Feed Update

Last week I was reading back through some old posts and shook my head at the number of times I've readjusted what my boys eat. I have tried so many different products in an effort to heal hooves, shine coats, soothe tummies, and keep emotions on a more even keel. By now you'd think I'd have figured out that most of that stuff doesn't work all that well.

For the record, here's what my boys are getting this year.

Speedy

• As much alfalfa as he'll eat plus some grass hay as filler.
• ½ pound beet pulp once per day.
• ½ pound rice bran pellets once per day.
• 1 ½ tablets Prascend (treatment for PPID).
• Electrolytes as needed.

Izzy

• As much grass hay as he'll eat plus some alfalfa while grooming and tacking up.
• 4 pounds of beet pulp once per day.
• 3 pounds rice bran once per day.
• 1 cup milled flax seed once per day.
• 1 ounce vitamin/mineral mix once per day.
• 1 tablespoon GastroElm once per week.
• Electrolytes as needed.

Down to once a week from every day.

At this point, I've whittled the supplements down to the most basic of items. Since Izzy eats primarily grass hay, he really does need the extra calories found in the beet pulp and rice bran. I've tried several "cooler" feeds, but all of them sent his energy through the roof. Rice bran (fat) and beet pulp (forage) are the only feeds besides the grass hay that he can tolerate. My vet agrees that the vitamin/mineral mix and milled flaxseed are probably doing more than just making expensive poop. He feels that the flax probably helps with Izzy's summertime itch, and being on grass hay alone means he's probably not getting enough minerals and vitamins.

As far as the GastroElm, I know that it works when Izzy needs it. I am still trying to determine just how frequently he does need it. For the past three weeks I've given it to him on Saturday after my lesson. So far, that isn't making things worse, but I don't know that he needs it weekly. I need to give it a few more weeks to see if the occasional sloppy poop piles disappear or continue.

Eating really shouldn't be this complicated.