Feed companies changing ingredients without telling people...

CBFan

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Just a little moan following on from the post the other day about ERS pellets and the change in ingredients, it came to light that I am now feeding my horse an ingredient that he has previously shown sensitivity to, having gone out of my way before I fed this product to ensure that it didn't contain any alfalfa, I discover several months down the line that it now does -thankfully it doesn't affect him in a major way, it just makes him scurfier than I'd like, But I am aware of several horses with allergies where a change in ingredient like this could be a life or death situation... isn't it a bit bad of companies NOT to clearly mark these changes on their packaging?
 

criso

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Yes, this kind of thing really annoys me which is why we only feed single ingredient feeds.


That's what I do. I know some people would accuse me of overcomplicating things but by feeding straight feeds and minerals I know what I'm feeding and can adjust quickly.

It's not helped by the fact that the manufacturers do not list ingredients on the website so the only place you can check is on the bag once you're in the feedstore.
 

CBFan

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Yes... as a general rule I buy 'straights' too... but I decided to try the ERS pellets for controllable energy as they appeared 'barefoot friendly', seemed to help with muscular issues and didn't contain anything that my boy is sensitive to... and they worked... Will just have to see how we go with regards to the alfa-a content now :( Strange as I had noticed his skin was a bit scurfy again but didn't think anything of it...
 

CBFan

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Very annoying for you :(

Yes, very.

My friend had a situation where one of her horses reacted to a new bottle of fly spray (the same brand that she always bought) and it turned out the company had changed the ingredients without listing it on the bottle. Thankfully she didn't use it on her horse who is allergic to numerous things as he probably wouldn't be here today...

It's very naughty of them...
 

criso

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I suspect the key ingredients here are the soya bean mean, it's incredibly high in protein and low in starch and the vegetable oil.

No reason why you can't add those.

The other ingredients are either fairly generic (unmolassed sugarbeet), filler (oatfeed, wheatfeed) or flavouring.
 

CBFan

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Thanks Criso! That is really helpful and makes sense as it is protein that he needs but not starch :)

I will look into getting some soya bean meal instead as his minerals are all catered for (the added vitamin E and selenium) with his balanced minerals... He's on Micronised linseed so I could increase this or just get some veg oil. Simples :)

Wish I'd looked into this sooner :)
 

criso

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You could up the linseed but take into account that linseed is a protein source too so be careful you are not overloading with protein.

The only other thing in there is the skimmed milk powder but not sure on how well adult horses digest lactose.

The ers probably weren't helping your mineral balancing either as they had them added. Soya is a good natural source of lysine too which will help with muscle.

Tallyho
Yes that often turns up on a search when I am looking for ingredients but in this case nothing alerts you to the fact that D and H have replaced all or part of the grass meal with alfalfa.
It's an archive thread and can't be updated.

I wonder if forum admin here would let us start a feed ingredients pinned as a sticky.
 

tallyho!

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You could up the linseed but take into account that linseed is a protein source too so be careful you are not overloading with protein.

The only other thing in there is the skimmed milk powder but not sure on how well adult horses digest lactose.

The ers probably weren't helping your mineral balancing either as they had them added. Soya is a good natural source of lysine too which will help with muscle.

Tallyho
Yes that often turns up on a search when I am looking for ingredients but in this case nothing alerts you to the fact that D and H have replaced all or part of the grass meal with alfalfa.
It's an archive thread and can't be updated.

I wonder if forum admin here would let us start a feed ingredients pinned as a sticky.

Oh ok. I thought the OP might be able to find something similar to replace the ERS from that thread.

What you suggested about getting the soya as a straight would probably work for the OP.

I have a personal veto against soya though so I'll never personally recommend it :D
 
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CBFan

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Thanks both!

Very helpfull! :)

Yes, I am aware that the ERS might be throwing my mineral balancing out, however I haven't noticed any adverse affects with this in mind...

There is nothing similar to ERS that doesn't have mollasses or Alfa-alfa in... shame as when I started feeding ERS it had neither in :(

I am currently feeding my 17.2hh boy (per day):

1 heaped mug (250g) Micronised linseed
300g Fast Fibre
300g crushed oats (max)
and 700g-1kg ERS
then balanced minerals and Brewers yeast.

So if I were to substitute the ERS for Soya bean meal... how much would you reccomend I feed? same sort of quantities as the Linseed?

Tallyho - what issues do you have with soya? Just out of interest? I've spent a lot of time learning about the pro's and cons of what I feed so it's good to add to this knowledge as much as possible...

My boy is a good doer and sugar sensitive - had a LGL attack last summer, and suffers with shivers and some muscle tightness associated with this so like I say, the ERS WAS pretty ideal for him...
 

tallyho!

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Can't help you with quantities of soya, maybe Criso can.

Well, lots of people feed soya with great success but I won't feed it as it's GM and well known for being a pro-inflammatory. Cultivated worldwide, its very difficult to get non-GM soy unless you live in Japan or order specifically from an organic grower and they are few. I eat soy myself but only fermented in miso or soy sauce.

However,please don't be put off as there is no clear evidence to suggest it's bad for horses. In a well balanced diet it's seen as beneficial source of protein. I just steer well clear... I haven't got a horse that reacts to alfalfa though so I'm scuppered if she suddenly turns her nose up at it!
 

criso

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Sorry my knowledge is a bit theoretical as I haven't fed it myself.

I suggested the soya as it was probably the key ingredient from the ERS pellets that was helping due to the protein levels and lysine. I use Copra and Linseed for protein but they have nothing like the levels of Soya.
 

Captainmouse

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some companies operate a 'least cost policy' which means that they make to a price rather than stick to a receipe.

so they go to the market to buy the ingredients and if one has risen sharpley in price they replace it with something else, thus keeping the cost of the end product the same.

you need to check with the feed company in question if this is the case. if so the contents will change on a regular basis
 

CBFan

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Thanks all... Very Helpful! :)

It looks like it is fed from anything like a mug-full to a scoop full per day.

I tried copra and it didn't do my boy any favours in the energy department :D plus he went a little lumpy on it and it was the only feed he's EVER turned his nose up at! ;)

I can (sort of) understand the pricing thing but I'd still much rather it was made clear to me what I was feeding my horse...
 

criso

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Yes I thought I remembered Copra didn't work for you which is why I didn't suggest it.

I see the point about changing formulations but in this case it's not a budget feed and it's a specialist feed intended for sensitive horses so I would expect them to take care.
 

CBFan

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Yes I thought I remembered Copra didn't work for you which is why I didn't suggest it.

I see the point about changing formulations but in this case it's not a budget feed and it's a specialist feed intended for sensitive horses so I would expect them to take care.

Well remembered! :D and yes, you have a very good point re it being a specialist feed - there are lots of people who feed it to horses with much greater problems than my own (my friend with the uber allergic to everything horse included!) who could end up with big problems on their hands if they inadvertantly fed their horse something they shouldn't or fed it thinking it was suppying their horse with something that it actually wasn't...
 
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