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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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Old horse losing weight

Hi Dr. Getty,
I have a really old horse that has been losing a lot of weight. You can see his ribs and he looks sunken in by his hind quarters. Vet came out, we did bloodwork and all was normal. He is dewormed regularly and I added beet pulp and calfmana to his diet. I soak his food in water ( he tends to choke if i don't ) and he chews hay then spits it out ( his teeth have been checked and are fine ). Therefore he gets alfalfa cubes. I have no idea what else I can do to put weight on him. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated
Thanks,
Camille

Where are you from? Pattersonville,NY

How did you locate this forum? Google

Re: Old horse losing weight

I have heard said: Adding Stabilized Brown Rice Bran can help an older Equine gain weight; also; the Natural B-Vitamins in the Brown Rice Bran contain a certain Vitamin named Thiamine Vitamin B1; this Vitamin in particular "gets a horse to eat better...I think Dr. Getty sells Stablized Rice Bran which is not expensive: RB is a warehouse of nutrient

Where are you from? Connecticut

How did you locate this forum? Dr. Getty's Forage for Thought Newsletter

Re: Old horse losing weight

I'm from New York

Where are you from? Pattersonville,NY

How did you locate this forum? Google

Re: Old horse losing weight

Hi Camille,

Weight loss in older horses is a common issue. The best way to approach it (after you've ruled out things like teeth problems, worm infestation, and other health problems), is to feed both the foregut (small intestine) and the hindgut (cecum and large colon).

The foregut is where horses digest carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. These nutrients not only feed your horse's tissues, but also provide calories to help with weight gain (especially fat, with the most calories per gram). So, it's beneficial to feed fat, but the right kind of fat. I recommend feeding a combination of flaxseed meal (for omega 3s) as well as some stabilized rice bran (as Anne suggested). Go with Nutra Flax for flaxseed meal since it is stabilized against rancidity and feed 1 scoop per 400 lbs of body weight.

Calf manna is not appropriate for horses. It is designed for calves and is very high in starch. An older horse is prone toward developing equine Cushing's disease and should not have a high starch diet.

Now to the hindgut... here, the bacteria are responsible for digesting the fiber that is found in forage (hay and/or pasture). Their numbers tend to dwindle as the horse ages, so feeding them will help them to better digest fiber and therefore provide more calories so your horse can gain weight. Go with either Ration Plus, or SynBiotic EQ to boost the health of these microbes.

Thanks for writing and keep me posted.

All the best,

Dr. Getty
Author of Feed Your Horse Like A Horse


Camille Torres
Hi Dr. Getty,
I have a really old horse that has been losing a lot of weight. You can see his ribs and he looks sunken in by his hind quarters. Vet came out, we did bloodwork and all was normal. He is dewormed regularly and I added beet pulp and calfmana to his diet. I soak his food in water ( he tends to choke if i don't ) and he chews hay then spits it out ( his teeth have been checked and are fine ). Therefore he gets alfalfa cubes. I have no idea what else I can do to put weight on him. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated
Thanks,
Camille

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO

Re: Old horse losing weight

Hi Dr. Getty:

Thanks for the tip on the Flaxseed; I did not know Flaxseed had so much Omega 3 and Omega 6; wonderful !

I intend to begin using Flaxseed Oil for myself! I went to buy some Flaxseed oil the other day; when I reached for the flaxseed I dropped a bottle of Olive Oil over the store's floor ! so I did not buy the Flax; I will give buying the Flaxseed oil another try and will report on the Flavor of the oil tomorrow

I think the introduction of Flax Seed for Equine is super-great; esp. how much we know about Omega Oil...

I personally believe Omega Oils are super important !

and I like what you said about "The Rice Bran too ! A

Where are you from? Connecticut

How did you locate this forum? web

Re: Old horse losing weight

Hi Anne,

Yes, I like flaxseed oil because it contains 4:1 Omega 3s to Omega 6s.

Not sure what you mean by "Omega oils." All fats are classified according to their omega fatty acid content. There is one omega 3 fatty acid (called ALA) and one omega 6 fatty acid (linoleic acid) that the horse cannot produce, and therefore, these must be in the diet.

The problem arises when there is too much linoleic acid (omega 6), leading to inflammation. There should always be more ALA (omega 3) than omega 6.

All the best,

Dr. Getty
Author of Feed Your Horse Like A Horse

Anne
Hi Dr. Getty:

Thanks for the tip on the Flaxseed; I did not know Flaxseed had so much Omega 3 and Omega 6; wonderful !

I intend to begin using Flaxseed Oil for myself! I went to buy some Flaxseed oil the other day; when I reached for the flaxseed I dropped a bottle of Olive Oil over the store's floor ! so I did not buy the Flax; I will give buying the Flaxseed oil another try and will report on the Flavor of the oil tomorrow

I think the introduction of Flax Seed for Equine is super-great; esp. how much we know about Omega Oil...

I personally believe Omega Oils are super important !

and I like what you said about "The Rice Bran too ! A

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO

Re: Old horse losing weight

I was wondering if a horse is already getting Glanzen Complete, how much stabilized rice bran should or could be added to help gain/maintain weight?

Where are you from? Indiana

How did you locate this forum? book

Re: Old horse losing weight

Hi Dr. Getty:

Interesting information about the ALA Omega EFA's (Essential Fatty Acids); I learned a lot from your post; truth is: I always thought Omega meant "Whole; so I thought Omega Oils were Whole Oils...silly me !

I see Omega Oils are types of Oils; with different carbon bonds; such as Omega 3; Omega 6 and Omega 9;

the two oils I know of are: Rice Bran Oil; Flax Seed Oil; I understand Rice Bran retains the Rice Bran Oil

so maybe she could add plain Rice Bran for the Older Equine: I know the Rice Bran is chock full of Vitamins and Minerals; and helps put on weight...thx!

Where are you from? Conn.

How did you locate this forum? web

Re: Old horse losing weight

Hi there: I think Dr. Getty is on vacation...I do not know how much to feed the older Equine: I do know I have read countless "testimonials" as to how much the health of equines has improved to Rice Bran:

Rice Bran will give your older equine: Fiber; Vitamins (esp. B Vits); Minerals; essential fats...

you want to introduce the Rice Bran very very slowly; such as a tablespoon a day for a few days...then increase to 1/2 cup or so I would guess;

Rice Bran was discovered in 1856 by Dr. Eijkman...hth

I would "Contact" this company http://www.nutracea.com/NutraCeaScience

for the exact amounts of Rice Bran to be supplemented

Where are you from? Conn.

How did you locate this forum? web

Re: Old horse losing weight

ps I agree with Dr. Getty about "the Calf Manna not being as good as the FlaxSeeds or the Rice Bran; etc.

This is because I researched the ingredient list of Calf Manna and I see they add extra : Sulphur; Iron and Salt...

a. too much Salt is not good; but Salt is essential
b. Iron is not recommended as a long term supplment
c. Sulphur...adding Sulphur is not that great...

this is because: you recall the Vitamin B1 Thiamine I was telling you about which "Increases Appetite in Mammals...? well; Sulfur depletes this Vitamin B1 !

so by using Calf Manna (good short term though); on a long term basis...POSSIBLY the added Sulfur in Calf Manna is depleting the B1 and B-Complex Vitamins in the Glanzen Complete so as Dr. Getty said

I would go for the Glanzen Complete with Rice Bran (I said that; note : To save money you could try this

Give the Glanzen Complete one day; Rice Bran the next; this way the older equine has "all bases covered...I would NOT give the Rice Bran AND Glanzen complete the same day; this would be a waste of money because the equine can only utilize so much !

summary: get the rice bran and follow label direction
and mabye reduce the Glanzen complete slightly...imo!

ps Glanzen Complete has Flax so you are all set there

Where are you from? Conn.

How did you locate this forum? web

Re: Old horse losing weight

Hello Erika,

Glanzen Complete is flaxseed meal based, and an excellent source of fat that is high in omega 3 fatty acids. But if additional calories are needed for weight gain, stabilized rice bran that has a small amount of calcium added (to correct for high phosphorus levels naturally found in bran) would be a good choice. You can safely feed up to one pound per day.

For weight gain, also keep in mind that the high gut microbial population needs to be healthy. These microbes are responsible for digesting fiber (from hay and pasture). So, if their numbers are inadequate, your horse will not get calories from forage. A good probiotic combined with a prebiotic, is worth considering. I like SynBiotic EQ, since it also protects immune function.

All the best,

Dr. Getty
Author of Feed Your Horse Like A Horse

Erika
I was wondering if a horse is already getting Glanzen Complete, how much stabilized rice bran should or could be added to help gain/maintain weight?

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO