Ask the Nutritionist: Dr. Getty's Forum for Equine Nutrition
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All the best,
Dr. Getty
Hi again - I am the one that had my horse on the WellSolve LS, 0.4ozs of Enrich 32, 3 Vit E's and .8ozs of whole flax seeds.... after your answer to my nutrition plan I wanted to simplify what I was feeding so....
Both of my horses are getting Enrich 32 1.0lbs in the AM and PM - so here comes my questions.
I have gone back through out your forum and have learned that grinding up the whole flax seeds is better then giving whole flax seeds so I have a coffee grinder, but I'm confused on how much I should give to my horses. I have been giving 0.8lbs is this the correct amount.
My other question is my yearling has a bone chip in his left knee - he has shown no swelling, no heat, no favoring nothing!! I have had it x-rayed and will be monitoring it as he grows - I know the flaxseed is good for an anti-inflammation so should he get extra and if so how much? I know that Vitamin E's are good for bones as well - I have been giving him 3 natural Vit E's - is that the right amount or should I give him more?
Also is it alright to give my 4 year old Vit E's too - I do ride him and work him everyday.
Thank you again, I have learn so much from just reading through your forums.
Brandi
Where are you from? Oklahoma
How did you locate this forum? googled horse nutrition
Hi Brandi,
Yes, whole flaxseeds are not worthwhile giving since they must be chewed in order for your horse to benefit from the inside pulp. Since they are very small, adequate chewing is often impossible. So, grinding is best. But, please realize that once you grind them, they must be fed immediately -- they start to go rancid as soon as the meal becomes exposed to air.
I'm not clear about your dosing. 0.8 lbs? That's 12.8 ounces by weight. Or did you mean 1/2 lb? In any case, the easiest way to measure flaxseed meal is by volume -- 1/2 cup per 400 lbs of body weight. One-half cup of flax provides 2 ounces by weight. So, if your horse weighs 1200 lbs, for example, you would offer three, 1/2 cups servings (1 1/2 cups by volume, 6 ozs by weight).
Regarding vitamin E. Vitamin E is measured in International Units (IUs). So, I'm not clear as to your amount fed when you indicated "3 natural vitamin Es." I assume you're adding vitamin E capsules made for human consumption (which is ok) but they come in varying concentrations. Vitamin E is good to add for bone injuries since it prevents adhesions. Give your horses 3 IUs per 1 lb of body weight. So, for a 1000 lb horse, give him 3,000 IUs of vitamin E. Check to see how much he is getting from his feed and supplements and then add the difference.
Hope this is helpful.
All the best,
Dr. Getty 
Author of Feed Your Horse Like A Horse
Both of my horses are getting Enrich 32 1.0lbs in the AM and PM - so here comes my questions.
I have gone back through out your forum and have learned that grinding up the whole flax seeds is better then giving whole flax seeds so I have a coffee grinder, but I'm confused on how much I should give to my horses. I have been giving 0.8lbs is this the correct amount.
My other question is my yearling has a bone chip in his left knee - he has shown no swelling, no heat, no favoring nothing!! I have had it x-rayed and will be monitoring it as he grows - I know the flaxseed is good for an anti-inflammation so should he get extra and if so how much? I know that Vitamin E's are good for bones as well - I have been giving him 3 natural Vit E's - is that the right amount or should I give him more?
Also is it alright to give my 4 year old Vit E's too - I do ride him and work him everyday.
Thank you again, I have learn so much from just reading through your forums.
Brandi
Where are you from? Bayfield, CO
Thank you so much for helping me figure all of this out, I do not get along with numbers or math. But I would like for you to glance at these numbers to make sure that I'm calculating this correctly:
Chief weighs: 1054 so he should be getting 2, 1/2 cups of ground flax seeds or 4ozs and since my yearling weighs about 884 I should be giving him 2, 1/2 cups or 4 ozs of flax seeds...
Ok on the Vit. E's - sorry about the confusion - the pills that I am giving are 400IUS but - I just checked out how much Enrich 32 has in it and they have 500IU/LB - so if that's the case and it's a 50lbs bag then they're already getting 25,000IUs of Vitamin E - so I shouldn't be giving them any more Vitamin E's should I?
Again thank you so much for being patient!!
Brandi
Yes, whole flaxseeds are not worthwhile giving since they must be chewed in order for your horse to benefit from the inside pulp. Since they are very small, adequate chewing is often impossible. So, grinding is best. But, please realize that once you grind them, they must be fed immediately -- they start to go rancid as soon as the meal becomes exposed to air.
I'm not clear about your dosing. 0.8 lbs? That's 12.8 ounces by weight. Or did you mean 1/2 lb? In any case, the easiest way to measure flaxseed meal is by volume -- 1/2 cup per 400 lbs of body weight. One-half cup of flax provides 2 ounces by weight. So, if your horse weighs 1200 lbs, for example, you would offer three, 1/2 cups servings (1 1/2 cups by volume, 6 ozs by weight).
Regarding vitamin E. Vitamin E is measured in International Units (IUs). So, I'm not clear as to your amount fed when you indicated "3 natural vitamin Es." I assume you're adding vitamin E capsules made for human consumption (which is ok) but they come in varying concentrations. Vitamin E is good to add for bone injuries since it prevents adhesions. Give your horses 3 IUs per 1 lb of body weight. So, for a 1000 lb horse, give him 3,000 IUs of vitamin E. Check to see how much he is getting from his feed and supplements and then add the difference.
Hope this is helpful.
All the best,
Dr. Getty
Author of Feed Your Horse Like A Horse
Both of my horses are getting Enrich 32 1.0lbs in the AM and PM - so here comes my questions.
I have gone back through out your forum and have learned that grinding up the whole flax seeds is better then giving whole flax seeds so I have a coffee grinder, but I'm confused on how much I should give to my horses. I have been giving 0.8lbs is this the correct amount.
My other question is my yearling has a bone chip in his left knee - he has shown no swelling, no heat, no favoring nothing!! I have had it x-rayed and will be monitoring it as he grows - I know the flaxseed is good for an anti-inflammation so should he get extra and if so how much? I know that Vitamin E's are good for bones as well - I have been giving him 3 natural Vit E's - is that the right amount or should I give him more?
Also is it alright to give my 4 year old Vit E's too - I do ride him and work him everyday.
Thank you again, I have learn so much from just reading through your forums.
Brandi
Where are you from? Oklahoma
How did you locate this forum? google horse nutrition
Hi Brandi,
At 1/2 cup per 400 lbs, it's best give Chief 1 1/4 cups of flaxseed meal. And your yearling, 1 cup.
Vitamin E -- 3,000 IUs per day. If your feed has 500 IUs/lb, you'd need to feed 6 lbs to get 3,000. They would get 25,000 IUs if they ate the entire 50 lb bag -- not something that would be likely.
Dr. Getty
Author of Feed Your Horse Like A Horse
Chief weighs: 1054 so he should be getting 2, 1/2 cups of ground flax seeds or 4ozs and since my yearling weighs about 884 I should be giving him 2, 1/2 cups or 4 ozs of flax seeds...
Ok on the Vit. E's - sorry about the confusion - the pills that I am giving are 400IUS but - I just checked out how much Enrich 32 has in it and they have 500IU/LB - so if that's the case and it's a 50lbs bag then they're already getting 25,000IUs of Vitamin E - so I shouldn't be giving them any more Vitamin E's should I?
Again thank you so much for being patient!!
Brandi
Yes, whole flaxseeds are not worthwhile giving since they must be chewed in order for your horse to benefit from the inside pulp. Since they are very small, adequate chewing is often impossible. So, grinding is best. But, please realize that once you grind them, they must be fed immediately -- they start to go rancid as soon as the meal becomes exposed to air.
I'm not clear about your dosing. 0.8 lbs? That's 12.8 ounces by weight. Or did you mean 1/2 lb? In any case, the easiest way to measure flaxseed meal is by volume -- 1/2 cup per 400 lbs of body weight. One-half cup of flax provides 2 ounces by weight. So, if your horse weighs 1200 lbs, for example, you would offer three, 1/2 cups servings (1 1/2 cups by volume, 6 ozs by weight).
Regarding vitamin E. Vitamin E is measured in International Units (IUs). So, I'm not clear as to your amount fed when you indicated "3 natural vitamin Es." I assume you're adding vitamin E capsules made for human consumption (which is ok) but they come in varying concentrations. Vitamin E is good to add for bone injuries since it prevents adhesions. Give your horses 3 IUs per 1 lb of body weight. So, for a 1000 lb horse, give him 3,000 IUs of vitamin E. Check to see how much he is getting from his feed and supplements and then add the difference.
Hope this is helpful.
All the best,
Dr. Getty
Author of Feed Your Horse Like A Horse
Both of my horses are getting Enrich 32 1.0lbs in the AM and PM - so here comes my questions.
I have gone back through out your forum and have learned that grinding up the whole flax seeds is better then giving whole flax seeds so I have a coffee grinder, but I'm confused on how much I should give to my horses. I have been giving 0.8lbs is this the correct amount.
My other question is my yearling has a bone chip in his left knee - he has shown no swelling, no heat, no favoring nothing!! I have had it x-rayed and will be monitoring it as he grows - I know the flaxseed is good for an anti-inflammation so should he get extra and if so how much? I know that Vitamin E's are good for bones as well - I have been giving him 3 natural Vit E's - is that the right amount or should I give him more?
Also is it alright to give my 4 year old Vit E's too - I do ride him and work him everyday.
Thank you again, I have learn so much from just reading through your forums.
Brandi
Where are you from? Bayfield, CO