Recommend me... a supplement that won't make her fat!!

[Switchthehorse]

My girl has had a bit of a rough time the last 5 months or so with quite regular colic, which 4k vets bills later we have got to the bottom of, treated and hopefully that will be the end of it.

I am keen to give her some sort of supplement to boost her a bit as her white cells are quite low and she has had quite a battering both from the colics and also all the tests.

My problem - she is overweight and the vet has advised i get a good 70kg off her if not more. She is in medium work, exercised 5-6 days a week, soaked hay (which is soaked for a good 12 hrs) and a handful of feed! She lives on fresh air!! Add to that she isn't 'low' in herself - in fact very perky!!But she is using her mineral lick a lot more than usual so feel she is lacking something (prob due to soaked hay).

Anyway tried pink powder and outshine in the past and ballooned is not the word, she got fatter and fatter!! Can anyone recommend a broad spectrum supplement herbal or otherwise that will help with things like 'good bacteria' and general nutrition but wont make her any fatter???

Thanks!!

 

[Puppy]

Bailey's lo cal.

 

[*hic*]

It would disturb me greatly that she puts weight on by the addition of a tiny little spoonful of powder. How much hay are you feeding her?

 

[Switchthehorse]

It would disturb me greatly that she puts weight on by the addition of a tiny little spoonful of powder. How much hay are you feeding her?

It disturbed me greatly too, but it is very true. I am feeding hay levels recommended by my vet and also a nutrionalist, she has a medium net at tea time and a small late night net, out in the field with not a huge amount of grass 8am - 3pm during the day - and given that the hay is soaked for at least 12 hours you can assume there is not a lot of goodness left in it. Hard feed wise she has 1/4 scp hifi and handful of comp mix twice a day so literally nothing.

Then this is the horse that had tapeworms once and vet nearly fell off the chair when he saw the level of infection because she was in such good nick!?

Guess i should be grateful she lives on fresh air saves on feed bills!!

 

[Ladylina83]

She will balloon on outshine its mostly made of oil !

I've been using maxivita vitamin supplement while my mare was on box rest as she was getting a podge on so cut her feed right back to chop and vits. This has done the trick and its just a scoop of powder.

ETA the feed I cut out was a handful of 16+nuts - does she really need the comp mix ?

 

[xxRachelxx]

NAF Slimline?? It is a vit and min supplement but also contains seaweed to increase metabolism and help burn fat.

http://www.naf-equine.eu/uk//products/productDetail.jsp?detail_id=slimline

 

[forestfantasy]

I agree with cutting out the comp mix - bound to be loaded with extra sugar - no good for weight loss.
I'd just feed Hi-Fi with a vit supplement.

 

[ThePony]

Supplements are generally a bit of an expensive way to take a guess at the mineral/vit needs of your horse.

Equimins metabalance is a good one as it actually bears some resemblance to the mineral imbalances experienced by alot of horses (it is 'off list' so you need to call them for it), or get your grazing/hay analysed and a feed plan worked up so you can feed her exactly what she needs. Then you only need to feed the barest amount of feed base to put the minerals in, you aren't adding empty calories. Feed wise I am a massive fan of fast fibre - even fussies seem to really enjoy it, a little goes along way as it is soaked, doesn't contain any nasties and has v low energy/sugar/starch levels. You don't even need to add chaff to it.

If she is struggling to tollerate the feed and blowing up, then a course of yeasacc or activated charcol can help alot - and won't put weight on!

 

[Miss L Toe]

Then this is the horse that had tapeworms once and vet nearly fell off the chair when he saw the level of infection because she was in such good nick!?

Your vet sits in a chair?
OK I think she needs a "restorative" ask Feedmark about http://www.feedmark.com/Product.asp?Product=Recharge
It does have micronised linseed, which is an oil, but she does need the vitamins and stuff associated.
You could look for something on Global herbs but they don't show ingredients so you will have to probe a bit.
I would give her salt, as this is not in her diet so far. a small handfull per day plus a lick. I second Fast Fibre

 

[Capriole]

Your vet sits in a chair?

Id cut out the mix as well, it seems a bit pointless

 

[Amaranta]

She should most definitely not put on weight with a bog standard vit/min supplement. I too would cut out the comp mix, it serves absolutely no purpose as she is only getting a handful anyway.

Outshine is NOT a supplement, it is intended to be fed to add condition. The Pink Powder in itself would not make her put on weight, but the fact that it has a probiotic in it would make her utilise the feed you are giving her better - hence the weight gain.

Hi Fi Lite and a Vit/Min supplement would get the weight off her.

 

[Switchthehorse]

Thanks all so far

She is on the small bit of comp mix as when her work load increased (April time last year) she got a bit tired and it gave her a bit of extra spark.

I use a redmond rock or whatever it is called mineral lick so its not just salt, I don't use it - sorry she does

And yes apparently my vet occasionally sits down!!

I havent seen the NAF slimline before - will take a gander looks interesting, and thanks for some of the other names and brands will do some googling seeing as its friday afternoon and I am in the office on my own!

Keen to know if anyone has had similar experiences, the more i work her the thinner i get but she just stays the same! But I am glad some of you agree that she definitely needs a boost of summat!

 

[Switchthehorse]

Sorry just to add - she is on hifi lite - not the normal one!

 

[Enfys]

Recommend me... a supplement that won't make her fat!!

I am so sorry, I read that as "won't make her fart" !

Not a feed expert so I will leave advice to those who know what they are on about. I feed my lot with the aim of keeping weight on so am in another boat to you.

 

[unbalanced]

Sorry just to add - she is on hifi lite - not the normal one!

I was feeding my laminitic just hifi lite in the summer when she got laminitis. I thought it was fine as it was lite, diet, suitable for laminitics and everything. I'm now taking my horse barefoot so last weekend I was asked to actually read the ingredients on the bag of hifi lite. It is mostly made out of alfalfa and molasses. Alfalfa is high in protein and not really digestible for horses anyway especially dieting ones - I would never have fed it to her if I had known. I would certainly never fed her molasses. So I gave the farmer the bag of hifi lite to feed to the bulls.
If I were you (speaking as someone who got 70kg off a 14hh pony last year) I would keep feeding the soaked hay, cut the hifi, cut the comp mix (as it isn't doing anything) and get a forage analysis if you have a regular supply of forage. If you don't just get a regular vitamin and mineral supplement. Then you only need a tiny amount of something free from molasses like speedi-beet to act as a carrier. That is what I am feeding my laminitic.
I found this website which sells individual vitamins and minerals alongside forage analysis (I am thinking of doing this myself, just got to check if the farmer has a forage analysis already): http://shop.forageplus.com/epages/e...health with accurate mineral supplementation"

 

[SuperCoblet]

Feed the new molasses free alfa, I've just changed my cob onto it and he is no longer round or fizzy!

As far as supliments go, the only one I would recommend is D&H Surelimb, it's fab stuff and has all the vits and mins they need

 

[wizbit]

I have had same dilema with my boy.
I've opted for handful of Allen and Page fast fibre (it is Alfalfa, cereal and molasses free - all of the things which make him fat/fizzy) with Lexvet mineral mix (a vitiman and mineral supplement).
He is then just on hay.
Have tried so many other supplements, a nightmare when you start reading through their ingredient lists!
Also tried Global Herbs Globalvite, this was good but also made him put on a bit of condition.
The Lexvet one is the only one where he has trimmed down on.