box rest diet?

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Parkranger

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So when Oscar comes home I think it's the ideal opportunity to put him on a diet (as the pictures below will testify!)

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half a summer on good grass just isn't an option for him - Ty's not much better but because he's more muscled it doesn't look as bad on him.

Oscar was getting half a scoop of hifi with his pink powder once a day but I'm wondering what to put him on while he's on box rest.

Probabaly continue with pink powder and ad lib hay, shall I just give 1 scoop of hifi twice a day?
 
just realised he's going to lose ALL his topline and bum that I've build up while he's stuck in a box for 6 weeks - how annoying!
 
Poor boy..............1 x scoop of Hi Fi twice a day won't do him any harm, so I wouldn't be worried about increasing that. Can he have a play ball? and apples in his water to bob?to help pass the time.
 
Yep I've already got a play ball - the one that Ty could never work out bless him! I was going to hang swede in the stable too but I think he'll be in too much pain to worry too much to start with poor thing.

I'll keep him on that and hopefully he'll loose some weight then!
 
LOL Sparks was too dense to work out how to use a play ball too, but does like apple bobbing. My friends horse has it now.........it took him about 3 seconds to get the hang of it!!!!
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Feed sounds fine........ Boris adores his play ball... will knock it about for hours... well until the nuts run out!!
 
You could try Bailey's lo-cal balancer - he'll get all the vits & mins he needs to recover but without calories - slim fast for horses!
 
A feed ball (the decohedron ones) is my horses life line when they're box rested for any reason. It stops them going insane and gives them a reason to live
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They too are right fatties so unfortunatly, filling it full of lots of lovely feed isn't really an option.
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I recently discovered Dodson and Horrel Equine Sensitive and it's great for feed balls! It's a large honeycomb-style nuggest (couple of times bigger than a normal cube) that's high in fibre and very suitable for lamanitics. It's perfect for feed balls and just a couple of handfuls would keep his entertained for ages.

I also use Spillers High Fibre Cubes - they're low calorie and fairly long cubes, so a good size. They are much better than the Dodson and Horrel HighFibre cubes, which have more calories and and much smaller (as I just discovered when i bought a bag a couple of weeks ago!)

I then add a couple of handful of chaff (any chaff really) to the ball to slow down the release.

When they're being box rested, food becomes a huge huge treat and really makes their day, so I try to use it to keep them happy. It would be worth thinking about soaking his hay simply so he can have a bit more in his feedball/bucket instead.
 
Hello hun

SOrry to hear about everything - will give you a ring when I´m back.

When Fin was on his LONG stint of boxrest I started him on D and H )I think) Convalescent Mix??? And a bit of chaff - spread out in as many feeds as possible.

I also gave him a treatball with some cheapo nuts in when he was off cross ties........

Think you´ll have to just see how he does. Just watch his condition and weight and adjust accordingly.

I know it´s horrible when they´re on box rest.......I had about the worst horse to be kept cross tied and confined to stable for over 4 months so know what you´re going through. It will fly by and he´ll be out in no time.

Lots of love

L

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Hugs honey

x
 
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