Sunday, September 23, 2012

Health Report: Half Halt

I am reeling a bit from yesterday's post.  I am so grateful for the immediate feedback and suggestions that I received from so many of you.  I feel very fortunate to have such knowledgeable and caring horse people just a few mouse clicks away.  Thank you so much for reading and caring enough to offer some help.

When I start worrying about Harley's weight, I go into "action mode".  This sounds like a good thing, but in some ways it is not.  I tend to get a little impulsive.

Yesterday, I went out and bought a bag of hay cubes.  Our feed store only offers alfalfa cubes.  I have to admit that this is not my first choice.  I would prefer a timothy or timothy/alfalfa mix, but I bought it anyway.  I brought it to barn and did some taste testing with Harley.  He likes the taste of the cubes and eats them when I offer them by hand.  I decided to put about fifteen cubes in with his dinner last night.  I had read that some people feed them dry, so I decided to try that.

Harley ate all of his grain first, which was what I expected and then started eating the cubes.  The cubes were so difficult for him to eat, that he had to hold them against the sides of feed trough and bite them into pieces.  It takes him about three minutes to eat one cube.  I realized right then that the cubes are not going to work.  The barn owner even called this morning and told me that the cubes should be soaked.  There are several reasons why I do not want to go the soaking route.

To make matters worse, by the time I brought Harley to the paddock, it looked like there was only one flake left to split between the two horses.  As he was trying to finish his cubes, his paddock buddy was eating both their rations of hay.  I put out more hay and moved the cubes to a wheel barrow in the hay shed.  Looks like the local horse rescue will be receiving some donated hay cubes.  Last winter I sent them leftover alfalfa pellets.  Oh well.

This morning I have been reading about Blue Seal Sentinel Performance LS, flaxseed, and Cocosoya oil.  I calculated the quantity and concentration of selenium that Harley is getting in his diet, which is well within the safe range.  I think the selenium calculation warrants a separate post if I can find the time this week.

There are some things about each option that look really, really good.  There are also some things that seem to overlap what I am already feeding him or create new management challenges that may not fit into my boarding situation or feed availability.  For example, Ultium is also an extruded nugget, like Performance LS, and they have similar protein/fat/fiber percentages.  The dentist tells me that although his molars have good occlusion and grinding surfaces, he just can't hold his mouth closed due to the overbite.  This causes him to drop food, which he has to pick up again.  And oil would be an effective way (if he can lick it up) to get more calories and Omega-3's into his system, but I am pretty sure that will get it all over his stall, again because he drops food.  And then there is the whole flaxseed (linseed) vs. freshly-ground/boiled/ground-stabilized flaxseed (linseed) debate.  It is so difficult to find consistent information online.  My head sort of feels like it is floating above my neck at the moment, so I am going to employ a mental "half halt".

I am going to wait for my vet's body condition evaluation before I make any changes.  I have some extra things in my back pocket, thanks largely to the feedback which I received here.  I really do appreciate your comments, advice, and commiseration.  I must consider that fact that this may really be as good as it gets for Harley, weight-wise.  There are a couple overweight, easy-keeping horses on the farm and the owner has the challenge of meeting their nutritional requirements and reducing their weight at the same time.  Ironically , that might be even "harder" that what I am trying to accomplish with my horse.  It is just so difficult to shake that "I could be doing more" feeling and not wanting to be seen as a neglectful, uneducated, complacent, or blind horse owner.

I am really trying not to beat myself up about it.  I know deep down that I am not an ignorant owner, but my confidence takes a hit every time someone sees Harley and says,

"He's loosing again.  Isn't he?"

I am sure there are plenty of horse owners who would see him and think, "I could do better than that."


Harley is a cute leaf, just the same.

27 comments:

  1. I just wanted to address your concerns about the Cocosoya oil from my experience...

    Val gets 2 oz of oil drizzled onto his pellets. It soaks in immediately. Small quantity so not any messier than normal.

    Val dropped food when I fed him from a bucket, due to nosiness - always stopping mid-meal to check out what's happening. Dropping food isn't so much of an issue any longer since I began feeding in a ground pan on a mat. He licks the bowl and mat clean.

    Try not to worry what others may think about Harley's weight. Anyone who knows you knows what fantastic care you take of him. Best of luck!

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    1. Thanks for the follow up, Calm, Forward, Straight.

      I am going to ask my vet about Cocosoya oil, because I like that it is not more pellets going into to him. It doesn't sound too messy when you describe it. I also feed Harley at ground level, which I believe in for all horses and especially those with an overbite. It actually reduces hoof formation.

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    3. I mean "hook formation".

      I made that typo again when I tried to fix it in the deleted comment above. Oops!

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    4. I was wondering why I would want to reduce Val's hoof formation! ;D

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  2. I read your last post and the comments. You got good suggestions. We have all easy keepers that gain weight on air so I don't have any suggestions. Our herd is out grazing for about 12 hours a day and t hen come in to feed tubs and individual hay nets that are mostly empty in the morning. Some are constantly on diets.

    If Harley is getting enough to eat and is warm in the winter you are doing all you can. Some horses just don't gain like others. Stop beating yourself up, you're doing the best you can. And he's adorable and happy so he doesn't mind what others say.

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  3. I'm picturing Harley diligently trying to crush the hay cubes, poor guy. Until I had braces I had a terrible overbite, I can relate... I did have a thought though...if he's willing to work hard enough to try to eat the cubes, it seems to me he likes them. Is there a way to pre crush them? Understanding of course, that I have no idea the composition of the hay cubes or the time it would take to do it(or what I'm talking about). Just spit ballin' here. Maybe you could relieve the frustrations of the day by hammering on some hay cubes.

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    1. He would have a better chance if they were soaked, but I do not want to start soaking his meals again. That lead to a really gross stall. I think it was unhealthy.

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    2. Oh ick, I wouldn't want that mess. Well, like Grey Horse said, as long as he's warm and you know (and I know) he's getting the best, that's really all you can do. It's just his nature.

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  4. Have you tried Rice Bran pellets? It's very high fat content, tasty, easy to feed, and can get added in to food already being fed. It has a very high Phosphorus to Calcium ratio, so my vet recommended feeding with Beet Pulp, which has a very high Calcium to Phosphorus ratio. The pellets can be soaked in with the beet pulp or fed dry (added right before feeding with the beet pulp). Fairly cheap (30$ for a 40lb bag and you cannot feed more than 2lbs per day). Not my website, but very helpful: http://www.understanding-horse-nutrition.com/rice-bran.html

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    1. I have not, but unfortunately "rice" is on his "borderline response" allergy list. He already has some in his feed, but I do not want to add any more.

      Rice bran is a great idea. I wish that it was an option for him.

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  5. I use a high fat rice bran/flaxseed ration balancer called ADM Moorglo for my TB. I only need a pound at each feeding (1/2 scoop) to keep him slick and beefy. He gets that in addition to 1 lb of beet pulp (dry weight, then soaked) and two pounds of alfalfa pellets. If your feed stores don't have ADM, Nutrena's Empower Boost is comparable, and I think Purina makes one, too.

    Good luck!

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    1. That sounds perfect except for the "borderline" allergy he has to rice. I don't want to add any more to his diet. Thank you for suggesting it.

      I think Amplify is the Purina version, which is in his feed already.

      He won't eat beet pulp anymore (ate it for over three years every meal) and leaves alfalfa pellets, wet or dry. I think the pellets were hard for him to chew.

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  6. Good idea waiting to take further action until after the vets assessment. I wish there was a magic answer for you. :(

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  7. In reading your last two posts I realize how lucky we are that our horses hold weight easily. I must say though, and it probably isnt a consolation to you - I think Harley looks good. He is a very striking horse, as you know, and he appears as handsome as ever to me.
    I know you'd like more weight on him but I think you're doing a very good job.

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    1. I am consoled by your kind words. Thank you, Carol.

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  8. Val, I used to have a huge problem with Saga slinging feed EVERYWHERE too. I swear he only got half of it down his throat (and we all know how expensive the good feeds are). He's much tidier now that I soak it, which I know is not an option for you. However, before I started soaking, I got him a feed bag. That worked GREAT! He acutally ate faster AND got all his feed. Even with a bit of oil in it, the bag didn't get too messy, although I did turn it inside-out and scrub it every other day or so. It was worth it to make sure he got all his food.

    As for the flax, I would look into Omega Horseshine. It's a stabilized ground flax that keeps pretty well. My guys find it very palatable. I would not recommend the boiled flax. First, it smells horrible when you cook it, and second, my horses thought I was trying to poision them when I gave it to them. You might try grinding your own flax (it would be cheaper than that Horseshine), but it doesn't keep for long and you'd have to buy a special grinder for it.

    RE the hay cubes - I keep alfalfa cubes around as a treat, instead of purchased horse cookies or carrots. The kind I have you can break into smaller bite-sized pieces.

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    1. Thanks for the flax brand suggestion. I will ask the vet about the Omega Horseshine if she thinks he needs something else.

      I might have to look into a feed bag. I wonder if the bag would protect him from the dust in his stall. That could be a win-win!

      You know what. I should keep the alfalfa cubes as a treat, too. I can break these up by hand. Great idea!

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  9. Harley probably is just one of those horses who tends toward the thin side. Personally I'd rather have my horse on the thin side than the obese side. The blanketing seemed to work really well for him last winter so I hope for both of you that they work that well again.

    My Gwen tends toward the slim side. This summer when the grass was getting REALLY scarce from our super dry conditions she started dropping weight. Fortunately we got some hay and then some rain so her weight has picked back up again.

    FWIW- For my two the best thing for putting on weight has been 24/7 grass- which I know you don't really have access to. Once a day they get half a scoop of Nutrena Empower, half a scoop of my father-in-law's "Cornell Mix" (a secret recipe that really does help horses gain weight), and 2 scoops of California Trace.

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    1. Thanks. Gwen is adorable. I know that she likes her blanket, too. Full-time grass or hay would be AWESOME. I know some horses on our property would blimp-out, but I think Harley would be just fine.

      A secret recipe and you're not going to share!?
      Come on. Write us a post. I dare you. ;)

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  10. I like your 'half halt' thoughts :) It is frustrating to not be able to maintain his weight where you feel comfortable, but he looks really great. I understand that feeling though going into winter...
    I use the Omega Flax and have for the past 2+ yrs. It's great and Laz gobbles it up. He's not a picky eater though (see belly) and I USED cocosoya which he LOOOOVED and it smells like popcorn butter! but I opted to take him off as much soy products and was scaling back on some $$ and decided to put that cost towards CA Trace. It's a great product though and anything by Uckele is backed by them; they are great to talk to over the phone, etc and a Michigan company :) GOOD LUCK!

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    1. I am guessing the Omega Flax and Omega Horseshine must be by the same company.

      Thanks for your input and support, Kristen!

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  11. Val, I'm sure you're waaaay past overloaded by now, but I had a few additional ideas.

    Depending on how long it takes Harley to eat a scoop of grain vs. a flake of hay (or alfalfa), you might be better off feeding him a ration balancer, top-dressed with Omega Horseshine (also called Omega Flax) and some oil, with a large side of alfalfa or hay. Saga was actually THINNER when I fed him more "hard feed" as opposed to the same weight of additional feed as forage. I really don't know why - the hard feed had more fat and such in it, but that's how it worked out. A solid flake of alfalfa weighs 3-5 lbs, and takes him about 30-45 mins to finish - the same amount of time it took him to eat 2 scoops of hard feed (which weighed in at ~6 lbs). Chopped forage is even faster for them to eat, so maybe adding two scoops or so of chopped stuff to his breakfast and dinner would provide extra forage that's quick to eat?

    Another thing is, who's boss between Harley and his turnout buddy? If Harley is boss, maybe put out a hay net and some loose hay. If Harley protects the loose hay, then his buddy can eat the hay net. Of course if they share piles, or if Harley isn't boss, then that won't work. In which case... I hate to say it, but you might look for a different turnout buddy for Harley. If his buddy is eating all Harley's hay, you're paying for forage that another horse is getting. :(

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    1. You have some interesting ideas. I understand the reasoning behind the forage-centered meals. I was actually thinking about chopped hay today, as I fed my horse pieces of the hay cubes. If I break them up with my fingers, he can eat them up pretty quickly. I should find out if I can get chopped hay in bags. Long-stem hay definitely takes him longer to eat than grain. I do not think that I will be able to get alfalfa flakes, since I am not in control of the hay.

      Our turnout situation does not allow much flexibility. I do not think that there is another slow eater on the property anyway. Harley is the alpha. Sometimes they eat from the same pile until Harley decides otherwise. I am not sure if Harley would stick to the loose hay. He still might chase his buddy away from the hay net and waste time trying to eat from it.

      And, yes, both horses are definitely eating my money! It if very frustrating. Thanks for trying so hard to help.

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