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Discussion on EPSM Diet
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Posted on Saturday, Aug 31, 2002 - 10:27 pm:
I am hoping someone here can give me some ideas. We are trying to introduce this diet to our horse - but having a great deal of trouble getting her cooperation in eating it! I know she SHOULD get 2-1/4 c. oil/fat. We are severely hampered by the limited amount of actual high fat horse feed product that we can get within a 50 mi radius. To date we have been using Satin Finish, an extruded rice bran product, alfalfa pellets, corn oil and water. Up to about 1/2 to 3/4 c of oil we can get the horse to eat it, but today she absolutely refused. We have, over the past ten days, even resorted to "spoon feeding" but that is not a viable alternative. Can anyone tell me if baking this mash into treats will decrease the efficacy of the oil? It would appear to be texture, rather than flavor, that is causing her to turn up her nose, but she isn't exactly forthcoming with WHY she doesn't like it. Any hints or tricks would be appreciated (and yes we tried syringing the oil into her - got a bit in, but I really don't want to create a whole 'nother set of problems by making her resistant to that for future worming, etc.)
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Posted on Sunday, Sep 1, 2002 - 1:41 am:
Hi,
Can you spread the amount of oil out over more feedings?
Holly
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Posted on Sunday, Sep 1, 2002 - 7:19 am:
Janis,
Soaking your mixture isn't working? My horse is on this same high fat diet. Soaking it for a couple of hours with about 3/4 cup of water helped alot. Also, in the beginning, (a year ago) I had to add more alfalfa pellets so it wasn't so oily and I bought coconut soy oil from Uckele. I have the web address if you want it. It is more expensive but the smell is nice and I think that is what they like. I no long have to use it as I would keep adding veg oil to the 5 gal container of cocosoy oil to delute it until we no longer needed it. Kim
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Posted on Sunday, Sep 1, 2002 - 12:46 pm:
Thank you both for your advice. Unfortunately, no I cannot spread the feedings out - we are in a board situation and getting there once a day (it is a 60 mi drive)is nutty enough. Perhaps I need to let it soak longer - it has only been soaking about an hour so I will try that. I will also perhaps try the cocosoy oil - that may help. What about the "baking" - any idea if that would cause the oil to evaporate?
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Posted on Sunday, Sep 1, 2002 - 2:28 pm:
just a guess here but i don't think baking with the oil will change the fat content.... i just look at a chocolate cake and get fatter.. 
i have been feeding oil to a select group of horses now for years... i had to very, VERY slowly introduce it to them... they now eat one cup a day in the morning feedings and lick the manger clean tooo..... i don't know how long you have been trying to feed this new diet, but start out real slow... just flavor the feed at first, then keep adding more gradually till you get to your desired amount.....*** i love what the oil does for their winter coats... very nice..
ann
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Posted on Sunday, Sep 1, 2002 - 5:51 pm:
Janis,
Actually I usually mix up the night ration just after he eats his breakfast. Then the same in the am. Now if for some reason i forget to premix, I just add a cup more of alfalfa pellets and he licks it clean. He was very fussy in the beginning and I was feeding him tons of pellets to get the oil down. He was also a mess from the oil but soaking it seems to really help with the oily mess.
https://www.uckele.com/SearchResults.asp
This is the page with the cocosoya oil. The shipping is what is expensive, but it is what finally got my guy eating the stuff.
Making treats sounds like a great idea, but be careful about the carbos that are in the treats-like flour? Oatmeal might be better? I'd ask Dr. Valentine. Are you a member on Rural Heritage? If not i would be glad to ask for you.
Kim
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Posted on Sunday, Sep 1, 2002 - 6:01 pm:
Janis,
I just went to Rural Heritage and saw that you are there! Keep working at the oil business it will be worth it in the end. Kim
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Posted on Sunday, Sep 1, 2002 - 9:09 pm:
Thanks Kim - I ordered some oil...the horse is driving me crazy. Today she absolutely REFUSED to eat anything other than hay. Wouldn't even eat her "usual" carrots and applies or peppermint treats. I left the rations I mixed today to soak some more and will try again tomorrow. If she didn't look so funny when she turns her nose at me I'd cry.:-(
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Posted on Monday, Sep 2, 2002 - 8:50 am:
Can you get something like Showing Chaff or Dengi to mix in? It is chopped hay and you can add a small bucket of it to the feed to absorb oil, etc...
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Posted on Monday, Sep 2, 2002 - 10:01 am:
Hello Janis,
Ann is correct normal baking temperatures and times does not effect the fat content, but it is going to take a bunch of it to appreciably change the fat content of the diet.
Best is to start slower and once eating it well slowly increase. There is a difference in palatibility, see the article for more on this.
DrO
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Posted on Monday, Sep 2, 2002 - 10:18 am:
I think that is/was my problem - I was so encouraged when she first ate it that I went gung ho! In order to gain her trust again we will go back to square one and feed what we originally fed (1 c. oats with her glucosamine, vitamins & probiotic)and then slowly replace the grain with alfalfa, and then slowly add the oil - very, very slowly this time. Since we are looking at long-term benefits here I guess we can afford to go slowly to get them can't we. Thanks all for the encouragement and advice. I'll let you know how we get on.
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Posted on Monday, Sep 2, 2002 - 10:39 am:
janis, hang in there and be patient,my gelding actually mixes his pellets up in the morning looking for the moist ones..!!!
also i swear by that high fat diet on horses that are showing symptoms of EPSM... i had a mare that was never quit right behind, i put her on that diet and in 6 months one could not tell that she had, had a problem..... when i took her off the diet,* she was nursing a young one and i am not convinced yet about the oil for the weanlings* she reverted back to her 'not quit right behind'.. till the diet changed again... her young ones are now older and i have them on the diet too, just in case she passed something on to them... thus far i see not evidence.... can't hurt at this point and like i said,. . what a beautiful coat they all have.....
Ann
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Posted on Monday, Sep 2, 2002 - 1:41 pm:
We do intend to persist - I doubt we will ever reach the necessary "dosage" of 2 cups - but I think if we creep up the oil slowly we stand a chance. The horse never actually got that much grain to begin with - just 1 cup of oats - and good quality grass hay. The forage isn't terrific in her paddock, but she is turned out 24/7 and exercised regularly. So firstly we shall work on replacing that one cup of grain with alfalfa, then adding oil at tablespoon at a time. I have ordered the cocosoya oil - heaven only knows what that will cost in shipping (Canada) but it is worth a try. For what I have spent "trying" thus far I could have sent her to physio 3 or 4 times!
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