Thursday, May 16, 2013

Confessions of a supplement addict

A year ago, if you'd asked me if I feed supplements, I'd've scoffed. With a barn full of relatively easy keepers, and one horse who was ultra-sensitve to sugar, what need did I have of supplements? I fed (and still do) a high-quality ration balancer for the hoovers, and a low-starch Senior feed for the others. Add in good-quality grass hay and free-choice salt (both loose and block-style) and there was no need to send SmartPak a large chunk of my paycheck every month. I did use a hoof supplement for Saga (Bioflax 20), but only after trying every other trick in the book to help him grow more sole.

Then I got Echo, and now food prep time has turned into a bad episode of Iron Chef.

Echo is your typical high-maintenance TB. He's got two related issues: he's rather on the thin side, and he very likely has ulcers.

When he arrived, you could see every rib in his body, despite being fed vast quantities of Senior feed and good hay at Adopted Horse Parent's farm. My goal in life became cramming more calories in, but Echo has a problem with this - he doesn't actually like to eat. Sure, he'll eat his grain, but hay is iffy. He'll eat it for a while, but then there are other things to do, like annoy Cash. Or stare off into space. Or watch the donkeys. Or the deer. Or the butterflies. And it doesn't matter what type of hay I give him either - alfalfa, T/A mix, and I've tried three different Coastal hay suppliers. He eats for a bit, and then he's just not into it. Cash helps some, in that Echo often eats when Cash does, but it's not enough. I feel like someone's Jewish grandmother, going "Eat, Liebschen, EAT!" every time I see Echo.

At the advice of my vet, I moved Echo from Senior feed to a Complete feed when he arrived, which has about 100 calories more per pound (roughly 1200 more calories/day for the same weight of feed). Unfortunately, it also has almost 2x as much NSCs, which is not good for his feet. In fact, he's been a little footsore of late, despite that nasty chunk of his hoof being almost grown out. If he's sensitive to sugar like Saga was, the feed could be contributing to him being footsore (it's also possible that the grass is contributing, but they are all limited to 2 hours per day of grazing, so that shouldn't be much of an issue). So we're switching him back to Senior (again on the advice of the vet, TC, and my farrier). But then we have to make up the calories somehow...

There are lots of ways you can do this. I've spent too much time researching options, and here's what I found and why I feed what I do:
  • Rice bran - Lots of calories, but also high in NSCs (25-30%). I used to use it, and it works, but because of the NSCs I now stay away from it.
  • Corn oil - Cheap, but extremely high Omega 6/Omega 3 ratio. Omega 6 causes joint inflammation and other issues, so you want to get as close to 1/1 as possible. Corn oil is like 46:1... YIKES!
  • Cocosoya or soybean oil - I've heard really good things about cocosoya, and I know some blog readers have used it with excellent results. However, some horses are sensitive to soy (Saga was one) so I try not to feed it.  Good Omega 6:3 ratio, though, about 8:1, and readily available.
  • Cool Calories or another weight builder supplement - The Smartpak reviews for these sorts of supplements are good, but check out the ingredients list. Partially hydrogenated vegetable fat is usually the #1 ingredient. We know that hydrogenated fat isn't good for us, why feed it to our horses? Besides, if it's really just a hydrogenated vegetable oil, I'd rather simply feed some sort of  oil. Rice bran is another popular ingredient.
I'm running out of options here, aren't I? Making horses fat is haaard! So here's what Echo DOES get to help him gain weight:
  • Olive oil - Decent Omega 6/3 ratio (10:1). No NSCs. Roughly 1000 calories per cup. Horses do not seem to have a sensitivity to it like they do to soy. It's expensive compared to the other oils, so it's a good thing I can buy in bulk from Costco! Anyway, Echo gets 1/2 cup 2x/day.
  • Ground flax - LOADS of Omega 3s, about 900 calories per cup. This stuff comes highly recommended not only for helping with weight, but clearing up skin conditions, putting on a good shine, and helping grow a better hoof. There's some argument as to whether it needs to be ground to feed it or if it can be fed whole - either one seems to be OK, but the ground stuff goes rancid quickly. I just started feeding it ground, and am grinding it myself in small batches and storing it in the fridge (I may switch to a stabilized version in the future). We're working up to 1/2 cup 2x/day for both Echo and Cash, who has been having trouble shedding out this spring. 
I get the people-grade version of this stuff in my breakfast cereal. Nomnomnom.

In addition to getting Senior and all the hay they can eat, Cash and Echo also get about 4 lbs of soaked, rinsed beet pulp each, 2x/day. Cash finds this easier to chew than hay, and Echo is more intent on finishing it than hay. Whatever it takes, right?

Of course, pouring all this feed into Echo won't do any good if he's got digestive issues. I have not had him scoped, but he shows some classic symptoms of ulcers. When I first got him, he would not let me groom or touch his belly, especially on the off side. He pawed constantly. He pinned his ears and nipped while being girthed. He wouldn't finish his feed. He was lethargic under saddle. And of course, despite all the food he was getting, he wasn't putting on any weight. I discussed these symptoms with my vet, and she suggested  trying some (relatively inexpensive) things to see if he improves, and he has. So to help with digestion, he gets:

  • 1/2 cup aloe vera juice 2x/day
If you add a splash of lime juice to a cup of this, do you think it would make a margarita? Oh wait, that's AGAVE juice. Oops.
  • 2 magnesium tablets 2x/day (same stuff people take for heartburn, lol!)
Now in the barn aisle as well as the health-food aisle.
  • 3 packs of Omnezaprole ("blue pop rocks", same stuff as Ulcerguard but much less expensive) 1x/day (this is only for a month)
Blue pop rocks!

I am happy to say that today, I can groom him all over and he is comfortable. The pawing has stopped entirely. Being saddled and girthed is almost a non-event (he's even mostly stopped biting his lead rope). He eats his grain in good time, has much more energy under saddle, and I can only see about 4 of his ribs now. So all this stuff seems to be working - THANK GOODNESS!
 
He also currently gets SmartPak's Bug Off supplement, since the flies annoy him terribly despite his impressive anti-bug wardrobe. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be helping him, and it smells AWFUL (actually makes me gag, and I have a strong stomach!) so I will be discontinuing that when I run out.

I can't even tell you how vile this stuff smells. Echo eats it though, go figure!

For his delicate little thin-soled flat feetsies, he gets Bioflax 20. This stuff helped Saga grow almost 10 mm of sole depth in about 9 months, so I'm hoping it will work for Echo too.  And once a month, everyone gets a psyllium supplement to clear out any sand that has taken up residence in their guts.

So... come clean, y'all. Please tell me someone out there is a crazed supplement addict like myself?

32 comments:

  1. I'm a big believer in Omegas, but I let FeedXL and SP do my supplement feeding for me.

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    1. L, we have Triple Crown here, no FeedXL, but I've heard good things about it! And I'd love to let SP do my supplements for me, but I'm pretty sure I'd have to send them my entire paycheck, lol!

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  2. Try Amplify, by Purina. It's a high fat, low sugar nugget that I used to get Ashke up to weight. I fed a lb twice a day, to help build muscle and fat as he gained back weight (he was about 500 lbs under weight when I got him) and we were able to take him from a 1 on the body condition chart to a 6 in about a year. Ashke really liked it and I think you can add up to six pounds split into two feedings a day. You might try adding some extra to the Senior.

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    1. Karen, thanks for the recommendation! I've heard good things about Amplify, and I'm so glad it worked for Ashke. I had looked into it for Echo, but the first three ingredients are rice bran and soy meal/oil. It's also quite high in NSCs. Too bad, 'cause it sure would be easier to feed than what I'm doing!

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  3. Another supplement (besides cocosoya oil) Val gets is SeaBuck. I'll forgo the long explanation - you can read their info on the website. The history of the plant it's derived from is super interesting. It's good for the omegas and calms the belly + very affordable.

    I tried Amplify when I first got Val and he became almost unhandlable on a small small dose... just my experience there.

    Good luck with Echo - you'll get him dialed in. Lots of trial and error. :D

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    1. SeaBuck looks interesting... I'll have to read up on it. Thanks!

      Isn't it interesting that what works on one horse (Ashke) doesn't on another (Val)? I swear it's like dealing with a child with food allergies. It's definitely a trial-and-error process to figure out what works best for each one!

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  4. Cuna loses weight if I blink, so he gets beetpulp, a quart of ultium, salt, grandcoat, and cool calories every day. Oil is messy and I don't like dealing with it.

    So far, it works for us.

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    1. SB, Cuna always looks so fabulous, I never would have known that he's a hard keeper! You do an amazing job with him.

      Interestingly, the first ingredient in GrandCoat is flax. That seems to be the universal supplement for a good coat, and Cuna is so shiny. I can understand not wanting to deal with oil, but the senior feed tends to absorb anything liquid-y so I am lucky never to have any mess. I'm glad that the Cool Calories work for you, though!

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  5. Like you I feed linseed (everything here gets at least a handful once or twice per day) and bigger quantities are safe.

    For calories without high NSC I rely on Coolstance (copra meal) which is relatively high oil (8-10%) but low starch. Alos has a good amino-acid profile and is great for hooves :-)

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    1. Nic, do you grind your flax or feed it whole? And how much is safe to feed? Some research shows that about a cup/day is what most folks feed, but I haven't found any actual guidelines.

      Coolstance looks like a really good option, but the nearest supplier to me is over 200 miles away. I could use Powerstance as a supplement though (ordered online). Have you had any experience with that?

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  6. You should absolutely look into Hemp seeds. I've read a lot on implementing those into horse's diets and have seen a lot of wonderful feedback from those that do.

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    1. Melanie, thanks for the recommendation! I'll check into them.

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  7. I give my horses a daily vitamin/mineral supplement because my area is low in selenium - otherwise I just give a handful of glucosamine treats to all of my horses in work, and aloe vera juice to all of my horses to hopefully help prevent ulcers (1 has had ulcers in the past, one has the temperament to get ulcers, and the 3rd is my most frequently ridden horse, so it doesn't hurt...) but I've tried flax seed, UGuard, and a hoof supplement before for previous horses. Thank goodness all my current horses have great feet!

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    1. All my horses have great feet except Echo - he just needs a little time and the right diet, I think. The weight will probably be a constant struggle, but hopefully eventually we can manage the intestinal stuff with just aloe like you do.

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  8. I probably need to add a weight gain supp to Simon's sp, but I'm curious what the new routine does for him. Maybe we can just teach Echo to like something really fatty like cannolis or cheese pizza! ;)

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    1. I bet with all that grass and hay, Simon will be plump in no time! Plus the constant movement in a pasture will help him build muscle. He'll be sleek and shiny - just like all those WBs at your barn - in no time!

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  9. I totally feel you, fellow TB owner praying "Please make my horse eat more!" every night before bed. Kidding... or am I?!

    It was helpful to read through your current feed program and get some ideas in case I have to revisit. Also I was not aware that rice bran was as high NSC as it is... compared to corn, barley, oat, or wheat it is low but still.

    Every improvement I've has been slow to show but very satisfying.

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    1. HotHorse, thanks for dropping by and commenting!

      You're right, compared to some of the really big feeds like corn, rice bran isn't too high in NSCs. But when you're trying to stay between 10-15% across the board, it's a pretty big punch.

      I think you and I say the same prayer every night, lol!

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  10. I know you're already getting bombarded with suggestions, but I'll throw my two cents in anyway! I have tried Cocosoya (in powdered form - easier to deal with than oil!) for my mare, and it made her too fat (she was on it for skin benefits, she doesn't need any help gaining weight!). We tried it on an older, ulcer prone, hard keeper at the barn and it helped him a lot. I really like that it seems to help gain muscle weight, not just fat. Also, I've seen Chia seeds used a lot, but have no idea how well they work.

    As for ulcers, I highly recommend SmartGut from SmartPak. It is kind of pricey, but a lot less than ulcer treatments, and helped my mare without me needing to treat her for the ulcers. She's been on it for a year and has no more ulcer symptoms.

    Hope you find a good solution! :)

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    1. BVD, thanks for commenting! I have definitely considered SmartGut or SmartGut Ultra for maintenance. The ingredients list looks good and I've heard really good things about it. If I get tired of the Iron Chef routine, it's top on my list for a good supplement for an ulcer-prone horse!

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  11. We have nothing but easy keepers now, but in January 2011, Paj had ulcers. He had gone from first to finish his hay to last, and then to not finishing. We put him in the clinic for observation, they scoped him, and sure enough, ulcers. We did a course of GastroGard, we're still feeding 4x a day (yes, we have no life), and the Prince gets a dose of GastroGard any time he might get stressed, such as big weather changes. He's fat and happy now.

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    1. Can you drop by my house and feed another 2x/day? I WISH I could do 4x! As it is, we feed morning and night, and then put BP out at night check. So that's like 2 1/2 times per day, lol!

      I love how you call Paj "The Prince." There's one in every barn, isn't there?

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  12. I loved this post, not because of your feeding woes with Echo, but because I have written so many hardkeeper posts about Harley and played the weight-gain supplement game with my SmartPaks. I have finally given up on that. I stuck to the more reasonably priced options for weight-gain supplements and never found a single one that did anything. My SmartPak is very simple now: ABC's Plus, Cough-Free, and Garlic flakes to deter blood-suckers (also Sand Rid once a month). I feel that the digestive aid (ABC's) is well worth it, because it is supposed to help him get as much from his food as possible rather than adding calories itself.

    I should let you know that after six years I have found the secret to making my horse round and sleek. Since I am about eight months pregnant, he has not been ridden in about six weeks and he looks amazing! So just make your new TB a pasture puff and then feed him lots. ;)

    Ultium, hay, and alfalfa cubes on work days has made a real difference for Harley over the past year. He has looked good in his condition for quite a while now (By the way, I calculated the selenium quantity and concentration in his feed and it was perfectly fine.). Ultium has a relatively low percentage NSC for a high-calorie feed (fat-based calories and no corn in the current formulation) and is recommended on this natural hoof site:

    http://www.barefoothorses.net/feedingforstronghooves.htm

    It was very, very difficult to find a feed without corn and even moreso to find a feed without soy or rice bran (Ultium has soy hulls (not the legume itself) and rice).

    For as sensitive as Harley is, the feed has never made him hot (even during his current vacation) and his feet look great, too. Good luck!

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    1. I'm glad that Ultium is working for Harley, he looks great! Agree that it's hard to find feeds with no corn, soy, or rice bran. And I'm glad you found a SP that works for Harley! It really is a lot of trial and error.

      As for turning my new TB into a pasture puff, he's been one for two years and he's STILL ribby! Besides, I kinda want to ride him, you know? ;)

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  13. This probably won't help, but I have an equine senior feed that has reliably helped every horse I've used it on to gain weight. (Made by King Feeds--called Equine Senior Delight--but King Feeds is, I think, a local mill.) The feed has stuff in it that many folks frown on--molasses, alfalfa meal, beet pulp and rice bran are the first four ingredients. Horses universally love it. My experience has been that as my horses get older and become harder keepers, I must increase the proportion of this feed to the hay. So my thirty three year old horse, Gunner, is now getting four or five gallons a day with free choice hay just to nibble on. This has worked for me every time when it comes to putting weight on hard keepers. Maybe it is possible just to increase the amount of senior feed you give Echo?

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    1. Laura, how wonderful to have such a good local feed, and Gunner looks AMAZING! Echo's getting 12 lbs (4 scoops) of TC Senior/day - not sure what that converts to in gallons? I can feed more, but I'd need to feed more often. We'll see how he does in the next month, both with his feet and his weight. Fingers crossed he'll continue to plump up!

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  14. My mare is alot like Echo - hard to pack weight on, but not the easiest eater. I alternate between Rice Bran oil and Wheat Germ oil with her grain, have added roughage chunks and some nice (and expensive) hay cubes, which she magically finishes. She loves her 2nd cut hay, but first cut? Forget it. If she so much as steps on it/spills water on it/looks at it the wrong way it's deemed inedible. For the longest time I had her on a Thiamine B1+Magnesium supplement to help cool her crazies, but took her off of it after dressage calmed her ADD. Now that the weather's nice and she's starting back into work I may put her back on it so we prevent any major panic attacks.

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    1. Would you believe that Echo won't eat pelleted alfalfa?!? ACK! I can't feed hay cubes either, because they have to be soaked first, and with the heat hear everything spoils very quickly.

      Your mare must be related to Echo. I swear he digs the 3 tastiest mouthfuls out of each flake and leaves the rest. Fortunately I have two hoovers that go back and clean up after him and Cash - otherwise there would be a ton of waste!

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  15. I definitely don't have a problem keeping weight on my little porker, but I'm finally in a happy place with her feed and supplements. She gets 1 lb of Enrich 32 per day, along with her SmartPak, which has MSM, Bioflax 20, and U-Gard pellets.

    It took me a while to find a regiment I was happy with, so my advice would be to try as many different ideas as it takes to get things tweaked just perfectly!

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    1. in2, it's definitely a lot of trial and error! It's nice to have Echo at home where I can keep a constant eye on him and try different things to see what works - hopefully we'll figure something out soon!

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  16. I bought a horse regarded as a "hard keeper". Struggled for a while trying to get weight on and dealing with behavior issues. Finally realised he has issues with alfalfa.Read the ingredient label! So much feed,treats,and supplements are based on alfalfa meal .We keep him away from anything with alfalfa in it at all and now have a sweet,well behaved horse of good weight.
    He can't be the only one with these issues. Something to think about.

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    1. Anon, so true about different horses being sensitive to different things. I'm glad you figured out your guy's sensitivity to alfalfa. Echo seems to be fine with it in his feed - in fact I need to do a follow-up post about his feeding routine now!

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