Re: Beet pulp questions

[Susan Evans Garlinghouse <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>]

I
> looked at the tag on the beet pulp for calcium/phos levels, and it
> only said "shredded beet pulp."  Someone over on rec. equestrian
> mentioned that beetpulp may be too high in calcium,

Beet pulp is .62% calcium and 0.09% phosphorus.  Alfalfa is around 1.24%
calcium---now THAT'S high calcium.  So beet pulp is a good source of
calcium if you're feeding grass hay or whatever, but it's certainly not
excessive, and absolutely not from two small coffee cans full.


> Also, Susan, can you give me an address for Dr. Bray, and do you
> know if he had any papers on his talks on enteroliths and
> sand-colic.  I would be happy to pay for the copying.

You can contact Dr. Bray at either rebray@csupomona.edu or:
Dr. Robert Bray, Ph.D
Equine Research Center
California State Polytechnic University
3801 West Temple Avenue
Pomona, CA 91768

> 
> Next question, is that he said at the AERC regional conference that
> he feeds beet pulp DRY, and doesn't feel it is at risk for causing
> choke.  But I have to question what happens when it hits the
> foregut.  Doesn't it swell?  Wouldn't it cause a problem with a
> dehydrated horse?  Still seems safer to feed it wet, and you have
> the added benefit of getting more moisture into the horse.

The beet pulp will have moved into the small intestine and cecum long
before it swells enough to need alot of room, and there's PLENTY of room
in the cecum.  However, I don't feed beet pulp dry simply because in
order to process dry beet pulp, the horse has to do alot of chewing and
salivating, and ultimately, the moisture for all that saliva (it's been
measured at around 5-6 liters in an hour in 350 pound ponies) has got to
come from the extracellular fluids.  In endurance horses, it's EXTREMELY
important that as much moisture as possible stay in the tissues---so
minimize the amount of moisture the horse needs to swallow by feeding
the beet pulp wet, eh?  Then the beet pulp acts as an additional source
of water, rather than vice versa.

If nothing else, beet pulp is alot more palatable soaked.  Dr. Bray's
statements were based on some studies done at CSU Fresno feeding horses
about 45% of their dry matter ration as dry beet pulp, and there were no
problems.  But I still prefer it soaked.

Susan