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  Discussion on Summer weight loss starting again in my Arab
Author Message
Member:
corinne

Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 6:44 am:

Dr O,
It's that time of year where Demetrius is starting to lose weight as been his routine for the entire four years I have owned him when it starts to get hot. I would like to keep on top of things prior to more weight loss.
To begin we moved barn locations so he is not in intense five days a week training prior to our move to VA in seven weeks. He has needed this break. We are also done showing for the season.
He currently gets ridden for two small sessions (30 minutes each three days a week in dressage...mostly trot work).
He is getting 3 flakes of hay 2 times daily (it's the last cutting from last year so it may be devoid of some nutritional quality per the barn) The new cutting should be here soon. We can give more hay but he always leaves a little of what he has anyway. He also gets 3 lbs of Equine Senior 2X daily. There is some grass in the pasture which is about 600 square feet which he shares with two mares. He is the bottom of the herd so his hay for night is put far away from them.
For supplements we have him on smart pak cool calories which is a 98% fat supplement with nothing else added as the corn oil is hard to feed and goes bad in the heat. It's now in the 90's during the day but he is stalled with fans. He goes out for 12 hours at night.
When he lost a girth hole on each side we added 3 lbs of soaked beet pulp (with one cup of soak Alfalfa pellets) once daily about three weeks ago. He eats all of that but as usual he doesn't eat all his hay, he usually leaves a small amount in his stall, and he has always been that way...he is a grazer in the true sense of the word....grazes on his hay portions all day.
Should we be doing anything else at this point?
The vet is monitoring, he had been vetted for the season, is current on deworming, but as usual I am worried and don't want the stress of the move to add to his weight loss.
A friend gave me a product called Ultimate Finish 40 that she is no longer using. I have not yet added it and would like your advice prior to consulting with the vet to see what she thinks. It's insanely expensive ($100 for 40lbs) and it will otherwise go to waste.

Ultimate Finish 40 (20006)
TYPE OF FEED: Pelleted Supplement
FORM OF FEED: Pellets
PACKAGING: 25 lb Pail
SPECIES: Horses
AGES: All
FEATURES:
· A unique blend of fat and all natural proteins
· 40% fat derived from vegetable sources designed to meet the calorie requirements of
performance horses
· Highly palatable and digestible
· Ideal for top dressing or grain mixes
· Contains omega 3 and 6 fatty acids that enhance skin and hair condition
GUARANTEED ANALYSIS:
Crude Protein, not less than 14.00%
Crude Fat, not less than 40.00%
Crude Fiber, not more than 7.00%
Calcium, not less than 1.00%
Calcium, not more than 1.50%
Phosphorus, not less than 0.70%
Omega 3 Fatty Acids, not less than 3.90%
Omega 6 Fatty Acids, not less than 2.30%
INGREDIENTS: Vegetable Fat Partially HyDrOgenated (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols),
Stabilized Rice Bran, Stabilized Flaxseed Meal, Wheat Middlings, Dehulled Soybean Meal,
Calcium Carbonate, [Sodium Sulfite, Sodium Sulfate (Preservatives)], Calcium Lignosulfonate,
Artificial Flavor.
FEEDING DIRECTIONS:
· To enhance skin and coat condition, feed ½ scoop (2 oz.) daily with regular grain mix.
· For weight gain or increased body condition, feed one scoop (4 oz.) daily with regular grain mix.
· Horses with high activity level or heavily stressed can be fed up to 8 oz./day of Ultimate Finish
40™ without any adverse effects.

Any advice? Would appreciate it.

v/r
Corinne
Member:
dres

Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 9:59 am:

Corinne are you adding oil? It won't fill his belly but will add calories to his meals..

On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots..
Member:
stevens

Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 5:39 pm:

Rice bran. The stablized rice bran stores well, even in heat and it's high in calories.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 7:34 am:

Hello Corrine,
The supplement's price is impossible to justify when compared with using just 100% vegetable oil which is really the only thing in it that your horse is likely to need with a well balanced diet. I store vegetable oil in outbuildings and our summers are regularly into the 90's and don't have problems with rancidity. But if that is a persistent problem take it to the barn in small amounts.

Concerning the beet pulp you should see Horse Care » Equine Nutrition, Horse Feeds, Feeding » Beet Pulp for ways to balance this feed. However you can make your horse's diet so complicated that it is confusing: why not just give more Equine Senior which is basically a fortified beet pulp based feed?

Rather than pick at details in the diet let me refer you to article associated with this discussion. There are several recommendations in there that you are not following currently which could fix your problem, especially the forage changes.

If after reading these you still have questions as to what to do next let me know.
DrO
Member:
corinne

Posted on Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 10:46 pm:

Thanks Dr. O,
I will reread the article, see what other recommendations we might possibly try and sure enough if I can't find a solution after trying what recommendations we are not following I sure will keep you informed. Thank you so much!
As for the Ultimate Finish 40, that was given to me by a friend (I sure would not spend that for a supplement) and since I don't feed anything with out consulting a vet and the only thing in there that might do him any good is the fat and we are feeding that currently I will see if anyone else can use it.
Will be in touch.

v/r
Corinne
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