Feeding a 38 yr old pony on hay replacer with EMS?

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spottydottypony

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My pony has just been diagnosed with EMS. He is on hay replacer as he has hardly any teeth. I have been told to put him on a grass free diet. He already has low sugar, starch feeds such as fibrebeet and hi fibre cubes but he is such a fussy eater im at a loss what to feed him! he doesnot like hi fi light or any low sugar chop and has veteran chop which he will just about eat. Any suggestions??
 
used to have 5 oldies at last yard I worked at , 2 were on mushy food only and one would only eat mush (sugar beet/grass nuts and half a scoop per bucket of veteran mix) he had three buckets per night of the mush and was turned out daily on grass of a reasonable length-he was supposed to be on a grass free diet for the same reasons as yours but he would not eat anything other than the above, we tried so many combinations and he refused all the ones that were good for him and as the weight kept falling off the vets eventually agreed that unless he ate something he would die sooner rather than later so give him what he liked. he did really well on it and remained happy and full of himself for another 2.5 yrs-it was a internal tumour that got him in the end at the age of 33. sometimes you just have to listen to them despite what may be in the best interest if possible medically
 
I agree with twggy2, maybe not what the doctor ordered but you are between a rock and a hard place and have to make compromises. In the end wouldn't you rather see him being able to enjoy his feed rather than struggling with his weight and being miserable. Who knows he might surprise you.
 
Wow at that age his health and your help has done him well, he has no teeth ledt, do you really want him to live forever, let him eat what he wants and what will help keep his weight on, when it is time to say goodbye at least he had some years of eating all the nice things. Bless
 
Thanks for all you replies. I think i will just keep him happy making slight compromise with molasses free chop. He does like his fibre beet. The vet said he cant have grass but to be honest his front teeth are non existent and our field is usually bare. He likes fibre cubes in a ball which too have molasses in but i cant starve him. The problem with the sugar is that its caused him laminitis so i have to be careful
 
My mare is 31 this year, I was going to say good bye before the winter as she had dropped down to around 400 kg mid summer when she should be around 500 kg. She has no molars left, or at least none to chew with and I was struggling to get some weight on. She was grazing or at least trying to, but still not putting weight on. I started feeding soaked sugar beet, grass nuts/Alfa pellets and linseed ( micronised). She gradually gained weight and now weighs 500 KGS again, she has kept it on too over the winter and seems happy too. She has Cushing's so perhaps shouldn't have too much starch\ sugar, but I feel its better she enjoys what time she has rather than have a miserable time struggling to maintain weight. Its very hard when they get old, but they deserve a good quality of life first and foremost.
 
Bennions Field said:
My mare is 31 this year, I was going to say good bye before the winter as she had dropped down to around 400 kg mid summer when she should be around 500 kg. She has no molars left, or at least none to chew with and I was struggling to get some weight on. She was grazing or at least trying to, but still not putting weight on. I started feeding soaked sugar beet, grass nuts/Alfa pellets and linseed ( micronised). She gradually gained weight and now weighs 500 KGS again, she has kept it on too over the winter and seems happy too. She has Cushing's so perhaps shouldn't have too much starch\ sugar, but I feel its better she enjoys what time she has rather than have a miserable time struggling to maintain weight. Its very hard when they get old, but they deserve a good quality of life first and foremost.
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I feed a very similar concoction to my 34yo, with the addition of Halleys Just Grass Chop. The Halleys chop is the softest that I've found and my old boy definitely prefers it.

My compromise is to cut out molasses, but make sure that I add a comprehensive mineral supplement.
 
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