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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. 

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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: Prog Nutrition

Hi Elisha,

I took a look at both these -- the ProAdd Ultimate has an NSC level of 7% and 55% protein. The Envision Classic is a fat supplement, which 26% fat.

Both of these are very high in calories, making them risky for an overweight horse. But if your horse is of normal weight and is exercised enough to warrant the additional calories, you can feed something like these.

The question is first, what is the omega 3 to omega 6 ratio of the Envision? It contains flax, but it doesn't state the exact ingredients. I suspect that much of the fat comes from a high omega 6 fat source such as soybean oil. A much, much better fat source would be Nutra Flax -- a pure flaxseed meal without any added cereal grain.

The protein supplement would be appropriate for the horse that first, as I mentioned, needs the extra calories, and two, requires additional protein because of a poor diet. If your horse gets only one type of grass hay, no pasture, and no alfalfa (or clover), then additional protein may be helpful. But be cautious -- figure the total amount of protein in the diet by having your hay analyzed and calculating the amount in total. It should not exceed 16% for most horses.

For example, say your hay tests at 8% crude protein, and you feed 20 lbs of it per day. That amounts to 1.6 lbs of protein.

If you feed 2 lbs of the Ultimate product, at 55% protein, that amounts to 1.1 lbs of protein.

So, in total you have 2.7 lbs of protein with 22 lbs of feed. That calculates to 12.3% protein overall and that would be fine.

One last thing... if you are relying on these products to fulfill all the vitamin and mineral needs that are lacking in hay only diets, these will not do that because they are low in B vitamins and vitamin E. You could add both of these separately, if you like.

So, it truly depends on your horse's needs and I'm speaking in generalities here. Vitamin E and B vitamins, for example, are not met by these two products. The best way I can help you would be to talk with you over the phone so I can learn all about your horse in detail and customize a plan.

All the best,

Dr. Getty
Author of Feed Your Horse Like A Horse

Elisha
Hi,

I have a diagnosed IR horse who has managed to lose some of the abnormal weight gain and now has normal blood work.

On your Easy Keeper teleconference, you mentioned that some protein levels were too high. I feed Progressive AddUltium and Prog Envision Classic. Are these appropriate for my horse? If not, what would be a better fat and/or complete vitamin supplement? The high protein was mostly for helping my horse develop a better topline.

Otherwise, my horse eats grass hay (not tested yet) and no cereal grains.


Thank you for your time!

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO