Feed for very fussy fatty. At my wits end!!

Haphazardhacker

Haphazardhacker

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Got a mare who is overweight mostly due to decreased workload (suspensories), have now had discussion with vet and decided that we are ok to increase work.
Anyway, she has been put on metformin at first was fine and she ate it with her normal feed (agrobs museli, Topspec senior lite and supplements including bosweilia, cortaflex, msm) .
Vet had said to add cinnamon and mag ox. Did this over weekend and she flatly refuses to eat. Have now taken it down to just her museli, Topspec and metformin and keen at first but after few bites that’s it.

Any ideas as to a feed that is safe for fatties but may mask stuff or be more interesting for her. It’s really stressing me out and her too I think. She loves lucerne so was thinking something by simple systems?
 
I have this problem with Diva and had to give up on metformin. She refuses to eat anything other than grass in the summer, and I couldn’t disguise her tablets in anything. I even had to try and disguise them in a handful of sugar free polos, but that didn’t work either.
Getting her breathing supplement down her is a nightmare at the moment.
 
If she's obese she needs less food, not more. If she needs medication, pound the tablets to powder, mix with something (stewed apple, yoghurt, or the like) and syringe it down her.
 
I’ve got the powder luckily , it smells ok so thought it must taste ok. Ok may have to give up and syringe it down. I would give up on feed but she has a whole host of other issues so needs supplements and all she gets is a balancer and a handful of agrobs muesli.
 
It'll be the mag ox that she doesn't like I would think. It's very much an acquired taste and takes some getting used to, at least that's what happened to my Connie. Try it in minute quantities at first. How much has the vet said to give her? Mine happily eat a dessert spoon in each feed now, but it took ages to persuade my fussy chap to accept it. As a chaff, have you tried Thunderbrook's healthy herbal chaff, mine love it and will eat a bucketful :)
 
Ive stopped trying with mag ox as it was an instant no from her. It’s so difficult, trying to work out what they will eat as I’m thinking now that the metformin when mixed with her other supplements (bosweilia for example which is quite a strong flavour) was ok as it calmed down the metformin taste and now I’ve eliminated all other supplements maybe the metformin is too strong in flavour on its own. Will give thunder brooks a call and see if they can send a sample out.
Completely understand that yes she is fat so needs less feed but also she has arithritis so needs her joint supplements to keep her moving and able to be ridden so it’s a tricky situation. Vet was happy with balancer and her chaff as she gets a minute quantity.
 
my sister had this problem. her vet suggested using a bit of toothpaste to mix the metformin into and then syringe it in. it has been working really well as it is like the consistancy of a wormer and horse doesnt spit it out... vet said to use a very minty toothpaste.....hope this helps
 
Ive discovered metaformin melts in water so I melt it and mixed it into ponies veteran light. She eats the whole lot and licks bowl clean where as she wouldn't eat any food with the tablets in at all :)
 
Bran is very palatable and you can damp it for supplements. Yes, it contains starch but if you only use the smallest amount you need it won't be a great % of her daily diet
 
I can hide anything in Copra. Just a small amount mixed with topchop zero - the small amount she gets isn't going to make much of a difference to her expanding waistline (8 weeks off work and still not sound Grrrrr)
 
TopSpec High Fibre Mash has Six's seal of approval, and he really is as fussy as they come!
 
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