Feeding Advice please.

[Nailed]

Hello need some advise ( feed shopping tomorrow so would like to get the decided feed then)

I have a mare who is a bit quirky should we say. Her droppings as a rule are very loose. She has always been loose but recently more so. So on the advice of the vet she has been put on BioPremium. Which has done nothing at all to be honest. I am now wondering if it is something in her diet that is not balanced.

She is fed haylage when in over night (adlib, cant have hay as gets a cough even when soaked,)
She is turned out from around 10 in the morning until 6 in the evening.

She has a stubs scoop of alfa-a twice a day
She has a scoop of Sweet Meadow Active mix, twice a day
She also has the biopremium added and biotin.

She needs more that a cool mix as she is in medium work and needs the extra umph.

Any Ideas peeps.

Answers on a post card.. LOL

Lou x

 

[vicky_sut]

I use to look after an eventer that when he had loose dropping Baileys digest plus really worked for him.
There could be something in the active mix that isn't agreeing with her, maybe try cutting it out for a week to see if it makes any difference?

 

[deicinmerlyn]

It's possible the haylage is making her loose. Some horses just dont do that well on it.

Have you had her worm counted and checked for ulcers?

 

[ImogenBurrows]

Hi there,

I'm afraid I'm not the font of all knowledge as I don't have a nutrition degree!!

That said I think that your question is best placed to your preferred nutrtion companies own nutritionists...

If you have to be on haylage for RAO then definitely try adding a haylage balancer to try and keep the pH close to normal for the guts (NAF). I've found it works a treat for some of my clients who have had the same trouble.

If you're worried about keeping on weight at all, the I find alfabeet (Dengie) is good without giving you too much fizzing energy and still keeping the balance of the diet towards higher fibre levels.

TBH though, I'd recommened you give the company that you prefer to use products from a ring and start there - they are the best people to ask and will give you proper advice for your horse and appropriate work level.

Hope that helps,
Imogen

 

[amandap]

I'm no feed/nutrition expert but I'd go the more simple route first. Loose poos generally mean some sort of gut disturbance and ime enemy no. 1 is sugars.

So I'd feed free choice soaked hay when in and a simple feed of unmollassed beet (speedi or kwik) with yea sac, a good balancer (Top spec I believe has one of the best profiles) salt in feed or a pure salt lick, and possible calmag or magnesium oxide. (if this makes the poos looer stop or reduce it). No tub licks or sweet treats. You can use part of her balancer ration if you use treat balls or for treats...

I'd try this for at least a week and see if her poos get more normal. Grass at this time of year is another culprit but feeding soaked hay etc. while she is in will reduce her sugar intake significantly.
Just my personal opinion. Whatever you decide good luck.

 

[amandap]

Just one take on why yea sacc is better than pro/pre biotics for stabilizing the hind gut... I've been looking for articles and most of the sugar in diet stuff is on laminitis which doesn't apply to you but the gut disturbace mechanism can be the same.
http://www.metabolichorse.co.uk/metacalm alltech yea-sacc.htm

 

[fawndashaw]

Have You tried hay cubes (timothy or alphalfa) instead of haylage, you should soak it in water,especially if feeding it instead of hay or haylage. I found it great for putting on weight and the cubes make great treats when fed dry

 

[chestnut cob]

I second Baileys Digest Plus, great stuff. I used to feed it to my last horse as he used to get the runs terribly when the spring grass came through, when he came in for winter and was fed haylage, and when he'd been hunting. Sometimes he would have them so badly I'd be washing his legs off at least twice a day and the Baileys supplement always sorted him out.

 

[Brandy]

It could be the haylage making her loose. As someone else said, some horses just don;t get on that well with it.