feeding and hooves

[fleabitten]

Kierans feet were really bad - farrier came yesterday and he suggested a hoof supplement (brand from over here - HorseFirst). But you would have to feed it with a feed. Not too keen on giving him hard feed in case of higher risk of laminitis and also fatness and fizzyness. But he suggested just giving him a handful of feed to mix in with the supplement. But looks like we are going to have to do something to take care of his feet.

We also rang the Baileys rep for N.I and she suggested Lo Cal balancer which I thought would be better than a handful of feed. However, if we bought the Lo Cal and the supplement they would be like 20 quid each which we're not too keen on paying.

So any advice on what sort of feed we could get to go with the supplement (something with low calorie/protein etc etc)?

Had also thought of getting a specialised feed for hooves such as Dengie Happy Hoof which would maybe be a better idea?

Any ideas?

Farrier also told us to put on hoof grease everyday which we're also going to do.

[scattymare]

Could you not just mix it with a small amount of cheap chaff with water? Thats what I do when Sancy needs bute or other meds as she is not on any hard feed. Most supplements are quite palatable but if he's fussy, I found a scoop of cod liver oil supplement (again a cheaper brand like Sweetheart not super solvitax) masks most things and Sancy loves it.

[fleabitten]

Funny, we were recommended by a few people to add a cap of cod liver oil. Will suggest this to mum. Thanks scatty.

[fimacg]

Chompys feet used to be dreadful. I swapped from a hand full of feed to 2 cups of lo-cal balancer a day and cornucresine hoof stuff and 6 months on he feet are much improved (he just wears his shoes out now instead). I think he wasn't getting all the vits and minerals he needed from grazing and a handful of grub, and he has continued to loose weight too despite having a bigger feed.

[zara]

Hi Flea, AJ has excellent feet but he does have a number of supplements. He is also a good doer and a little "porky". I feed him Dengie Healthy Hooves which I think is excellent and is Lami Trust approved, he also has Spillers Cool Mix in summer which he loves and he eats his supps without any fuss, this is also low energy feed. Good luck Zx

[haffyfan]

If your farrier has suggested something he must think it will work flea, so I would give it a try. Mine like to think they have a feed in a bucket. they just get a handful of HiFi lite and handful of alfa beet to share to dampen it down. It keeps them happy and also means if anything needs adding to feed it's simple to do so, at the same time it's not enough to actually make them any fatter than they already are!

I would also use cornacresine daily or whatever you feel appropritae depending on the state off his feet. It really does work!

I think I'm right in saying that any lucerne based feedstuff is also good for hooves and of course what's good for hooves is good for hair!

[fleabitten]

Thanks for your replies - think we may just get some sort of feed/chaff and give a handful along with the supplment and probably a capful of cod liver oil too.

[jane]

Hi Flea

Just to let you know with the baileys lo-cal, although it is expensive it actually would last you six weeks or over.

I use it with Debbie and each sack lasts exactly six weeks.... I got a small measure, weighed the right amount and she gets it every day, it does mean that she is getting all her vitamins and I have to say she looks great on it, plus no worries about her getting too fat.

[fleabitten]

Yes, the rep said it lasts a long time but the supplement would be near enough the same price and thats really quite a lot to spend on food - like £40!

[joandlad]

You don't need the Lo-Cal and the supplement. They will, in effect, be the same thing (probabaly different quantities of some vits/mins that are "believed" to be good for feet in the farrier recommended suplement). Feet are no different to any other part of the horse. They are made up of bones, cartilage, soft tissue, tendons, ligaments etc. You feed for the health of the whole horse and the feet will come right (you may need to address other environmental issues too). It's almost impossible (even with a nutritional degree) to work out which vits/mins, and in what quantities you need to give each horse. A lot depends on the quality of the grazing and hay they receive. The best, and easiest way to do it is to feed a balancer. Someone else has already done all the working out and any excess is excreted by the horse.

The Lo-Cal looks like mini pony nuts so can easily be fed on it's own. As Jane says a bag should last 5-6 weeks (depending on how big Kieran is). If you want to bulk it out a bit you can add unmolassed sugar beet or a chaff without any added molasses or sugar if possible. If you use Hi-Fi Lite you can give it a rinse first to remove some of the sugar that they add (read the back of the bag carefully, it's not as low calorie as they would have you think).

I imagine you probably have some infection going on if his feet "look" bad on the outside. Worth speaking to your farrier about what he recommends to get rid of it.

[duckles]

I echo the lo cal balancer praise, I think its great and with a pony it probably would last nearly 2 months. If you can't afford both it and the stuff the farrier suggests why don't you go for the foot supplement this month and when his feet improve switch to the balancer?

[fleabitten]

Well, the Baileys rep said the lo cal wouldnt help it on its own I think and thats why we didnt go for it.

Duckles, we are going to do that. We have just been to the tack shop and were recommended Gowla (you may know of it - its made somewhere down south I think) and apparently good reports about it - low price too so we got a bag of it and the hoof supplement - they didnt have any cod liver oil but they said flax oil would be just as good, so we got a carton of that too - you would think its winter time wouldnt you!

Anyway, we are going to use the hoof supplement (said 30/40 servings so that means a couple of months if you maybe feed less for a pony) and a handful of mix and a drop of flax oil and then possibly switch to the balancer.

Joan, the farrier recommended this supplement and a handful of feed - other people have also recommended cod liver oil and it would do no harm to add a drop of that to it.

[joandlad]

Horse's don't have gall bladders so for them to digest cod liver oil is nigh on impossible. What's good for us isn't always good for them. If you really want to feed oil then there are much cheaper, and better, options. But I wouldn't give oil to an overweight horse.

Can't understand why the Bailey's rep said the Lo-Cal wouldn't work on it's own. Their own website says:

Lo-Cal balancer can be fed as the sole concentrate, to balance forage, or alongside reduced levels of other compound feeds to top up nutrient levels. Whatever the time of year, your horse will benefit from receiving a balanced diet – if your horse requires few, if any calories, because of reduced work load, or simply because he is a good doer, feeding Lo-Cal balancer to maintain nutrient levels without additional energy will help keep his body healthy.

I usually recommend Top Spec Balancer or Top Spec Anti-lam as it came out tops in a comparison of balancers by an independent nutritionist. I really do think you will be wasting your money by feeding the Lo-Cal and the foot supplement. I see you've decided to go with the supplement on it's own which is a better option than feeding both! Bear in mind you will have to wait a couple of months before any new growth will show if it's working or not.

[fleabitten]

Thanks for the advice - feeding is a bit of a minefield!! I agree that the Lo Cal is a good option and I agree that making sure he is healthy in general by feeding a balancer is a sensible idea and I would feed it if we didnt have a specific problem. Although I suppose it would be simpler just to feed the lo cal and he wouldnt be in danger of getting fatter. Still, we were also recommended by a good few people to give a handful and a supplement so we will try that first and then perhaps change to the balancer when his feet and general health improves.

[maximum]

As joandlad says cod liver oil will do him no good. If do you want to add oil soya oil will help his hooves and coat and cost an awful lot less.

[magic]

magic gets healthy hoof and a scoop of laminaze to keep the laminitis away