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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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Re: Equine Saver

Hi Sherry,

I took a look at Equine Saver by Figuerola and it is overwhelming! There are so many ingredients in this supplement that it doesn't surprise me that your horse had a negative reaction to it. Here's the link to the analysis, for you or for my readers to see -- it's amazing and frankly, troubling: http://www.figuerola.net/media/pdfs/equinesaver_label.pdf

So, take him off of it.

Regarding the other items you're feeding, barley is potentially dangerous because it is not well digested in the foregut, leading to a larger potential of laminitis than oats, for example.

Flaxseeds should be stabilized and fortified with calcium to correct the naturally occuring inverted calcium to phosphorus ratio. So, when feeding flax, go with a product like Nutra Flax.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO

Re: Equine Saver

I did take him off of it immediately and within 3 days he was back to normal. Thank you for confirming my suspicions.

So, I should feed steamed rolled oats instead of the barley? Or should I feed a processed feed? If so which feed(s) do you like. The flax I get I grind it myself right before each feeding, that is not correct either? I think I read in a previous post that you don't prefer Black Oil Sunflower Seeds (BOSS) either, correct? I am trying to add a good fat source. I was feeding Buckeye Cadance, but my one "problem" horse thrived much better once I switched to this current plan I'm on.

I am trying to keep my horses as natural as possible so any suggestions I would appreciate them. I have 5 barrel racing horses ranging from 7-22 years of age.

Where are you from? PA

How did you locate this forum? surfing the web

Re: Equine Saver

Hi Sherry - Don't mean to hi-jack your thread but you might want to re-consider the oats. Oats are not a good plan. Dr. Getty got me started on Triple Crown feeds for our 3 a few yrs ago and it is wonderful feed. We use the lite formula even for our 27 yr old. We also use the Glanzen product's. So if you could find a feed low in starch/carbs he would be much better off. Good Luck!

Re: Equine Saver

Hi Sherry,

I do not like to feed oats to most horses, especially those that are overweight, prone toward insulin resistance, aging, or have any metabolic disorder (such as Cushings) that interferes with carbohydrate metabolism. So, Vicky is correct in not offering oats.

But, having said that, performance horses do require additional calories and the boost of energy that carb provide can be beneficial if done in moderation. So, a small amount of oats -- no more than 2 lbs per day, combined with a low starch feed, such as Triple Crown Lite, would be beneficial.

However, oats are problematic for any horse that has ulcers or is prone toward ulcers since the carbohydrates cause an increase in stomach acid secretion. So, since your horses are barrel racers, they are likely to develop ulcers, if they don't already have the beginning stages of an ulcer. So, for this reason, you may want to drop oats (or any cereal grain) from the diet.

Barrel racers also experience stress to their joints and feet. So, I would suggest giving them a flaxseed meal based supplement that supports joints, protects the immune function, and offers digestive support such as Reitsport HA-100. Since this time of year, your horse does not get any fresh grass, consider a more complete supplement -- Reitsport HA-100 Complete.

Grinding your own flaxseeds requires attention to the calcium in the diet since flax has a naturally inverted calcium to phosphorus ratio. The Reitsport supplements I recommended are made from flaxseed meal that has added calcium to correct this problem. It is also stabilized, meaning it will not quickly become rancid.

You may find a personal phone visit helpful, since a complete evaluation of your horses' situation and their current diet would be worthwhile. Please let me know if I can assist you further.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO

Re: Equine Saver

i bought Equine Saver one time, then i looked at the ingredient list and it had Lead,Arsenic and radioactive elements in it and a whole bunch of other stuff that i looked up that were bad for you.

i would NOT feed it to my horse.

Where are you from? Ohio

How did you locate this forum? search engine

Re: Equine Saver

Hi Joanne,

I didn't catch the lead and arsenic in the ingredients. But, it certainly has too many things in it to be reasonable as an appropriate supplement.

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO

Re: Equine Saver

http://www.valleyvet.com/Library/lib_30866_-label.pdf Is a link that should work to the ingrediants.

I always fed this stuff, thinking it was great. THEN I DID RESEARCH...

Is it really ok to feed Cobalt, Arsenic, Uranium, Mercury, Lead???

IS there an all in one supplement you can recommend?

I have a cushings horse that gets fat on air but I want to make sure he is getting 100% vitamins and minerals.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Where are you from? Manorville, Long Island, NY USA

How did you locate this forum? Yahoo search on "Equine Saver Bad"

Re: Equine Saver

Hi Christine,

The best all in one that I consider the "gold standard" is Reitsport HA-100 Complete that offers joint and hoof support, immune support, calms the nervous system through B vitamins, keeps digestion healthy, and fills in nutritional gaps found in hay.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Christine
http://www.valleyvet.com/Library/lib_30866_-label.pdf Is a link that should work to the ingrediants.

I always fed this stuff, thinking it was great. THEN I DID RESEARCH...

Is it really ok to feed Cobalt, Arsenic, Uranium, Mercury, Lead???

IS there an all in one supplement you can recommend?

I have a cushings horse that gets fat on air but I want to make sure he is getting 100% vitamins and minerals.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO