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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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Re: Hay Belly and Contracted Tendons On Yearling

Hi Dr. Getty,

Thank You for getting back to me. Unfortunatley I am not able to provide forage to her at all times. I have her at a boarding stable and they get feed 2x a day.

She has made a lot of improvement since being on the TC 30% supplement since the grass hay where I board is very poor quality. I am not sure I can feed her the safe starch forage. How much would she eat a day of that? Right now she gets 1 flake of grass hay am and pm along with some stable mix pellets. Is there a feed I can add to her diet that would be safe without changing her forage portion? It will be too costly and difficult to change her main diet as we board. Would the senior feed be better for her as the NSC% is lower? I just need someway to make sure she is eating a balanced diet through extra feeds. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You,
Brittany

Re: Hay Belly and Contracted Tendons On Yearling

Hi Brittany,

The TC 30% will fulfill her nutritional gaps and if she is doing well on it, then by all means, keep her on it. I would not add an additional feed simply because you would be overlapping vitamins and minerals by doing so. But you can feed her alfalfa pellets or broken alfalfa hay cubes (moistened is best).

Please consider reading my book, Feed Your Horse Like a Horse. You are not feeding her like a horse but rather like a human or a dog. Horses cannot go for hours between something to eat -- they are just not designed to do that. Your horse's stomach secretes acid all the time -- even when empty. Horses need to chew to neutralize that acid. Otherwise, they will have many, many problems including ulcers, potential for colic, reduced protein digestion, weight loss, and more.

I know your barn manager does not understand this very, very, critical concept, so all I can tell you is what I would do with my own horses -- find a different barn -- one that feeds in sync with the way horses are meant to eat.

I know you love your horse and want what is best. This is why I am so adamant about this point.

All the best,

Dr. Getty
Author of Feed Your Horse Like A Horse

Brittany
Hi Dr. Getty,

Thank You for getting back to me. Unfortunatley I am not able to provide forage to her at all times. I have her at a boarding stable and they get feed 2x a day.

She has made a lot of improvement since being on the TC 30% supplement since the grass hay where I board is very poor quality. I am not sure I can feed her the safe starch forage. How much would she eat a day of that? Right now she gets 1 flake of grass hay am and pm along with some stable mix pellets. Is there a feed I can add to her diet that would be safe without changing her forage portion? It will be too costly and difficult to change her main diet as we board. Would the senior feed be better for her as the NSC% is lower? I just need someway to make sure she is eating a balanced diet through extra feeds. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You,
Brittany

Where are you from? Waverly, Ohio

Re: Hay Belly and Contracted Tendons On Yearling

Hi Dr. Getty,

Okay we made some adjustments to her feed. She is now getting a lot more hay morning and night. Plus she is also getting lunch as well. She has been on this new feed program for a couple of days now and it seems to be doing wonders for her. Now she goes approx 4 hours between each meal instead of all day. I am sure the time will be less once she learns she does not have to gorge herself with the food. Seems she is eating slower each day. Thank you for your advice and I hope this will also help out her tummy in the long run as well.

I did adjust her 30% supplment as well. Now she gets 1/2 pound of the 30% plus 1 1/4lbs of the TC growth feed and she seems to be doing extremely well. This was all suggested by Triple Crown customer service. Plus she no longer gets the stable mix pellets. Since we have made all these changes even her legs are getting better. I guess this is what she has needed all along. Thank you for your help.

Best Regards,
Brittany

Re: Hay Belly and Contracted Tendons On Yearling

Hi Dr. Getty,

I forgot to mention I even went out and bought my own high quality grass hay to feed her. The stable hand there gives it to her for me. It is much higher quality than what they are feeding there now. Plus she eats it all no leftover sticks like she used to do. One time when they first got this new load of hay in she did not even eat half of her dinner from the night before because they hay was so aweful and she did not like it. I am so happy I just decided to suck it up and buy my own hay. Now she eats every last crumb. Yeah.

Re: Hay Belly and Contracted Tendons On Yearling

Hi Dr. Getty,

Just another update. Seems she almost alays has food now and she is no longer gorging her meals. Seems to have done wonders for her as her legs have show such drastic improvement and she is a much happier horse now. It seems that she can even eat some fresh grass as well without having a set back. Yeah. This makes me so happy to see her getting better this quickly. Thank you again for all your help. I will also be starting her on the TC omega max today. Sure hope this helps as well. For a horse with these issues how much omega max would you recommend giving her? She is a very stout shorter filly. She is almost 14hh and weighs around 800lbs. I know it sounds like a lot of weight but you can easily feel her ribs and she does not have any fat pockets. She is just very large structured and lots of muscle. Her dam is around 1300lbs and I beleive the sire is around 1100 to 1200lbs. Thank you for your help.

Re: Hay Belly and Contracted Tendons On Yearling

Hi Brittany,

I am delighted to hear that she is doing better! Once horses get the message that there is always something to graze on, they will stop gorging themselves. I've seen many a case of colic simply because horses eat so quickly because they've gone for hours without anything. They are suffering and need to chew.

You have seen the benefits first hand and I am very pleased to hear this good news. About exact amounts to feed, I would recommend that down the road you consider setting up a phone consultation so I can go over everything about your mare in detail.

All the best,

Dr. Getty
Author of Feed Your Horse Like A Horse

Brittany
Hi Dr. Getty,

Just another update. Seems she almost alays has food now and she is no longer gorging her meals. Seems to have done wonders for her as her legs have show such drastic improvement and she is a much happier horse now. It seems that she can even eat some fresh grass as well without having a set back. Yeah. This makes me so happy to see her getting better this quickly. Thank you again for all your help. I will also be starting her on the TC omega max today. Sure hope this helps as well. For a horse with these issues how much omega max would you recommend giving her? She is a very stout shorter filly. She is almost 14hh and weighs around 800lbs. I know it sounds like a lot of weight but you can easily feel her ribs and she does not have any fat pockets. She is just very large structured and lots of muscle. Her dam is around 1300lbs and I beleive the sire is around 1100 to 1200lbs. Thank you for your help.

Where are you from? Waverly, Ohio

Re: Hay Belly and Contracted Tendons On Yearling

Hi Dr. Getty,

We just found out that my filly also has severe physitis in all 4 legs. She is very lame on the front left and her front legs have started to bow out. We have been working with UC Davis and now she needs corrective shoeing as well. Since this happened I am really concerned that it is the tiple crown 30% supplement that is causing all these problems. My filly has grown only 3 inches in the last 6 months and has not had any growth spurt since the end of April. We are all stunned as to why this is happening and the fact that she has been on grass hay. I am ready to try anything at this point. Is there a really good vitamin and mineral supplement I can give her that the calcium and phos ration are correct and also has a good amount of vitamin E as we found out by blood work she is vitmin e deficient? I am afraid that the 30% supplement I have been giving her caused all this as the calcium is a bit higher than the phos. Please let me know if you have any suggestions. She is also on a probiotic and MSM. Both of these supplements she has been on since she was 4 months old. Oh I also have her on OCD pellets and she has been feeling a lot better since we started that supplement. Thank you for any help.

Brittany

Re: Hay Belly and Contracted Tendons On Yearling

Hi Brittany,

I would remove her from the high protein supplement and choose one that has additional vitamin E and no added calcium. She gets plenty of calcium from her forage. Glanzen Complete is a good choice.

You would not need to add more vitamin E beyond this supplement since three scoops contains 2500 IU of vitamin E.

Remove all sources of starch -- so no feeds that contain oats, corn, barley, etc.

Her protein quality may not be adequate so be sure to give her some alfalfa.

These are some recommendations. Please consider setting up a phone visit so I can delve into her situation in more detail.

All the best,

Dr. Getty
Author of Feed Your Horse Like A Horse

Brittany
Hi Dr. Getty,

We just found out that my filly also has severe physitis in all 4 legs. She is very lame on the front left and her front legs have started to bow out. We have been working with UC Davis and now she needs corrective shoeing as well. Since this happened I am really concerned that it is the tiple crown 30% supplement that is causing all these problems. My filly has grown only 3 inches in the last 6 months and has not had any growth spurt since the end of April. We are all stunned as to why this is happening and the fact that she has been on grass hay. I am ready to try anything at this point. Is there a really good vitamin and mineral supplement I can give her that the calcium and phos ration are correct and also has a good amount of vitamin E as we found out by blood work she is vitmin e deficient? I am afraid that the 30% supplement I have been giving her caused all this as the calcium is a bit higher than the phos. Please let me know if you have any suggestions. She is also on a probiotic and MSM. Both of these supplements she has been on since she was 4 months old. Oh I also have her on OCD pellets and she has been feeling a lot better since we started that supplement. Thank you for any help.

Brittany

Where are you from? Waverly, Ohio

Re: Hay Belly and Contracted Tendons On Yearling

Hi Dr.Getty,

Overall that looks like a really good supplement. I will have to look into getting some. I have been wondering about the ration balancer I have been giving her. Thinking too much calcium in it. Right now she is getting approx 4 cups of the triple crown junior feed plus 1 cup of the 30% supplement which I will most likely stop. Is the triple crown junior feed suitable for her plus the supplement you recommend?

Also I have just started giving her some alfalfa hay. How much do you recommend feeding her?

Thank You,
Brittany

Re: Hay Belly and Contracted Tendons On Yearling

Hi Brittany,

I believe you're referring to Triple Crown Growth, since I don't see a "Junior". Yes, you can give the Glanzen Complete with this feed, since you are only feeding a small amount (approximately 1 1/2 lbs).

I would give her approximately 30% of her hay ration as alfalfa. So for every two flakes of grass hay, give her 1 flake of alfalfa.

All the best,

Dr. Getty
Author of Feed Your Horse Like A Horse

Brittany
Hi Dr.Getty,

Overall that looks like a really good supplement. I will have to look into getting some. I have been wondering about the ration balancer I have been giving her. Thinking too much calcium in it. Right now she is getting approx 4 cups of the triple crown junior feed plus 1 cup of the 30% supplement which I will most likely stop. Is the triple crown junior feed suitable for her plus the supplement you recommend?

Also I have just started giving her some alfalfa hay. How much do you recommend feeding her?

Thank You,
Brittany

Where are you from? Waverly, Ohio

Re: Hay Belly and Contracted Tendons On Yearling

Hi Dr. Getty,

It as been a while so I decided to give you an update. My filly is doing so well now that she has been getting alfalfa hay. Everyting has seemed to self correct including her pigeon toes, physitis, her head is becoming normal shaped again, her bowed legs on her front legs are almost normal again, and no more contracted tendons. Yeah. I wanted to thank you so much for all your help in getting her diet corrected. Thank you for all your help. It is greatly appreciated.

Re: Hay Belly and Contracted Tendons On Yearling

Hi Brittany,

Wonderful! I am beyond delighted to hear such great news!

Thank you for doing what is best for her. Keep up the very fine work.

All the best,

Dr. Getty
Author of Feed Your Horse Like A Horse

Brittany
Hi Dr. Getty,

It as been a while so I decided to give you an update. My filly is doing so well now that she has been getting alfalfa hay. Everyting has seemed to self correct including her pigeon toes, physitis, her head is becoming normal shaped again, her bowed legs on her front legs are almost normal again, and no more contracted tendons. Yeah. I wanted to thank you so much for all your help in getting her diet corrected. Thank you for all your help. It is greatly appreciated.

Where are you from? Waverly, Ohio