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Re: [RC] [RC] senior horse feeding - Mel Cochran



I have a 22 year old mare that has choke issues with her feed. When I got her she was underweight and choked on just about everything. She also colicked on me after I had her for a couple of weeks, After that, I have made sure that her teeth were in good condition and give her free choice Russell bermuda/Crabgrass hay. The Russell has the thickest stems of any of the bermuda varieties and she has done well on it for 2 winters now (I only feed hay in the winter when pastures are bad). The biggest help with her has been putting her on a beet pulp based senior feed. I was feeding triple crown senior but have since switched to platform senior. Both are beet pulp based and high fat. I make sure and wet the feed with warm water so it becomes a nice warm mush. She loves it and has maintained a nice healthy weight. I have not had any choke or colic episodes since those that happened since I first got her.

From: "Cindy Simmons88" <csimmons88@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "Valerie Hewitt" <auroraarabs@xxxxxxxxx>,<ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [RC]   senior horse feeding
Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 22:14:48 -0800

Thanks for the reminder about beet pulp. My mare is 34 in March, still maintaining weight on Allegra Sr. but have been concerned about her teeth.

I did notice a sour odor when I was at her boarding facility this weekend so will call the vet/dentist.
Cindy
----- Original Message ----- From: "Valerie Hewitt" <auroraarabs@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, December 28, 2005 11:35 PM
Subject: RE: [RC] senior horse feeding


Thank you Susan

He is on a 6 month schedule with his teeth and had the
first one pulled in July . At that time the other one
was just loose and not quite ready . He is due again
now and we'll see if it will come out this time or in
the summer again . He was doing fine with hay until
the first tooth was pulled . He does clean up the beat
pulp and the senior horse feed with no trouble at all
. I'm seeing more of the partially chewed hay balls in
his shed now and had a vague idea I might need to stop
the hay . It's hard to get that idea in your head,
not to give the hay .

Valerie

--- "Susan E. Garlinghouse, D.V.M."
<suendavid@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

If he's already having trouble with hay, you might
consider switching him to
"mush" sooner rather than later.  I've had to treat
a couple of old horses
that choked on hay and were still trying to swallow
it down (unsuccessfully)
when their dentition wasn't quite up to the task any
more.  If you still
want him getting the equivalent of hay, just start
him on soaked down hay
pellets, and add supplements as needed to the mush.
Later on, if the horse
can't maintain good weight on hay pellets alone,
then start adding in some
senior feed, beet pulp or whatever.

I had one ancient pony in the practice that was
heart-broken when his teeth
wouldn't allow him to eat carrots or apples
anymore---but he was just as
happy slurping down applesauce as a treat. :-)

Also keep in mind that older teeth may still be
"there" in the jaw, but may
not be adequate for chewing, and causing more
trouble than they're worth.
As the root gets shorter and shorter with age, those
old teeth can start
getting loose, which makes chewing
uncomfortable---so they just don't chew
hay as well as they used to, and try swallowing it
as is.  Loose teeth are
also much more likely to form tooth root abscesses,
which also makes chewing
painful.  Those teeth should either be extracted
(half of them practically
fall out into your hand), or at least monitored
pretty closely.  If your old
horse's breath starts smelling rotten, or if he
suddenly starts really
having a hard time eating (they'll look at food
wistfully and just walk
away), time to call in a vet that likes to do
dentistry to take a look and
possibly start him on antibiotics.  It can really
make a big difference in
quality of life for the old guys.

Susan Garlinghouse, DVM, MS



-----Original Message-----
From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Valerie Hewitt
Sent: Wednesday, December 28, 2005 8:35 PM
To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [RC] senior horse feeding

This has been a great thread . My gelding is 30 1/2
and has lost one tooth and has one about ready to go
.
He is having trouble with hay and is also on the
beet
pulp / senior horse diet . I still give him hay free
choice but I don't know how much longer I'll offer
it
. So far he is keeping the weight on . Great to have
some more ideas on what to add to keep him going .

Valerie








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Replies
Re: [RC] senior horse feeding, Cindy Simmons88