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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. 

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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.

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All the best,

 Dr. Getty 

 



Ask the Nutritionist: Dr. Getty's Forum for Equine Nutrition
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Re: Utimate Finish for weight gain

Hi Kim,

Thank you for writing. You bring some very important issues.

First, I would not go with Ultimate Finish on top of what you're already feeding since you will create too many mineral overlaps.

Second, you are currently feeding a commercially fortified feed, making it difficult to add the correct amount of Reitsport HA-100 and again, prevent overlaps.

Here's what I suggest... since he is on hay and does not have access to fresh grass, he needs the vitamins that are no longer found in hay such as vitamin C, E, D, beta carotene (for vitamin A synthesis) as well as omega 3 fatty acids. Plus, he is suffering from inflammation and giving him bute will not be a good idea long term, as you indicated.

So, keep the commercial feed, the hay, and instead of Reitsport HA-100, give him PreOx -- one ounce (scoop) per day to provide antioxidants.

About additional vitamin E, one ounce of PreOx contains 2500 IU of vitamin E and 1 mg of selenium. I would not add any more selenium since he is getting quite a bit from the feed you're using. You said you feed 7 lbs per day of a feed that contains 1.1 ppm of selenium (that's a large concentration of selenium for a commercial feed -- very unusual). So, he's getting 3.5 mg of selenium each day -- on the high side. Perhaps you can find a feed that you like that has a more modest selenium concentration -- say 0.6 ppm.

To this mixture, I would add Nutra Flax to give him more fat that's high in omega 3 fatty acids (to reduce inflammation). Give him 2 scoops per day (4 ounces by weight).

And finally, a really nice joint preparation that contains more than the standard glucosamine and chondroitin, would be Actiflex Senior -- it has several anti-inflammatory agents from which I believe he'll benefit.

Keep me posted and if you feel that you would like to go over his situation in detail so we can take a really close look at the big picture, while customizing a feeding plan, perhaps a personal phone visit would be helpful.

All the best

Dr. Getty

Kim
Hi,

How do you feel about feeding Ultimate Finish for hard keepers? It says that it is high in Omega 3's but buckeye doesn't clarify how much. I have a 14 year old TB that I use for eventing. He gets 3.5lbs twice a day of a specialty feed that is 12% protein, 15% fat, and 12% fiber. He also is getting ReitSport HA-100 in smartpaks along with 1 sc of Equiflex for additional chondroitin (5000mg total was recommended to me). Since he is a competition horse, I am thinking of putting him on a Vit E supplement, but I wasn't sure how much to give him since he already receives some in what he is getting now. (The feed has 1.1 PPM selenium, so I think I don't need to add it as well since that is 3.5 PPM/day from the feed alone). He is on pasture, but most of the year we supply free choice hay b/c there isn't much grass. I have trouble keeping weight on him. If you don't recommend ultimate finish, how much of the Nutra-flax should I feed since he is already getting some flax in the reitsport? One more question, he has pedal osteitis which we are trying to control with corrective shoeing. Is there anything I can feed him to help? He is on bute periodically when his feet are bothering him (1/2-1 g twice a day depending on level of discomfort). Thanks so much, I think it is FABULOUS of you to have this forum.

Kim

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO