Dr. Getty, We are so blessed to have you, thanks so much for your time. In ref. to daily dewormer, yes they are purged twice a year, I havent used fenbendazole, I will do that, As for the apple juice, I,ve only used it once, it doesnt stay cold in houston Texas, that was a ditch effort. I just wanted to see them drink. I once tried the salt in their food, and the old mare walked away and tried to use her alpha status to get the others food. They do have a plain salt block. So, I,ll just add warm water in feed, and make a gruel on cold nights,no sweet stuff, deworm with fenbendazole, and use ration plus. Teeth are due for floating with annual vaccs in April. Her teeth are in good shape usually, maybe I should have hers checked twice a year. I,ll float some fecal balls. I could take a sample to work, I work in a small animal practice. I dont know if the float solution is the same? As for the Ration Plus, should I use it year round? The weather is warm again, so I feel more relaxed. I suspect my girls system Like mine just doesnt work as well as it once did. Thank you, Rhonda

Where are you from? houston Texas

How did you locate this forum? I stumbled on to it a few years ago

Hi Rhonda,

Thank you for your kind words -- it is truly my pleasure to make a difference in the lives of horses and their owners.

Sounds like to you have a plan. The float procedure for determining sand in the gut is not really "scientific" but it does give you an idea of what's going on. Sand colic can creep up on a horse very slowly, so it's best to know if it's an issue.

Ration Plus is something you'd want to give indefinitely for an older horse that tends to have digestive problems. The only time I use it as a "temporary treatment" is for the horse that is undergoing short term stress (such as trailering or abrupt changes in feed or environment).

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO