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  Discussion on Maintaining ca/phos balance while feeding wheat bran?
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Posted on Saturday, Apr 15, 2000 - 11:45 pm:

Dr. O--May I ask a couple of questions about feeding bran: #1. If I am feeding a quart of bran a day (split among three feedings), how much alfalfa (in lbs.) should I feed the same horse to come close to a proper ca/phos ratio? #2. Should I feed alfalfa at the same time as the bran, or will feeding a greater quantity of alfalfa once a day be sufficient to the purpose? (FYI--my choices in hay are alfalfa and oat.)

The horse is on the cimetidine regimen and will eat the citmetidine if I dissolve it in water, add diluted molasses, and stir it up in some bran. Far, far easier than using a syringe to squirt it down his throat.

I think I recall reading somewhere that it takes six hours for a horse to fully digest its meal--is that correct?

Thank you. Sorry the weather postponed your vacation--it's already been in the nineties where I live.

Posted on Sunday, Apr 16, 2000 - 10:31 am:

Hello Eva,
I added some info to the article on Care: Nutrtion: Bran to help you with your question. The time for digestion will vary on what it is: food is digested all the way through the digestive tract and transit time can be as long as 3 days.
DrO

Posted on Monday, Apr 17, 2000 - 11:18 am:

Thank you for the information. It shouldn't be too hard for me to figure how much alfalfa I should feed.

I gather that feeding the alfalfa along with the bran would be the best route to follow since I don't suppose anyone knows at what stages the calcium and phosphorus are taken up. Or does "anyone?"

I've had some problems with feeding alfalfa during fly season and April (and October) are our biggest fly month(s) here.

Posted on Monday, Apr 17, 2000 - 4:28 pm:

May I ask the reason you are feeding bran?

Posted on Monday, Apr 17, 2000 - 7:58 pm:

Hi Jordana--I feed bran as a medium for feeding Cimetidine (which I feed to hopefully treat a melanoma). The Cimetidine is quite bitter; but dissolved, it binds nicely to the bran. Then I add a molasses solution and mix it all up.

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 18, 2000 - 10:58 am:

Hmmm, what about applesauce or something like that? I just worry too much about having to think about balancing all that phosphorous, so I don't like to feed bran. JMHO though!

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 18, 2000 - 7:13 pm:

Unfortunately, this particular horse is not impressed with applesauce. He likes bran, though. I don't worry too much about feeding bran because where I live (central California), alfalfa is the staple hay. I don't like to feed it exclusively, although many people do. I can get oat hay in the spring (my horses don't like it after it's aged) and sometimes, decent sudan grass hay in the summer. Rarely can I get through a year without having to resort to more alfalfa than I would like. So, bran helps solve my particular problems.

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 19, 2000 - 10:53 am:

I guess it's good then that you feed the bran to balance the high calcium of the alfalfa! The more I read about other folks hay woes, the luckier I realize I am to be where I am, where it never seems to be any trouble to get good grass hay any time of the year.
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