Ideas for an oldie?

[BB88]

Hi,
I have an elderly mare(30+) who has about two teeth left. She's currently on sloppy veteran vitality and speedi beet with a cup of oil twice a day but can't eat hay. She appears to graze but I sometimes find half chewed grass on the ground so I'm guessing a lot falls out of her mouth!
Is there anything else I can give her to add weight?
She also wolfs her feed down (always has) , so I would love to find a hay alternative that she can't eat all in one go so has something to last her a bit longer...I don't know if this is possible?

Her weight is ok at the moment but want to prepare for winter. Unfortunately I'm not on a yard so can't really get another feed in the middle of the day.

Any suggestions are welcome! TIA

 

[be positive]

Soaked grassnuts can be a total hay replacement, most love them and you can leave a big tub full for them to graze on although I would still recommend you introduce gradually and increase over a few weeks as she learns it is not a feed that needs to be eaten in one go, alfalfa pellets would be higher in feed value and can be soaked in the same way if you need to get more calories into her.

 

[meleeka]

My oldie has a bit of soft chaff (Honeychop Lite and Lean I think) mixed in to soaked high fibre nuts which means she ‘grazes’ it rather than just eats until it’s gone. If has to be quite sloppy still though.

 

[Polos Mum]

My 7hh 30 y/o Shetland has a full stubbs scoop of grass nuts soaked in a whole bucket of water to make a v large (for him) tub of green slime to slurp up. At first he does go at it like a hard feed but now he eats more calmly and 3-4 hours later can have some left. He has this 3 times a day in winter and it's kept him alive.

 

[BB88]

Thank you for the suggestions, will get some grass nuts today!

 

[BB88]

Soaked grassnuts can be a total hay replacement, most love them and you can leave a big tub full for them to graze on although I would still recommend you introduce gradually and increase over a few weeks as she learns it is not a feed that needs to be eaten in one go, alfalfa pellets would be higher in feed value and can be soaked in the same way if you need to get more calories into her.

Might be a daft question but when you say 'as she learns' it's not something to be eaten in one go, how does she learn this? Honestly anything in a bucket she just eats until it's gone, are there any ways to convince her to graze on it?

 

[be positive]

She will struggle to eat it in one go if fed after her main feed, you either make the grassnuts very sloppy or fairly dry, whichever she likes least most prefer one or the other, ensure it is in a place away from other resources, water, shelter, is in a big bowl or several so it is spread about and that once she has got her system used to them you give enough that in theory she doesn't run out, probably best introduced on a Monday and built up so you have time to observe from a distance at the weekend, possibly try a few diversion tactics such as a few other treats she can move away to, it should become boring for her rather than a meal, if you really need her to slow down and she chews ok add some unmollassed chop or more water to slow her.
I have used them a few times, one horse on box rest had a bowl with him 24/7 and went to and fro between his haynets and the bowl yet still ate his actual feed at the normal speed.