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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

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All the best,

 Dr. Getty 

 



Ask the Nutritionist: Dr. Getty's Forum for Equine Nutrition
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Re: Horse health

Hello Lisa,

Thank you for writing about your fellow, Bill. Looking at your list of things that you're feeding, it is apparent to me that there are nutritional gaps. He definitely needs a vitamin/mineral supplement since the rice bran and the hay are not giving him important nutrients. So, his underweight may simply be a case of malnutrition.

He needs B vitamins, in particular, to keep his digestive system healthy. Without them, he cannot absorb nutrients properly, and he cannot derive calories from other nutrients.

He also needs omega 3 fatty acids, to not only provide calories, but to keep many of his body systems in good condition.

So, I highly recommend feeding Glanzen Complete -- give him 3 full scoops per day.

In addition, if you haven't already done so, have your hay analyzed. It's great that he has all he wants, but it may be so fibrous, and therefore indigestible, that he is not getting very much nutritive value from it. Contact Equi-
Analytical Labs -- www.equi-analytical.com and ask for a forage collecting kit. If you need help interpreting the results, I can assist you with that. Or, if you're not already signed up to receive my e-news, Forage for Thought, you'll enjoy this upcoming issue since it deals with interpreting your hay analysis report.

But basically, you want the %NDF (neutral detergent fiber) to be less than 55% (even less would be better). If it is too high, your hay contains an indigestible fiber called Lignin, which your horse cannot digest. So it's empty calories -- like straw, basically.

I hope this is helpful. If you find that a personal phone visit would be best, let me know and we can set up an appointment. That way I can go over everything in detail and we can come up with a plan, specific for Bill, that will get his weight back up to normal and improve his health.

All the best,

Dr. Getty
Author of Feed Your Horse Like A Horse

Lisa
Hello, I am hoping you can help my 26 yr old gelding. Bill is a Percheron/Morgan and with in the last two years has become a hard keeper. Bill is seen twice a year by a vet and has 6 month dental checks and farrier appt's every eight weeks. Bill is dewromed every 3 months. We've done the panacur pak. The vet scores him a 3 on the heneke scale. Blood work comes back good, no liver problems. He eats two meals a day of triple crown senior and free access to hay/water/salt/mineral block. I have tried beet pulp, it gives him diarrhea. I've used Triple Crown rice bran, veggie oil, weight gain powder. Most recenlty alfalfa pellets in combo with smart pak smart digest started in Nov. Bill recenly had a week of diarrhea and since that has cleared up is back on his triple crown senior and oats. Tonight I have added hay stretcher to his senior because I feel he is having trouble eating the long stem hay. He needs weight and I am at a loss reading everything on the net. The kicker is, Bill will eat anything you put in front of him. We jokingly call him the stomach.
Can you offer some advise?

Thank you,
Lisa
info@bowwowbeauty.com

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO