Cowpony
Well-Known Member
My horse has had turmeric in her feed for several years, in an effort to stave off the progression of arthritis. She's 16 now and still acting like a 4-year old so I have no specific concerns, but when she had x-rays about 6 years ago the vet said she had slight arthritic changes in the base of her neck and in her hocks. In the last 2 - 3 weeks she's been tucking into her feed as if she's starving (she's always starving! 
), taking 2 mouthfuls and rejecting the rest. Even if I've taken it away and put it back in her stable later in the day she sniffs it and goes back to her hay. It doesn't matter if I feed her after she's been out all night (in a field which doesn't have a huge amount of grass) or if she's been in with plenty of hay, so I don't think it's to do with how much she's eaten overnight.
So we started a process of exclusion - cutting her feed right back to the basic Calm & Condition, then adding one supplement at a time. She ate the C&C with no problem and has continued to eat the supplemented feed each day......until we put in the turmeric. I always thought turmeric didn't have much of a flavour, and there is nothing else in there apart from black pepper, so I'm stumped. I always get the same brand, but it is a new tub. Could it be that the manufacturer has changed the ratio of pepper to turmeric perhaps? Or a different source of turmeric which has changed the flavour? Interested to hear if others have the same problem. And if I have to ditch the turmeric what do I replace it with? Thanks all.
), taking 2 mouthfuls and rejecting the rest. Even if I've taken it away and put it back in her stable later in the day she sniffs it and goes back to her hay. It doesn't matter if I feed her after she's been out all night (in a field which doesn't have a huge amount of grass) or if she's been in with plenty of hay, so I don't think it's to do with how much she's eaten overnight.So we started a process of exclusion - cutting her feed right back to the basic Calm & Condition, then adding one supplement at a time. She ate the C&C with no problem and has continued to eat the supplemented feed each day......until we put in the turmeric. I always thought turmeric didn't have much of a flavour, and there is nothing else in there apart from black pepper, so I'm stumped. I always get the same brand, but it is a new tub. Could it be that the manufacturer has changed the ratio of pepper to turmeric perhaps? Or a different source of turmeric which has changed the flavour? Interested to hear if others have the same problem. And if I have to ditch the turmeric what do I replace it with? Thanks all.
