Disclaimer: Please note that none of the information contained in these files is meant to be professional information. Consult your vet, attorney or other professional for their advice. To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: The Murray Gang Subject: EQ-ResQ: Weight gain supplements? Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2000 11:00:27 -0500 Can anyone recommend a supplement to help build up weight on a fairly quick basis? One of our geldings drops weight at the slightest upset or injury. Two years ago he had an ankle injury and it bothers him once in a while, so he is forever dropping weight then gaining then reaching a plateau then losing again. The last bothersome time with his ankle was this winter and he's not putting on weight again as quickly as I'd like. Thanks! Janis ========== The Murray Gang ====== ============================================================ To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: CC40058@aol.com Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Weight gain supplements? Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2000 13:35:54 EST Sender: owner-equinerescue@imagicomm.com Reply-To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com, CC40058@aol.com I understand that building weight quickly is not as effective as a good steady weight gain, and the reasoning behind that seems logical to me. We have a particularly hard time with one of our Thoroughbreds, and that is supposed to be a common problem with them. We have come to trust Calf Manna, in with his grain, more than anything else in bringing him back up to par. It is not a 'quick repair', but it is steady, and provides plenty of energy. A scoop and directions for the various needs of horses (and other animals) are provided with the bag. Caroline ...dedicated to the animals ========== CC40058@aol.com ====== ============================================================ To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: "s.pel" Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Weight gain supplements? Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2000 11:13:28 -0800 The best way I have found to put weight on my horse that tends to do the same thing is to feed daily wormer ( strongid C) and add 2 scoops of equine senior 2 times a day to what ever you feed now. This is the only thing that has ever put even weight on my TB. He would gain weight before but just in his belly the ribs still showed and he had a big round belly... not to attractive. Now he has even weight and looks like a big beautiful hunk of horse! I have stopped feeding the senior and he is maintaining the weight. I have seen the daily wormer work wonders on many horses. Good luck, Shelly ========== "s.pel" ====== ============================================================ To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: "aceacres" Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Weight gain supplements? Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2000 14:30:19 -0800 Have been using beet pulp along with ABC's plus on all my hard keepers.You soak the beet pulp in water prior to feeding.This works extremely well.Also a half a cup of pure corn oil in the feed once a day.(Only Corn oil and only once a day)Don't use vegetable oil.Corn oil is pure fat and should only really be used for the short term.But,it is an inexpensive pure fat supplement.Oh I give a half of a 2 quart scoop of beet pulp soaked in 1/3 to 1/2 a gallon of water. Diane ========== "aceacres" ====== ============================================================ To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: dlinkous@radix.net Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Weight gain supplements? Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2000 20:08:03 -0500 >Can anyone recommend a supplement to help build up weight on a fairly quick >basis? One of our geldings drops weight at the slightest upset or injury. >Two years ago he had an ankle injury and it bothers him once in a while, so >he is forever dropping weight then gaining then reaching a plateau then >losing again. The last bothersome time with his ankle was this winter and >he's not putting on weight again as quickly as I'd like. With this pattern of upset and/or pain, perhaps the horse has an ulcer problem, or other digestive upset. You might ask your vet about the possibility of an ulcer; I believe they now treat ulcers with a course of antibiotics, which often clears them up. However, if during the pain episodes (injury) he is receiving bute, this will only make his tummy problem worse. As your vet if Tums or other human type tummy settlers might help him during those times. And of course, you can also give him probiotics to ensure he is digesting well in these episodes. Many people give probiotics for a week or so after every worming. Adding vegetable oil to his feed might help, and won't increase irritability if it's an upset problem. I'm not sure what you are feeding now, so it's hard to suggest supplements. Adding a little alfalfa if he is on straight grass hay may help. And my TB mare responded dramatically to the use of daily Strongic C. I was amazed at how well she held her weight through the winter, and she still does. She used to always drop off in winter. Good luck with him. Diana ========== dlinkous@radix.net ====== ============================================================ To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: "Owners" Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Weight gain supplements? Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2000 23:54:21 -0500 We use Fit & Fiber, about 1 cup per day, sometimes 2x a day. They gain rather quickly, especially if they are lightly worked. Good luck, Cynthia ========== "Owners" ====== ============================================================ To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: funnyfrm@accnorwalk.com (James Havran) Subject: EQ-ResQ: Weight gain Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 12:02:50 -0500 How about beet pulp? I have a few horses whom are hard to get wait on. Well one who is gaining slowly the rest who just always appear a tiny bit ribby when they run. The rest are all fit and healty just these 3, 2 arabs and an almost 2 year old. Im not so worried about the baby as he is a baby! He gets 2 lg coffe cans of grain a day and has been recently switched to grass hay at 2 flakes morn 1 noon 2 night. The arabs get as much hay as they wants and 3 coffe cans a day. Could you guys tell me what your thoughts on beet pulp are? A friend of mine uses it to keep her horses weight up, not to put weight on just to keep it up. Also what could you recommed on feedings Does anyone know of any sites for recommended feedings? I have always feed the same amount to every horse Ive owned. I feed less in the winter when their not working and more hay and it flips the other way in the summer. Thanks Guys, Libby P.S. what is happening with the dirtiest,funniest, and fattest horse contest? ========== funnyfrm@accnorwalk.com (James Havran) ====== ============================================================ To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: "BigPaw Enterprises, Inc." Subject: EQ-ResQ: weight gain Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 13:43:56 -0500 It would be great if one solution worked across the board for weight gain, but we have found different approaches work with different horses. Our STB responded very well to 2 cup daily ration of Milk Plus [similar to Calf Manna], split into AM/PM feeding. The QH worked wonders on Weight Builder supplement, whereas our TB only responds to 2 cups rice bran and an occasional additional of corn oil as needed. I have heard wonders about beet pulp, but we have inexperienced people in and out of the barn. So we chose not to risk it, we were concerned someone would accidentally feed non-soaked beet pulp. Best of Luck, Donna O'Leary donna@bigpaw.com HiHopes Horse Haven Caring environment for neglected horses http://www.hihopes.com ========== "BigPaw Enterprises, Inc." ====== ============================================================ Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 12:32:21 -0700 (MST) To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: Pat Calloway Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: weight gain At 01:43 PM 3/10/00 -0500, BigPaw Enterprises, Inc. wrote: >Our STB responded very well to 2 cup daily ration of Milk Plus [similar to >Calf Manna], split into AM/PM feeding. The QH worked wonders on Weight >Builder supplement, whereas our TB only responds to 2 cups rice bran and an >occasional additional of corn oil as needed. Which brings up an interesting thought. I wonder if there's some correlation between breed and/or body type and what works best on a particular horse or breed of horse or if it's strictly individual or a little of both? ========== Pat Calloway ====== ============================================================ To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: TubaDeb@aol.com Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: weight gain (beet pulp) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 14:58:03 EST I'm a little confused as to why you should feed the beet pulp soaked and not just dry? Does it matter that the beet pulp comes in pellet form (does it come in any other form?) I've been feeding my horse beet pulp in the dry pellet form for about a month, and this gives me some concern if it may cause problems. I'd appreciate any info you can give me about soaking b.p. and the reasons for it. Thank you! Debbie ========== TubaDeb@aol.com ====== ============================================================ To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: SweetPonyta@aol.com Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: weight gain Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 17:25:21 EST In a message dated 3/10/00 11:24:31 AM Pacific Standard Time, donna@bigpaw.com writes: << I have heard wonders about beet pulp, but we have inexperienced people in and out of the barn. So we chose not to risk it, we were concerned someone would accidentally feed non-soaked beet pulp. >> This brings me out of lurkdom to ask a question. Has anyone here actually seen unsoaked beet pulp cause a problem? I spent several hours researching beet pulp on the internet and could not find one account of beet pulp causing colic, though several sources said choking might be a possibility in horses who are prone to it. It seemed all the nutrition 'experts' and vet schools specifically said you do not need to soak it, but be sure the horse has plenty of good water handy. I've been feeding it unsoaked for several months now and have had no problem at all. I'd like to hear about any first hand accounts of unsoaked beet pulp causing problems. Well, I don't LIKE hearing about problems, but you know what I mean. I'd like to know one way or another. Thank you!! SP ========== SweetPonyta@aol.com ====== ============================================================ To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: BoldAngel1@aol.com Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: weight gain (beet pulp) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 20:59:02 EST In a message dated 3/10/00 6:47:26 PM US Mountain Standard Time, TubaDeb@aol.com writes: << Does it matter that the beet pulp comes in pellet form (does it come in any other form?) >> The beet pulp in my area is a fine powder with marginal molasses ========== BoldAngel1@aol.com ====== ============================================================ To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: BLRYSTROM@aol.com Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: weight gain (beet pulp) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 21:25:53 EST In a message dated 03/10/2000 7:47:26 PM Central Standard Time, TubaDeb@aol.com writes: << I've been feeding my horse beet pulp in the dry pellet form for about a month, and this gives me some concern if it may cause problems. I'd appreciate any info you can give me about soaking b.p. and the reasons for it. Thank you! >> Debbie, I would be terrified of it in the unsoaked pelleted form. Put a can of the pellets in a five gallon bucket and then put three cans of water in the bucket...and leave it over night. it will have almost completely filled that bucket in the am. Those pellets swell that much. The shredded stuff doesn't swell nearly as much, but I still soak mine about 15 minutes just to be safe. dawn ========== BLRYSTROM@aol.com ====== ============================================================ To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: Deb Nelles Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: weight gain (beet pulp) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 23:01:26 -0600 The beet pulp we use is in a shredded form, not pelleted or powdery. And I have known people who feed it dry with okay results (haven't heard of any problems). I just prefer the soaking and water loading. For various reasons, some horses just don't drink enough water and this puts additional water in their system. Feeding in warmer climates where a slurppy of beet pulp may attract flies and spoil quickly may make dry feeding more practical if the horse is drinking enought water. dlinkous posted the web site for the beet pulp that I had mentioned. In case you missed it, the site is: http://shady-acres.com/susan/beetpulp.shtml deb ========== Deb Nelles ====== ============================================================ To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: gafarm Subject: EQ-ResQ: Weight Gain Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2000 00:29:52 -0500 I believe the soaking of the feed is important for horses that don't drink enough water. Try this experiment I did to show the children who come here to help, the importance of water intake for the horses. We took a 1lb. peanut butter jar and put one inch of pelted senior feed in it and then only added enough water to barley cover the pellets. Within 15 minutes the water was soaked up and the pellets were now a firm mass that was hard to move in the jar with out shaking it hard!! Then we added more water. Just enough to fill the jar half full. In a half hour we checked it and the pellets had expanded and there was no visible water on top. Then we filled the jar to the top with water and did not add any pellets since the start of this experiment. An hour later we rechecked the jar and it was finally a soupy consistency. I told the kids that if the horse only consumed a volume of water equal to the pellets then it could not pass through the intestines and the horse would colic. Any one try this experiment with the beet pulp, please let us know if the results were more extreme or not. Betti Goddard NE Ohio ========== gafarm ====== ============================================================ To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: dlinkous@radix.net Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Weight Gain (Beet Pulp) Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2000 01:07:32 -0500 Here is a good account of a beet pulp/water experiment gone awry. http://shady-acres.com/susan/squirrel.shtml Diana, trying to add a little lightness to the beet pulp conundrum ========== dlinkous@radix.net ====== ============================================================ To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: "John & Sue" Subject: EQ-ResQ: beet pulp Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2000 05:07:09 -0500 I had two horses choke on dry beet pulp. Don't take the chance! One was able to clear the blockage herself after walking for a few minutes and the other I had to call the vet. Vet had to put a hose down her nostril and pump water into her throat with what amounted to a bilge pump and blast the blockage bit by bit and then siphon the little bit that was loosened up out of her throat. Vet was here over 2 1/2 hrs before we got it cleared. Once it was cleared the mare was immediately fine but I imagine she had a sore throat for a day or two. She was real good and gave no problems with this but I imagine that a second time she would want no part of it!. It was my big belgian mare too. If she didn't want to there wouldn't have been much we could have done short of drugging her. Nothing was moving in the throat at all. All saliva poured out her nose and mouth. Looked like buckets full. You could actually feel the lump halfway down her neck where the beetpulp lodged. It was only a handfull that did it. I was fixing the gate and the horses were hanging around "helping". I threw the first feed I got my hands on away from the gate in a few different spots. It didn't take much at all, it really was only a handful of dry beet pulp. Very scarey! I still use it but I make sure it's well soaked even a little on the soupy side. Sue in NH http://homepage.fcgnetworks.net/buddy/ http://homepage.fcgnetworks.net/buddy/private-cgi/chatpro/chatpro.cgi If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies. ========== "John & Sue" ====== ============================================================ To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: Heynette@aol.com Subject: EQ-ResQ: beet pulp (was weight gain) Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2000 07:48:12 EST In a message dated 3/10/00 9:25:34 PM Pacific Standard Time, nelles@dwave.net writes: << have known people who feed it dry with okay results >> A Friend of mine was feed beet pulp in the shredded form. She would soak it overnight. After feeding for the night she started preparing for the morning meal. Her horse escaped from it's stall and started eating the dry beet pulp and consequently choked and had to be taken to Cornell for surgical treatment. I would never feed beet pulp without soaking first. Lynette ========== Heynette@aol.com ====== ============================================================ To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: CC40058@aol.com Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: weight gain Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2000 12:30:37 EST In a message dated 03/10/2000 2:33:52 PM Eastern Standard Time, epona@concentric.net writes: > I wonder if there's some > correlation between breed and/or body type and what works best on a > particular horse or breed of horse or if it's strictly individual or a > little of both? We use our grain/nutritional 'beefing up' formula on all the horses from mini's to Thoroughbreds (and drafts when we get one of those...I hope). All have responded well. There are individual horses which need to keep being pulled from the pasture and going back on...the one Thoroughbred who does not maintain his weight well. He does not have any physical problem that we can find, but he is always the lowest on the pecking system and will not even try to eat hay around the other horses when they insist on chasing him away. (I'll be glad when the pastures come back, we do not have that problem, then.) We also bring the 'old ladies' in every nite...and keep up the regimen with them. So, I guess the bottom line with your inquiry is that as far as we have seen, it is basically individual. Caroline ...dedicated to the animals ========== CC40058@aol.com ====== ============================================================ Disclaimer: Please note that none of the information contained in these files is meant to be professional information. Consult your vet, attorney or other professional for their advice.