizabeth,

Well, it sounds like your horse is getting plenty of calcium to counteract the imbalance from the flaxseed.

Keep up the good work!

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO