EPSM and Frost

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burtie

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My horse is an EPSM sufferer but with diet control and daily exercise you'd normally never know. However as he has fully soaked hay and is very sensitive to the cold, he is always much worse when there is a heavy frost. He won't eat his soaked hay and doesn't drink much so gets mildy de-hydrated, this then makes the EPSM much worse!


Is there anything else I could feed instead of the soaked hay? He does get fast fibre so I suppose I can up this and make it warm and warm up his water but any other suggestions?
 
maybe he doesn't eat much hay as he is not drinking enough. I give my EPSM several warm drinks a day of warm water with copra. I make up half a bucket at a time. You could use your FF or soaked alfafa pellets or anything else as a treat to get him to drink. At least that way he won't be dehydrated and it may spur him on to eat a bit more hay. Also is he warm enough. I have had to increase the rugging considerably in this frosty weather. If he is standing and a bit cold he may be less inclined to eat hay. Increased rugging made an instant difference.
 
FrankieCob said:
Any of the high fibre lammi haylages. I used the Horsehage one but other manufacturers make them as well.
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Thanks, I have thought about this and looked into it, but non can guarantee the sugar levels are low enough, I actually use a high fibre haylage soaked for 16 hours and it is surprising how much sugar still comes out!
 
paddy555 said:
maybe he doesn't eat much hay as he is not drinking enough. I give my EPSM several warm drinks a day of warm water with copra. I make up half a bucket at a time. You could use your FF or soaked alfafa pellets or anything else as a treat to get him to drink. At least that way he won't be dehydrated and it may spur him on to eat a bit more hay. Also is he warm enough. I have had to increase the rugging considerably in this frosty weather. If he is standing and a bit cold he may be less inclined to eat hay. Increased rugging made an instant difference.
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Yes I definitely think I may have under-rugged and will watch this closely in future! Unfortunately by the time we did it this time he was already tying up! I will also try and really slop up the feeds, mine has linseed rather than copra but I will definitely slop them up with warm water next time.
 
Demented Elf said:
How is he with Alfalfa?

Equidgel might do the trick, not the cheapest though!
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Interesting I didn't know about this! Thanks, as you say expensive but I may get some in for those frosty nights (luckily living in the south we don't have too many), as it looks like a useful thing to have.It will certainly be cheaper than the vets bills I have just had!!

The yard have jokingly suggested I bring him home and put him on the sofa in the lounge on the really cold nights!!!
 
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