My horse has been losing weight since July. A vet floated his teeth and he has continued losing. Another vet told us to feed him strictly oats. A third vet found sand in his stool. He gave me psyllium and told me to mix it with brown sugar. My horse is so picky and won't touch it. I've tried mixing it with his grain and he picks around it. He has lost so much weight-I don't want to mess around too long trying to get him to eat this-if anyone knows of anything else to try I'd REALLY appreciate it!! I've read about flavored psyllium supplements, do these work as well as the psyllium powder?
2006-09-02 05:24:49 · 11 answers · asked by Kris 1 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
My suggestion would be to switch your horse over to Legacy by Nutrena for several reasons.
Legacy is a beet pulp based complete feed. It is a very "wet" feed, and supplements stick to it very well. Plus it has a high palitability so most horses just LOVE it! It is also high in calories which makes it excellent for getting weight back on a horse. You will not need to feed as much hay on this feed as it is roughage based.
The next reason would be because of the sanding. Sand is usually picked up from grazing in sandy pastures, or eating hay off of sandy ground, or from an arena floor. You must take great pains to be sure your horse is not eating off of sand! I know this is hard to do in some areas of the country. If he is hayed in an arena or on the ground, stop that immediately and feed him only in a feeder in his stall.
Add the psyllium in small amounts first working up to the full amount over several weeks. Dampining the food slightly with water, apple juice, or molasses will cause the psyllium to stick better. Be careful with this as it also changes the taste and texture of the meal. Try different brands and flavors until you find what he likes. As mention the Sand Free crumbles are excellent!
Lastly quit going to so many different vets. It's just confusing you and making your horse worse. Pick one, the one you feel most comfortable with and stick with them. Let them see your horse often for check ups during this stressful time. If this vet of choice doesn't help, I would haul your horse to a University clinic for a complete work up.
2006-09-02 17:38:14 · answer #1 · answered by Hetty 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If I were you, I'd have a Coggins drawn and make sure he is negative. This is a common systom of 'Swamp Fever'. He may or may not have this disease, but I'd sure have him checked. Also, you didn't mention his age. I'd get a good 14% protein sweet feed and put him on that. Also the psyllium is for sanding a horse, or else as a preventative of him getting too much. Is he eating hay? If so, are you putting it on the ground for him to get sand, or are you putting it in a hay feeder? Keep all hay and feed off the ground. If you put some of his stool in a gallon jug filled with water, shake it good and see how much sand falls down in the bottle. Then you'll know first hand if he's sandy. I would not give him brown sugar with psyllium. Also, use bran from the feed store, with some mineral oil mixed with warm water for sand. Good luck. I certainly hope you go ahead and get that Coggins.
2006-09-02 06:51:12 · answer #2 · answered by skyeblue 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try mixing it with apple sauce or molassas and then top dress that over the grain feed.
If you need to add calories and not have hyper horse try adding fat to the diet. You cna either get powdered rice bran or add vegetable oil to the feed. It adds calories but will not make the horse hot.
Start small with about 1/4 cup work up to one cup per feeding.
I would recommed a pelleted feed as it is easier to digest and easier for the horse to use the food than sweet feed or whole grains.
Beet pulp is also a good additive. You can feed dry or soak it in water (it will expaned alot) so use a bucket and you can add it to the grain ration.
2006-09-02 06:44:56 · answer #3 · answered by tlctreecare 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When I give my horses psyllium, I mix it with their brand, senior feed and mare and foal feed all together. For, the psyllium could be mix with other flavors helping to mask it. I however have used the "apple" flavored and the others ate it. My mare is the picky one who will pick around it. So, I had to "marinate" hers.
I would place all together and let it sit in apple juice (or carrot juice) over night in a container.
I would mix it in with her alfalfa pellet supplements and she would eat it.
If the others didn't eat it. I would give just a little at a time through out the day. The less in the mix, the more they will eat it. Therefore, I would adjust their supplement feeding through out the day if that was the case.
I would also recommend giving 5 pounds in morning and 5 pound at night extra of alfalfa pellets for weight supplement on top of your horse normal feeding. Then increase it with in 2 weeks to 8 pounds in morning and 8 pounds at night with normal feeding.
If this is an active horse, you go with the horse's activity and how their body digests it. Sometimes my mare will leave pellets and would munch on them through out the day. If she still had a lot at the next feeding, I would then measure how much and adjust the poundage of giving more.
Brand also moves sand. So, I don't buy psyllium much unless they get really sanded.
Strictly oats isn't good on the digestive tract and just giving oats when used to a different diet will cause the horse to founder. Always switch feeds with in time frame, not all at once.
Have you wormed this horse as well?
2006-09-02 06:09:22 · answer #4 · answered by Mutchkin 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have a stubbern horse about that too. I use the powder kind and I mix it with apple cider vinagar, senior food, and syrup. I hope your horse gets well.
2006-09-02 06:41:23 · answer #5 · answered by <3 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As a former horse owner, they love apples. If you can get it in pill form, stuff it in an apple. they always love sugar, I'm surprised your horse dosn't like sugar. Good luck.
2006-09-02 05:47:26 · answer #6 · answered by Memere RN/BA 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Flavored psyllium is the same as 'normal' psyllium, worth a shot.
Good luck with your horse, hope he gets better.
2006-09-02 05:30:45 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I give my horse sweet feed . That has molasses in it and the Psyllium sticks to it so he had no choice but to eat it.
2006-09-02 05:50:44 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Can you mix it with molasses or apple sauce? or just mix it in a syringe and stuff it down his throat with a sweet mixture like when you worm?
2006-09-02 09:57:00 · answer #9 · answered by nokhada5 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I feed sand clear (its a brand, in crumbles) its the same stuff and harded to pick around. good luck
2006-09-02 08:25:59 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋