ridecamp@endurance.net: Diet for equine patient needed

Diet for equine patient needed

Ann Hatfield (keithr@nocdc.bc.ca)
Thu, 16 Oct 1997 23:11:15 -0700

Susan and/or other knowledgeable horsekeepers:

Would you help me out with a suggested diet to help put weight back on my
always hard-to-keep little Polish Arab who has lost weight due to the
stress of a puncture wound that is slow to heal.

I have on hand: decent hay of about 60-70% grass, the rest alfalfa; a
mineral supplement concocted by a vet and marketed by him for years much to
B.C. horse owners' satisfaction (therefore I'm assuming it works) but which
has in it only half the selenium needed total in a horse's diet: whole
oats; corn/oats/barley with some molasses on it ; a supposedly complete
feed pellet; alfalfa pellets-small, and hay cubes-half alfalfa, half grass,
and rice bran. I'm now concerned about feeding any of the pellets or the
cubes unless soaked-will do this.

The gelding is 14:3 and I would guess only about 750-800 pounds-he's quite
slight. He is on rough pasture-what is left is the grass that all the
horses least like, and this is maintaining the weight of the good doers
supplemented with hay of half the winter amount I will worm him in a day
or two, his teeth have been recently floated. He's been on two courses of
antibiotics and is now off.

Any suggestions in terms of amounts of which feeds so as to balance
nutrients, and how fast I might expect to see change, and if I don't how
much more to feed would be most appreciated. It haunts me to see him lose
weight and look poorly. Thanks.

Ann

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