Recommended feed for horses after tie back surgery?

[Hectorhoon1980]

Hi, Does anyone have any recommendations of what to feed a horse after tie back surgery? The op went well but he is now coughing quite a lot and the vet suggested changing his feed but said that it would be 'trial and error'. At the moment he is on Hifi lite and Pavo conditioning cubes which is wetted before feeding and has soaked hay. He is fed all hay and feed from floor. Any ideas?

 

[flaxen]

You will probably find that it is the hifi that is making him cough, we do a lot of tie backs and hobdays on race horses and they only get plain nuts or mix. Try him on some mollichop as it is not as prickly as hifi and less likely to irritate him and make him choke, you also need to make sure his food is wet enough as if its only damp that will make him cough andchoke too.
Hope this helps.

 

[VictoriaEDT]

absolutely right, I took my chap off hi fi and went from mix to soaked cubes. Feed soft hay, no cereals etc adn he should be fine!
Mine had a hobday as well so had a wacking great hole in his throat that lots of feed/pus came out of! ewwww

 

[Hannah92]

Yes yes yes. I had an ex racehorse with tie back.
I fed him on pony cubes and baileys number one. Baileys was a lifesaver, didint cough/choke once since i had him on it. Highly reccomend it.

 

[Bosworth]

Mine is on Simple Systems and has been from the day of the op 9 years ago - all fed soaked and wolfed down. he eats haylage without ever coughing and never has done since the op. He came back from the op with a disgusting hole in his neck which oozed snot and feed and had to be cleaned daily to ensure it healed well. but he was absolutely fine

 

[spacefaer]

Mine has had hobday/tie back - he has haylage, cubes and mix - no chop and the vets recommended that he didn't have sugar beet "indefinitely" - as it might make him cough. He sometimes has A&P calm and condition, but I've never damped his feed once he'd got over his op.

He never coughed and never had any food coming out of the scar - just a wound which we kept clean and which healed really quickly

 

[Hectorhoon1980]

Thank you all for your advice! Am going to take him off the chaff and see how he gets on with soaked nuts... will let you know how we get on