How much Equine Senior should a 1000 lb. non-working horse consume in one day? I followed the package directions, however the farrier says the horse needs to loose weight. How fast should I cut his rations?
"No price is too high for the privilege of owning yourself" - Nietzche
"However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results"- Winston Churchill
I'd recommend checking with your vet, not your farrier to be sure he needs to lose weight and then get a nutritionally sound program started based on what the vet says.
Without knowing the age, height and breed of the horse, and not knowing how much you're feeding now, I'd not venture a guess at how much to feed. In general, for losing weight, increasing the work load by lightly walking 30 minutes a day is a good start, then building up from there. Not sure why you're feeding Equine Senior--if the horse is aged or has bad teeth and needs that feed, but if he doesn't have to have it, cut the senior and replace by increasing roughage (hay) along with excercise.
Thank you Loping,
The horse is 26 and can't chew hay due to missing teeth. I started feeding him beet pulp along with the Senoir to get his body weight up about a year ago. He was being boarded then and was in terrible condition because he was unable to chew the hay. The farrier said he has fat deposits in his neck and back that shouldn't be there. I have cut out his beet pulp and am feeding him Senoir twice a day now, about 7 lbs each feeding. He has melanoma so he can't be ridden. Thank you for your advice and I will call a vet if he doesn't start losing the weight soon. I think the beet pulp really added the pounds on, which he intially needed, since he was practically starving to death.
"No price is too high for the privilege of owning yourself" - Nietzche
"However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results"- Winston Churchill
You know what else helps is taking them off Equine Sr and going with the Manna Pro equivelent. I havent' used it recently but if you check the ingredients, you may find one that has fewer 'bad' things in it---less fat, less sugar, but high digestable energy that he needs. Good for you for having a 26 yo that is Too fat!!! Bravo!!!
Thank you Loping,
I tried Manna Pro and the horse refused to eat it; maybe he would if he became hungry enough.
"No price is too high for the privilege of owning yourself" - Nietzche
"However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results"- Winston Churchill
Maybe mix it with beet pulp or even a little of the sweeter stuff like grated carrots or apples--whatever he likes. Then slowly wean him down to the manna pro only. He is wanting sugar, but that doesn't mean he knows that's the best for him. Also, you can mix some senior with the Manna and if it works, great, if not, go back to senior, just less of it.
Darn horses anyway, eh?
A horse that seems fat at age 26 may have fat deposits indicating cushings disease, and may not be overweight at all. I would recommend getting your vet to evaluate your horse, as cushing's disease and insulin resistance are serious health concerns that need to be diagnosed and treated properly. Good luck!
I am new to the site/forum, so forgive me if the issue is already resolved. DrQuesten above has a very valid point. A 26-year-old horse combined with odd fat pockets can be signs for a number of health issues. These can often be managed by specialized diets once they are identified (although some need medications too). There are some that need low carbs, some that need different proteins, or other needs. It is important at this stage to know which needs your horse has rather than just switching his diet at random. A call to the vet may save you time, energy and even money in the long run. Good luck with your efforts.
Thank you all for your advice. The horse seems to be losing weight after cutting out the beet pulp. I had another horse that had Cushing's Disease; she was 31 when she died. She had the long hair associated with Cushing's ; this other horse doesn't. He has been diagnosed by a vet with melanoma; he has had it several years. Because of his age and the fact that he is a grey horse (many of their tumors are contained according to one vet), we decided not to have the tumors cut out. Cutting to Manna Pro probably would be a good idea. Can he still have his favorite ginger snap cookies? I only give him 2 a day.
Thanks again for your help.
"No price is too high for the privilege of owning yourself" - Nietzche
"However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results"- Winston Churchill
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