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  Discussion on Ca:Ph Ratio and Supplementation
Author Message
Member:
Remmi

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 20, 2006 - 10:59 am:

Dr. O,

I would appreciate your feedback on my gelding's diet. I am concerned about Ca:Ph ratio, and wonder if I am overfeeding him supplements? He is 5 years old, in moderate work, 16.2 hands, 1100 lbs and in perfect condition.

He is fed about 15 lbs of high quality alfalfa hay per day in three feedings. He is outside in a dry paddock 12 hours per day, and in May-October he is out on grass for 3 of those hours. In the cooler months when they are not turned out on grass, the herd is group fed a fourth feeding of oat straw or grass hay in the paddock. My boarding barn grows all organic crops. They have limited grass hay available, so they save it for the winter months.

I did a recent hay analysis with the following results from first crop hay:

On a dry matter basis:
Crude Protein 15.89%
ADF 33.12%
NDF 43.23%
Calcium 1.11% 5.03g/lb
Phosphorous .25% 1.18g/lb
Magnesium .27% 1.22g/lb
Potassium 2.92% 13.24g/lb
Sulfur .2%
Sugar 7.88%
DE - 1105 cal/lb
TDN 59.47%

He gets 1 lb of Purina Ultium twice per day as a vehicle to mix up his supplements. Purina has indicated I should be feeding up to 10-12 lbs per day, but I do not think that is necessary and worry about too much concentrates in the diet.

His supplements are: Corta Flx powder, 3 oz/day of Zinpro's Select I (multi vitamin/mineral for alfalfa diets), Se/Vit E combo (1 mg Se, 1250 IU E)as I live in the great lakes area and we are Se deficient. I have had him tested for Se levels and he is in the proper range.

I have tried to feed my gelding Gateway's Super Phosphorous at 1 oz /day (1 oz @ 26% Ph) but he rejects his feed despite creative attempts to get him to eat it.

So to get his phosphorous intake up, I have been feeding him a beet pulp/wheat bran mash each night consisting of 8 oz of beet pulp and 8 oz of wheat bran mixed up with alot of water. He eats it readily. That's not a very scientific approach as I have not calculated the amount of phosphorous that is adding to the diet, and I do understand beet pulp is high in calcium as well, but it is sprayed with molasses and it makes the mash more appealing. My horse is a picky eater.

I have also considered skipping the Ultium and feeding a small portion of sweet feed that is sticky, and trying to add the phosphorous to that. Do you think it is harmful to feed 2 lbs of sweet feed per day, such as Buckeye's Grow and Win or Omelene? Would that provide a harmful amount of sugar?

I have read your articles on nutrition, beet pulp, bran, Ca:Ph, etc. and they have all been helpful.

Your feedback would be much appreciated.
Member:
Vickiann

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 20, 2006 - 6:18 pm:

Heidi -- Dr. O should address the numbers but just wanted to suggest rice bran as a good way to up the phosphorous. Triple Crown sells a good one. They also sell a timothy grass forage product that the horses love, which is high in phosphorous also.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 20, 2006 - 10:28 pm:

Hello Heidi,
without knowing the contents of your supplements I cannot balance your diet. In general Ca/Phos balance is given at Care for Horses » Nutrition » Calcium, Phosphorus in the Diet. And it should explain that though your alfalfa in not ideal it is acceptable at this range. Since beet pulp is devoid of Phos and high in Ca I am uncertain a mixture with bran improves the ratio that much.

If you want to better balance the alfalfa you should use straight bran at about a pound per four or five lbs of alfalfa fed. But this does not account for what your supplements may add.
DrO
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