Happy Pre-Good Friday everyone!
The other day I posted the following:
"I have a few forums that I follow, taking particular interest in the health and nutrition discussions. I came across this one today. First I was excited at the challenge it might present, then started hyperventilating at the advice she was being given an potentially going to follow"
Due to controversy that my attempt at staying on the safe side of horse health has brought about, I have been asked to remove the post. (I might add that the small devil on my shoulder was wanting me to leave it up, but today I will listen to my better half).
I was merely pointing out that it is easy for people to get caught up in something that they read on a forum and might associate with in their own horse and go about treating it rather than taking the proper measures of finding the problem before treating the horse.
The writer of the post was quite offended that I would place her post on my blog. She stated in a later email that she had her horses best interests in mind. I find this quite contradictory to the idea of treating without consulting a professional (ie. vet) because it is to expensive. Nowhere in her post does it say she has consulted a vet, so I will point out that anyone reading it would make that assumption unless otherwise informed.
Althought many think that ulcers were the culprit leading to this yearlings finiky eating/colic like issues, I am skeptical enough that I would not feel comfortable treating it with Rinitadine or any other treatment until I was positive.
I guess we will wait to see what sort of results she gets.
Till next time...I"ll try to stay out of trouble ;)
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Monday Morning Charge
7:45 Good Monday Morning everyone!
I arrived this morning to find that the computer system decided it wasn't coming in to work this morining, and we've been cut off from our server. JOY. I guess that means an extra half hour to enjoy my Timmies coffee while someone far smarter fixes it. AHHH.
Might just do some nutrition talk today - not feed specific - so if anyone has questions, give a holler, I'd be glad to help out!
(I understand that you can only post comments/questions on here if you are a google member or something like that...so feel free to send questions to jen@jfm.on.ca if it's easier! Cheers!)
9:30 Pony has excess gas!!
Does anyone know anything that can help my 3 year old gelding with his excess gas.
He is gready and is constantly breaking wind . Now that sounds normal but when I say 'gas' but I mean you can just see how hard and firm his belly is with all the build up. Like he permenantly has trapped wind.
At the moment hes fed hay on a night, grass though the day and gets the odd bit of fresh veg. (turnip, cabbage, carrots - because he is prone to weight gain, and I think fresh veggies are healthier).
Any supplements that can help or maybe something I may have at home??
I have several responses to this.
Many horse owners feed "fresh veggies" to their horse because they know thier horses love them, and really, it makes you feel better to give them something they love - a hard habit to break when you realize it isn't the best thing for your horse.
Lets start with the veggies mentioned. Root vegetables, especially carrots and turnip are insanely high in starches. For example: a complete feed that is low fat/high fibre might have a starch content of 12-19%. Carrots and turnip are at least double that in their starch content.
Starch is the main contributor to weight gain and can lead to founder and many other health issues if over done. So in this case, you could feed a significant amount of a low fat/high fibre feed to come up with the same amount of starch you are feeding via the vegetables.
Second issue is the gas. A number of things can cause gas, and because a horse can't burp, and it can cause colic, it becomes of high importance to reduce the gas. Foods that are high in starch do cause gas. The bacterial used to break down the starch create the gas, so the more starch, the more gas.
If you eliminate the starch sources, and he still has gas, I would suggest going with some sort of probiotic. If you can get your horse to eat yoghurt, great! If not, there are several probiotic options on the market both granular or paste based. Either one will help replenish digestive aids in the system and hopefully allow your pony to deal with it's food a little better creating less gas production.
I arrived this morning to find that the computer system decided it wasn't coming in to work this morining, and we've been cut off from our server. JOY. I guess that means an extra half hour to enjoy my Timmies coffee while someone far smarter fixes it. AHHH.
Might just do some nutrition talk today - not feed specific - so if anyone has questions, give a holler, I'd be glad to help out!
(I understand that you can only post comments/questions on here if you are a google member or something like that...so feel free to send questions to jen@jfm.on.ca if it's easier! Cheers!)
9:30 Pony has excess gas!!
Does anyone know anything that can help my 3 year old gelding with his excess gas.
He is gready and is constantly breaking wind . Now that sounds normal but when I say 'gas' but I mean you can just see how hard and firm his belly is with all the build up. Like he permenantly has trapped wind.
At the moment hes fed hay on a night, grass though the day and gets the odd bit of fresh veg. (turnip, cabbage, carrots - because he is prone to weight gain, and I think fresh veggies are healthier).
Any supplements that can help or maybe something I may have at home??
I have several responses to this.
Many horse owners feed "fresh veggies" to their horse because they know thier horses love them, and really, it makes you feel better to give them something they love - a hard habit to break when you realize it isn't the best thing for your horse.
Lets start with the veggies mentioned. Root vegetables, especially carrots and turnip are insanely high in starches. For example: a complete feed that is low fat/high fibre might have a starch content of 12-19%. Carrots and turnip are at least double that in their starch content.
Starch is the main contributor to weight gain and can lead to founder and many other health issues if over done. So in this case, you could feed a significant amount of a low fat/high fibre feed to come up with the same amount of starch you are feeding via the vegetables.
Second issue is the gas. A number of things can cause gas, and because a horse can't burp, and it can cause colic, it becomes of high importance to reduce the gas. Foods that are high in starch do cause gas. The bacterial used to break down the starch create the gas, so the more starch, the more gas.
If you eliminate the starch sources, and he still has gas, I would suggest going with some sort of probiotic. If you can get your horse to eat yoghurt, great! If not, there are several probiotic options on the market both granular or paste based. Either one will help replenish digestive aids in the system and hopefully allow your pony to deal with it's food a little better creating less gas production.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
A Day in the life of an Equine Consultant
As an Equine Consultant, my days are faced with both the pleasure and the frustrations of dealing with the challenges of horse owners and their four legged friends.
I am not without a great sense of accomplishment when I find that at the end of the day, I've helped an equestrian save a few dollars, a horse whos owner just doesn't understand it, or even just sat and listened to a fellow horse person tell their story...we all need and have a horse story or two to tell. Likewise, there are as many days when advice goes unheeded, outlandish requests cannot be fulfilled, and my world could not revolve around a certain customer as they had hoped. These days are the bane of my profession, but soon get forgotten when another great day occurs.
I thought it might be entertaining, encouraging, and maybe slightly educational to share my stories. I would hazard to say that I more than enjoy my job, a blessing that many people don't have. So again, I would love to share!
8:30am Today is Saturday. Saturdays are almost always my favourite horse days to work at the mill. I have a few usuals from the local boarding stables, and at least a few randoms pop in. However, today we have been forced to accept a possible twelve hours of rain. Blaaah! Usually puts a damper on my feed sales, but hoping for a few die hards that ran out of feed yesterday. We shall see.
9:00am Local mennonite calls. His horses have been underweight for some time now and he's trying to get weight on them. After someone who mistakenly thought they knew what they were talking about told him to feed them handfulls of corn, I intervened and put them on the right track for weight gain at a very reasonable price. After a modest pat on the back, I find my work thwarted a week later when he returns to ordering his regular feed which is in the very same price range as the feed for weight gain, but not nearly as efficient. I leave the matter for the time being. (fast forward to today) He needs a feed that will put weight on his horses (again). I explain how the Select Swift will work well for his needs (again). I price it out and compare (again). He decided he will take a couple bags (again). I"m saving the pat on the back...we'll see how long it lasts this time.
10:30am OK, going to cheat a little. Maybe because I'm bored, maybe because some will find this as interesting as I did...and because I think it needs documented in my "day in the life of" files. This actually happened yesterday - adding it to today since I seem to be lacking in horse content this morning.
TB Mare, getting a balanced diet. Was slightly unmanageable, so she was put on chaste berry (bit of a moody mare remedy). Everything seems great now....except...when she goes out and runs around in the field, she has no energy to ride. Question to Jen: How can we regulate her energy levels?
1. If we chalk more energy to her it makes her unmanageable.
2. If we don't chalk more energy to her she runs what she has off in the field, and doesn't feel like working.
3. Management wise (she only runs in the field every other day or so?) put in a smaller field? Not an option.
Open to ideas on this one!
12:05 Really need to pick up the pace before I fall asleep! Opening it up to any fellow bloggers who have questions!
1:45 Success! Very satisfied client came in to chat. Another benefit of workind Saturday...if someone wants to talk, you most often have time. A luxury not afforded through the busy week.
We started this customer on our special broodmare and foal formula last year as he was having significant problems with swollen and hot joints. A year later and a new foaling season later, he is more than pleased. Not seeing any of the problems they had last year at this time has created a lot less headache, and a lot fewer vet bills.
As well, we now have bragging rights as a several of his Belgians have been nominated for All Canadian. This news on the coat tails of them winning the 4 horse hitch with their mares has given us a huge boost in the confidence rating of our formula. Thanks for the chat, and Congrats Keith!
3:00 Another success. Nothing worse than a distraught owner who's horse is underweight, a senior, and a picky eater to boot.
Her first question: Do you know anything about horse feed?
My response: Well, I try!
This was met with an "I could hug you" expression...nothing better.
Hmmmmm...a picky 26 year old quarter horse gelding that is gradually losing weight and nothign seems to be working. Teeth are done, worming done, all of the general peticulars are looked after. GOOD.
Oh wait, AND, he can't have sweet feed! (this is one of my all time favourite saying and misconceptions). If only he could have "sweet feed" all of our problems would be solved.
Guess what? Not all sweet feeds make your horse hot and unmanageable. Strange but true. We prefer to call them "texturized feed" as they are composed of pellets, and whold grains that you can see. Formulated properly, you can actually have a "texturized" feed that contains low sugars/starches, and still gives your horse the energy they need. The particular one I sent this customer home with had a high level of fat. After a dose of Equine Choice probiotics and a gradual introduction, she might start noticing a difference after a few weeks (maybe even sooner, but we don't like to get their hopes too far up).
A "Thank you, Thank you, Thank you" was all I needed to finish off the day!
Thanks for following, tune in again!
I am not without a great sense of accomplishment when I find that at the end of the day, I've helped an equestrian save a few dollars, a horse whos owner just doesn't understand it, or even just sat and listened to a fellow horse person tell their story...we all need and have a horse story or two to tell. Likewise, there are as many days when advice goes unheeded, outlandish requests cannot be fulfilled, and my world could not revolve around a certain customer as they had hoped. These days are the bane of my profession, but soon get forgotten when another great day occurs.
I thought it might be entertaining, encouraging, and maybe slightly educational to share my stories. I would hazard to say that I more than enjoy my job, a blessing that many people don't have. So again, I would love to share!
8:30am Today is Saturday. Saturdays are almost always my favourite horse days to work at the mill. I have a few usuals from the local boarding stables, and at least a few randoms pop in. However, today we have been forced to accept a possible twelve hours of rain. Blaaah! Usually puts a damper on my feed sales, but hoping for a few die hards that ran out of feed yesterday. We shall see.
9:00am Local mennonite calls. His horses have been underweight for some time now and he's trying to get weight on them. After someone who mistakenly thought they knew what they were talking about told him to feed them handfulls of corn, I intervened and put them on the right track for weight gain at a very reasonable price. After a modest pat on the back, I find my work thwarted a week later when he returns to ordering his regular feed which is in the very same price range as the feed for weight gain, but not nearly as efficient. I leave the matter for the time being. (fast forward to today) He needs a feed that will put weight on his horses (again). I explain how the Select Swift will work well for his needs (again). I price it out and compare (again). He decided he will take a couple bags (again). I"m saving the pat on the back...we'll see how long it lasts this time.
10:30am OK, going to cheat a little. Maybe because I'm bored, maybe because some will find this as interesting as I did...and because I think it needs documented in my "day in the life of" files. This actually happened yesterday - adding it to today since I seem to be lacking in horse content this morning.
TB Mare, getting a balanced diet. Was slightly unmanageable, so she was put on chaste berry (bit of a moody mare remedy). Everything seems great now....except...when she goes out and runs around in the field, she has no energy to ride. Question to Jen: How can we regulate her energy levels?
1. If we chalk more energy to her it makes her unmanageable.
2. If we don't chalk more energy to her she runs what she has off in the field, and doesn't feel like working.
3. Management wise (she only runs in the field every other day or so?) put in a smaller field? Not an option.
Open to ideas on this one!
12:05 Really need to pick up the pace before I fall asleep! Opening it up to any fellow bloggers who have questions!
1:45 Success! Very satisfied client came in to chat. Another benefit of workind Saturday...if someone wants to talk, you most often have time. A luxury not afforded through the busy week.
We started this customer on our special broodmare and foal formula last year as he was having significant problems with swollen and hot joints. A year later and a new foaling season later, he is more than pleased. Not seeing any of the problems they had last year at this time has created a lot less headache, and a lot fewer vet bills.
As well, we now have bragging rights as a several of his Belgians have been nominated for All Canadian. This news on the coat tails of them winning the 4 horse hitch with their mares has given us a huge boost in the confidence rating of our formula. Thanks for the chat, and Congrats Keith!
3:00 Another success. Nothing worse than a distraught owner who's horse is underweight, a senior, and a picky eater to boot.
Her first question: Do you know anything about horse feed?
My response: Well, I try!
This was met with an "I could hug you" expression...nothing better.
Hmmmmm...a picky 26 year old quarter horse gelding that is gradually losing weight and nothign seems to be working. Teeth are done, worming done, all of the general peticulars are looked after. GOOD.
Oh wait, AND, he can't have sweet feed! (this is one of my all time favourite saying and misconceptions). If only he could have "sweet feed" all of our problems would be solved.
Guess what? Not all sweet feeds make your horse hot and unmanageable. Strange but true. We prefer to call them "texturized feed" as they are composed of pellets, and whold grains that you can see. Formulated properly, you can actually have a "texturized" feed that contains low sugars/starches, and still gives your horse the energy they need. The particular one I sent this customer home with had a high level of fat. After a dose of Equine Choice probiotics and a gradual introduction, she might start noticing a difference after a few weeks (maybe even sooner, but we don't like to get their hopes too far up).
A "Thank you, Thank you, Thank you" was all I needed to finish off the day!
Thanks for following, tune in again!
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