Hi Dr Getty:
I need to place an order and started looking at all your goodies. I need to stop spending money and keep the feed regime simple, but now I am feeling guilty that I am not feeding Accel to Troy and the 2 year old QH filly. He looks good except, for his recent bout of laminitis????? we just aren't sure about that. The filly is putting on weight, actually, I need to back her down. I am going to add Lysine to her feed. The added expense of one more supplement is worrisome but if they really need it then that's what I will do. If I don't add it are there too many gaps? Any suggestions?

Current regime Troy/day :2 lbs TC LoStarch, Ration Plus, Quiessence (will stop that soon) and 4 oz Glanzen.

Mattie HYPP neg QH filly/day :1 lb alfalfa pellets, 1 lb TC LoStarch and 4 oz Glanzen

Thanks for all your help
Elyce, Troy and baby girl Mattie who just bent a pipe gate in half climbing over it.

Hi Elyce!

No need to add Accel to their diets -- you're already feeding Glanzen, which contains vitamins and minerals. So you would be overdoing it by adding another vitamin/mineral supplement.

I'm curious why you're discontinuing Quiessence for Troy when he has had problems with laminitis. Quiessence is very helpful for preventing laminitis. There may be other contributing factors that I cannot assess from a simple forum communication. So, if laminitis continues to be chronic for Troy, we perhaps should schedule a follow up.

Keep Mattie's alfalfa consumption to no more than what you're feeding since alfalfa is high in potassium. And, additional Lysine is important for her growth.

Keep me posted!

Best regards,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO

Thanks for the quick reply, I was trying to go back and forth between pages and I was afraid I was missing some vitamins! So glad I have you for a reference. Should I leave out the alfalfa pellets and just give Mattie Lysine? If so how much?

Thanks
Elyce

Hi Elyce,

You can discontinue the alfalfa and stick with the Lysine since Glanzen has plenty of methionine (found to some extent in the alfalfa and also in her hay/grass). This would be the safest route to take.

I would suggest giving her 2 scoops of Pure Lysine -- this would provide an additional 8 grams.

Glad to help!

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO

Dr Getty
I was rereading your suggestions for Lysine for Mattie the 2 you QH filly. You said not to feed her any more alfalfa due to high potassium. She is HYPP negative N/N. Is there any other reason I should be concerned about potassium? If HYPP is not an issue, is 1 pound a day still too much?

Thanks
Elyce

Hi Elyce! I'm sorry -- I misunderstood you. I thought she was HYPP heterozygous (H/N). Since she is completely negative, there is no concern with the alfalfa.

Wheew -- I threw you around a few loops there!

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO

hey Dr getty, long time no ..well, talk.
I manage to learn something new everytime I'm on here. Could one of you please explain What HYPP is? I know what a heterozygote vs a homozygote is and all that genetic stuff, but is HYPP a condition? How does it affect horses and how is it inherited?

Thanks as always for the wealth of knowlege
-Jamie

Hi Jamie! Nice to hear from you!

Here is an excellent article on HYPP published from UC Davis vet school that thoroughly explains HYPP: http://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/~lvmillon/hypp/hypp_facts.html

Basically, horses with this genetic disorder have to have diets that are very low in potassium. This can be challenging because hay is typically high in potassium. Fresh grass pasture is best. And, while I generally like to feed alfalfa, I do not recommend it for these horses, even if they are HYPP (H/N) -- heterozygous.

Here's to learning something new every day!

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO