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Discussion on Feeding instructions for Levi
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Member:
quatro
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Posted on Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 1:34 pm:
I have read all the articles, but have not found the answer, so I hope I am not being a bore.
Levi is the horse with white line disease that we have been fighting for a year. I have been attending to his hoof care religiously, adding a hoof supplement, controlling his environment to the best of my ability, so it must be his feed that needs to be adjusted to make his hooves better.
He is an easy keeper, probably a 7, I know that I need to bring his weight down, so tell me how to adjust what I am doing>
He is fed about 10 oz. of 1/2 safechoice pellets 1/2 cleaned oats. in the AM. I give him a small flake of alfalfa to munch on while I clean his feet. I have then been putting a bale of grass hay out in 3 separate feeders in thier dry lot. Unfortunately Levi will continue to eat when the others are done. So I just today started putting out 1/2 bale in 3 piles 2 x day instead of all at once.
The evening they come in and get the same grain ration + his hoof supplement mixed into some watered down safechoice to mix it.
Then he gets 2 flakes of grass hay and 1 flake of alfalfa for the rest of the evening until 8 am the next morning. This is from 7pm till 8am the next day.
Anything I should change?
thanks
Please don't tell me to read the articles only, I have, and still don't quite understand. Not your fault, mine for being so baffled by too much information/%'s/ and ratios?
Someone told me I should not feed a potentially IR horse any oats at all is this true?
suz
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 6:22 pm:
Hi Susan, as far as the oats/safechoice goes it doesn't seem like much, that's about what I was giving Hank, but I switched him to all alfalfa pellets, he likes them as well as the other combination and they are low carb and no molasses... (safechoice), it also adds protein to his grass hay diet, which is good for hoof growth.
Is levi getting any grass at all? Mine are on a small eaten down pasture...very sparse and they are holding their weight fine with 5lbs of not so great grass hay a day each...split in 2 feedings.
That said I doubt it is the feed causing the hoof problems unless he is getting some laminitis and keeping the whiteline stretched.
Is he still in shoes? I think I would be real tempted if I were you to try to get him barefoot, so you could keep the hoof trimmed more often.
Hanks hooves are doing very well now. I Have been using Dura-sole on him it has formalin, iodine, and some other stuff in it. It has helped toughen his soles and get rid of the seedy toe/whiteline/thrush. Is it possible for him to go barefoot for awhile until you can get the WLD under control?
Durasole
AlvinFarriers Supply
Active Ingredients:
Isopropyl Alcohol, Formalin, Iodine, Potassium Iodide, Tannic Acid.
Directions:
Durasole is extremely effective antibacterial, antifungal, drying agent, formulated to thicken and toughen the exfoliating sole and frog. It is highly concentrated and intended for DrOpwise use. Durasole is extremely effective in the relief of sole soreness and is widely used in horses that work or perform in hostile environments and in transitioning horses from shod to barefoot.
Durasole is effective in the control of Thrush and White Line Diseases when aerobic conditions are established and maintained at the infection site. Apply DrOpwise to dry sole and frog. Disperse with a brush.. Do not apply more product at one time that the frog and sole will absorb. Wear gloves and safety lenses. Do not inhale vapors. If product comes in contact with skin, rinse with alcohol. In case of accidental eye contact, rinse immediately with water and see medical attention.
Cautions:
For topical use on equine only. Harmful or fatal if ingested. Keep out of reach of children.
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Member:
quatro
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Posted on Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 6:41 pm:
Hey Diane, thanks for responding. I know you have been there for Levi and me throughout. That Durosole sounds pretty heavy duty. I posted earlier about the new farrier trimming his sole too short. It has been over a week, and he is getting around better now.
I will check with our feed stores to see about the alfalfa pellets. He just gets a bit so that he has something when the others get thier grain as well. I was just worried that he might not be getting all the other stuff, selenium, magnesium etc. by just having the hay.
The lot they are on is mostly dirt, mud right now it is raining. There is a bit of grass weeds that try to grow but they munch it down. Beautiful pasture just out of reach of them, but I don't dare let Levi on it for fear of grass foundering.
I am giving him a supplement for his hooves, I will have to read the ingredients and list them, perhaps he is getting enough in there to supplement his diet, and then the pellets will be ok. Is alfalfa pellets ok for possible IR horse?
Levi has the club foot, shortened tendon thing that requires that he be in a raised heel shoe, probably forever. If you check on the x-rays I have posted earlier, you can see he still has some rotation issues that we are working on with the shoes as well. I would love to let him go without. He is in all 4 shoes now, because of the thrush issue in his back foot. What a pain, this has been never ending.
That is why I thought I need to attack this internally, somehow.
Will check out the durasole. Thanks
suz
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 9:04 pm:
The alfalfa pellets are suppose to be good for Ir horses, they also make timothy pellets. If this 1 horse town has them I'm sure you will have them near you. . Mine get about 2 cups AM & PM just so they think they are getting "grain" but it's more of a healthy snack.
It sounds like Levi is getting plenty of hay, if you want him to loose weight you should weigh the hay and give him around 1% of what his body weight should be...ex..if he should weigh 1000#'s 10-15#'s of grass hay should be enough for him, especially if he isn't being worked. If you are worried about vit. give him a vitamin supp. Dr. O. suggests a human vit supplement.
I worried quite a bit about nutrition while the horses are on their continuous diet. They get OK grass hay...not great...no alfalfa, except their pellets and no vitamin supp anymore. They are healthy, shiny, hooves are hard and they have more than enough energy. so I quit worrying.
I hope Dr. O. can help you with the hoof problems, you sure have had a long battle, while I'm sure nutrition can play a small role, I'd be more inclined to believe it is something in the hoof form. Good Luck
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Member:
zarr
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Posted on Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 9:22 pm:
Susan, I switched Ellie and herd to alfalfa pellets for same reason as Diane. No shoes for years. 7 to 8 lbs of grass hay twice a day and life on a scrub / barley there pasture!Put on dry lot at night which is 7 to 7. I break one rule carrots lots of them! Also use Select 2 for mins and vits put with pellets and a little corn oil! Whiskey so far has not had wld for almost a year but we have had a dry winter. My vet was just here and outside of teeth we were good. I suffer hoof and mouth illness, according to my husband I'm forever picking up feet just to LOOK! I tape everybody twice a week OK maybe three! Cindy
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Wednesday, May 7, 2008 - 9:21 am:
Susan you don't need to understand any percentages or formulas to feed your horse properly. Though you asked not to be referred to the article all your above questions are answered in the first two sentences of the second paragraph of the Overview of Nutrition article. They are in bold italics and labelled the Golden Rule of Feeding Horses.
DrO
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Member:
quatro
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Posted on Wednesday, May 7, 2008 - 2:08 pm:
Got it!
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Thursday, May 8, 2008 - 8:37 am:
Susan out of curiosity, why did they put back shoes on to treat thrush?
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Member:
quatro
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Posted on Thursday, May 8, 2008 - 11:11 am:
Hi Diane, Levi had thrush/WLD in that back foot, and they again removed hoof wall. They put the shoe on so his foot would not spread apart. Now he has 2 shoes on his back feet, so he can work on a more even basis. It is never ending.
suz
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Thursday, May 8, 2008 - 5:49 pm:
Thanks Susan, Is that his rear hoof in the pic above?
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Member:
quatro
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Posted on Thursday, May 8, 2008 - 6:58 pm:
Hey Diane, yes that is his right rear foot. When he went up to South Dakota to the vet farrier, they removed even more hoof wall to dig out any diseased foot. Poor Boy. He has such a great heart, but really tired of people poking around on his foots 
That is why I am trying to figure out why we are still dealing with this. I keep trying to do what is right by him, but seems to keep getting bad news/ good news/ bad news/ good news. It is a roller coaster.
suz
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Thursday, May 8, 2008 - 11:04 pm:
It's probably the angle of the pic, but it appears he has a pretty high heel for a rear hoof. The pic where you are holding his hoof up it looks "weird" behind.
Hard to tell from that picture tho so it could just be camera angles.
Hope you get Levi straightened out soon you've been trying so hard.
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Member:
quatro
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Posted on Saturday, May 10, 2008 - 3:02 pm:
Hi Diane, the angle does appear to make it look like it is a high heel, but in reality it is not. I hope Levi will straighten out too! It is getting to be a long road.
suz
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