Any tips for helping a mare produce more milk?

[milliepup]

Just wondered what hot tips you may have to help a mare that is producing milk but not quite enough?

I have heard of feeding guiness but wondered what else others have done or used with sucess.

Thanks.

 

[AndyPandy]

How are you quantifying "not quite enough" milk? If the mare has a foal feeding, then as the foal requires more nutrition, it will attempt to suckle more, which in turn increases milk production.

If the foal is happy, healthy, urinating and defaeceating normally, then I wouldn't worry.

 

[milliepup]

It is constantly trying to feed but only takes a few sucks then mum has no more to give. After vet visit and advice we are supplementing with foal milk and have put her on a different diet to try and get her to produce more milk as her bag is very small. Until we started to give supplement milk foal had started to dehydrate but is now looking much better so am going to continue with this but just wondered is anyone had had similar.

 

[AndyPandy]

A 7 day regime of sulpiride or domperidone treatment will normally increase milk production if there is a problem... perhaps it would be worth investigating that

 

[sallyf]

You could also try good old cocoa powder in the mares feed.
Just a spoonful in each feed

 

[shirleyno2]

I'd ditto cocoa powder. Also grass, carrots and apples, think feeding moisture!

 

[henryhorn]

Joanna Vardon suggested cocoa powder to us, and it worked!

 

[cmg]

Another vote for cocoa powder - as pure as you can get