Well... the boys are officially converting to their new diet(s), finally. So here's the scoop of who's on what and how much.
Gringo:
1/2lb of alfalfa pellets
1oz Mega Cell
~8g Magnesium
10g MSM
Gus:
2lbs Progressive ProAdvantage Grass Formula ration balancer
1 1/2lbs alfalfa pellets
3/4lb rice bran
~8g Magnesium
10g MSM
100mg HA
20g Tri-Amino (10g Lysine, 5g DL-Methionine, 2g L-Threonine)
I'm very pleased with Gringo's weight this winter. He's a bit plump, but considering that he lives out 24/7, he looks great.
Gus, well, you already know how I feel about his weight currently. This is just a starting point, where the feed options are now. He'll be getting the max amount recommended of the PN ProAdvantage Grass, so that really shouldn't be bumped up a all. I can always up the alfalfa pellets... but then it comes down to how much can Gus consume in like 30 minutes.
My other option is going to try Cool Calories again once I run out of the rice bran. Why? Well, I've read/been told that rice bran isn't the greatest thing for IR horses. I've had very good luck with the CC in the past, so I'm thinking if Gus still isn't look good/better by the time the rice bran runs out, I'll be switching to the CC.
I've got some more photos but I'm being lazy... so I'll upload them later.
I did get another ride in on Gus today though. It was fun. Weather was about 11 above, which is a lot better then it's been lately. By Wednesday we're supposed to be in the mid to high 20s, whoohoo! HEAT WAVE. I can't wait. I'm off Wednesday also so I plan on getting in a decent ride that day too. Since the footing seemed to be holding Gus's weight fairly well (read like 1-2 FEET of snow in most places, drifts were much higher) I did ask Gus for some trotting and did get two brief but FORWARD canters. Lotsa fun. Can't wait til all the snow is gone and the ground dries up... so we can really start working again.
Nothing else new though. I supposed I need to figure out when to deworm the boys again... uggh.
Showing posts with label diet change. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diet change. Show all posts
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Monday, December 7, 2009
My back is back!
A weird play on words, but my back is finally starting to get back to normal. I think the prescription pain meds (hydrocodone and Flexirl - a muscle relaxer) are helping more then anything else. Thankfully, I've not been needing to take anywhere near the recommended dosage... and when I saw my chiropractor today, she was pleasantly surprised that my back was holding the adjustments better. True, it was still slightly out of alignment, but it's much better then it's been in weeks.
So, yesterday (Sunday), I went riding. First time I've ridden (pain free) in WEEKS. I was so happy. True, it was only 19 degrees F outside, but still better then nothing. I am going to finally take my lesson this week... but I'll be sure that B takes it easy with me. I know my back can't handle too much, as it's still quite weak.
Gus and Gringo are both doing fine. They both were dosed with Anthelcide Eq, an oxibendazole dewormer. The dosage given was 1.5 times their weight. Other then a few looser piles of manure, I never did nothing anything unusual with the powerpak. Still unsure which horse had the softer piles...
Weight wise, Gus is staying the same at around 1079lbs (per the weight tape) and Gringo has gained some, up to about 1045lbs (from around 1000lbs earlier this year).
Gus's grain changed, yet again. Well, actually I haven't changed it too much from what I posted late last month. He's still on 1lb of TC Lite, 2lbs TC Senior and 1/2lb rice bran... but he'll be getting 1lb of beet pulp and 1.5lbs of alfalfa pellets whenever I'm out as an "extra" meal. I may end up having the BO feed either A) more rice bran or B) alfalfa again if I can't get more weight on Gus. I do think I'll be upping the TC Senior again within a couple weeks. Uggh, hard keepers can be a pain in the arse.
Other then that, Gus is wearing his Dover Northwind turnout currently sans neck cover. It's been getting a lot colder and he needs the extra help to keep warm. I'm not sure when I'll pull out the neck cover. I'm thinking when the temps are consistently in the lower teens during the day. Gus does have a decent hair coat on his neck, but... he's use to having the neck covers too.
My only other delimmia currently is that Gringo is rapidly losing the frog in his left front hoof. I've noticed it shrinking over the last couple weeks, but now it's almost all gone (the thick, fleshy part anyways). He's not lame or sore on that hoof/leg at all, even though that is his bad hoof. It's weird. I'd call the farrier, but well he's due out in two weeks anyways... and still not sure what he can do at the moment. I'm thinking that perhaps he's unbalanced in his trim and that's leading to his hoof being loaded (weighted) differently. Hmm. I'll try to remember to post pictures, though you can't really tell much by looking at them. I'm curious, too, wondering if it's thrush. So, as a preventative measure, I've been using the dry cow stuff (forget if it's ToDay or ToMorrow). No changes...
Gus's hooves look a tad funky too, but he's not losing frog. Instead, he's got a deep crack in the heel bulb area. So, I've been dosing his hooves with the dry cow stuff too. Uggh.
So, yesterday (Sunday), I went riding. First time I've ridden (pain free) in WEEKS. I was so happy. True, it was only 19 degrees F outside, but still better then nothing. I am going to finally take my lesson this week... but I'll be sure that B takes it easy with me. I know my back can't handle too much, as it's still quite weak.
Gus and Gringo are both doing fine. They both were dosed with Anthelcide Eq, an oxibendazole dewormer. The dosage given was 1.5 times their weight. Other then a few looser piles of manure, I never did nothing anything unusual with the powerpak. Still unsure which horse had the softer piles...
Weight wise, Gus is staying the same at around 1079lbs (per the weight tape) and Gringo has gained some, up to about 1045lbs (from around 1000lbs earlier this year).
Gus's grain changed, yet again. Well, actually I haven't changed it too much from what I posted late last month. He's still on 1lb of TC Lite, 2lbs TC Senior and 1/2lb rice bran... but he'll be getting 1lb of beet pulp and 1.5lbs of alfalfa pellets whenever I'm out as an "extra" meal. I may end up having the BO feed either A) more rice bran or B) alfalfa again if I can't get more weight on Gus. I do think I'll be upping the TC Senior again within a couple weeks. Uggh, hard keepers can be a pain in the arse.
Other then that, Gus is wearing his Dover Northwind turnout currently sans neck cover. It's been getting a lot colder and he needs the extra help to keep warm. I'm not sure when I'll pull out the neck cover. I'm thinking when the temps are consistently in the lower teens during the day. Gus does have a decent hair coat on his neck, but... he's use to having the neck covers too.
My only other delimmia currently is that Gringo is rapidly losing the frog in his left front hoof. I've noticed it shrinking over the last couple weeks, but now it's almost all gone (the thick, fleshy part anyways). He's not lame or sore on that hoof/leg at all, even though that is his bad hoof. It's weird. I'd call the farrier, but well he's due out in two weeks anyways... and still not sure what he can do at the moment. I'm thinking that perhaps he's unbalanced in his trim and that's leading to his hoof being loaded (weighted) differently. Hmm. I'll try to remember to post pictures, though you can't really tell much by looking at them. I'm curious, too, wondering if it's thrush. So, as a preventative measure, I've been using the dry cow stuff (forget if it's ToDay or ToMorrow). No changes...
Gus's hooves look a tad funky too, but he's not losing frog. Instead, he's got a deep crack in the heel bulb area. So, I've been dosing his hooves with the dry cow stuff too. Uggh.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Happy Turkey Day!
Well, Thanksgiving came and went without a hitch. The boys even got an extra 1/2 bale of hay to celebrate the day. I'm sure they were giving A LOT of thanks for that.
On to new news. Gus is still not gaining any weight, despite the increased grain. So, I made changes yet again. He's now getting 1lb of TC Lite and 2lbs of TC Senior daily, and in another week or two it'll increase to 2.5lbs of TC Senior. If he's still underweight, then we'll up to 3lbs and reevaluate from there. I also purchased some Rice Bran to add into his diet. See: http://www.mannapro.com/max_e_glo.html. He's going to be getting 1/2lb daily to see if that helps at all. It's a nice pelleted product that should help with weight gain, considering it's 20% fat. I'm still considering removing the TC Lite completely and just feeding the TC Senior and Rice Bran... but we'll see.
ETA: I also cut out the alfalfa pellets for now...
On to new news. Gus is still not gaining any weight, despite the increased grain. So, I made changes yet again. He's now getting 1lb of TC Lite and 2lbs of TC Senior daily, and in another week or two it'll increase to 2.5lbs of TC Senior. If he's still underweight, then we'll up to 3lbs and reevaluate from there. I also purchased some Rice Bran to add into his diet. See: http://www.mannapro.com/max_e_glo.html. He's going to be getting 1/2lb daily to see if that helps at all. It's a nice pelleted product that should help with weight gain, considering it's 20% fat. I'm still considering removing the TC Lite completely and just feeding the TC Senior and Rice Bran... but we'll see.
ETA: I also cut out the alfalfa pellets for now...
Monday, November 16, 2009
Diet Modification, again.
Well, seeing as Gus still isn't putting on pounds, I decided to change around his grain, again. So, he's now getting a 50/50 mix of TC Lite and TC Senior... 1.5lbs of each currently. The plan is to change that again, to 2lbs TC Senior and 1lb TC Lite, or 3lb TC Senior... depending on what Gus needs. He sure as heck doesn't mind... as he's loving every bite as it stands currently.
As far as riding goes, it's a no go. I ended up messing up my back on Friday while flipping the manure pile (the one that's been composting all summer) and while doing so I heard a "snap" in my low back. Yep... something is definitely wrong with it. I've got an appointment with my chiropractor tomorrow. Hopefully she can fix it otherwise it's off to the MD for x-rays. Uggh.
Gus is still doing really well though. Staying sound and fairly fit. I want to see that topline improve, but I don't think there's too much more I can do unless we add cavalletti or ground poles into the mix (which I am planning on doing this spring).
Gringo's doing well also. Pretty darn sound, actually. I'm hoping if he keeps sound for the next year, maybe a year from now we'll work on getting him started under saddle, again. We shall see... if I do go that route, he'll be sent off to a trainer for 60 days or so.
Other then that, no new news. Which is good, right? Except, I did end up changing them to a different type of magnesium. I'm using MagOx 56% from HorseTech now, instead of Magnesium 5000. Both boys are getting about 9000mgs of magnesium daily versus the 5000mgs before. So, time will tell if there is any changes.
Also... I noticed yesterday when I was picking up piles (these piles were deposited between Friday early afternoon to Sunday early afternoon) I noticed two really "solid" piles. We are around day 9 - 10 post PP. So, just wondering if someone's having issues with the PP? Gus is still on SmartGut for possible ulcers (no more cribbing that I'm aware of since that day a few weeks back) so I not sure what to think about the "solid" piles at the moment.
As far as riding goes, it's a no go. I ended up messing up my back on Friday while flipping the manure pile (the one that's been composting all summer) and while doing so I heard a "snap" in my low back. Yep... something is definitely wrong with it. I've got an appointment with my chiropractor tomorrow. Hopefully she can fix it otherwise it's off to the MD for x-rays. Uggh.
Gus is still doing really well though. Staying sound and fairly fit. I want to see that topline improve, but I don't think there's too much more I can do unless we add cavalletti or ground poles into the mix (which I am planning on doing this spring).
Gringo's doing well also. Pretty darn sound, actually. I'm hoping if he keeps sound for the next year, maybe a year from now we'll work on getting him started under saddle, again. We shall see... if I do go that route, he'll be sent off to a trainer for 60 days or so.
Other then that, no new news. Which is good, right? Except, I did end up changing them to a different type of magnesium. I'm using MagOx 56% from HorseTech now, instead of Magnesium 5000. Both boys are getting about 9000mgs of magnesium daily versus the 5000mgs before. So, time will tell if there is any changes.
Also... I noticed yesterday when I was picking up piles (these piles were deposited between Friday early afternoon to Sunday early afternoon) I noticed two really "solid" piles. We are around day 9 - 10 post PP. So, just wondering if someone's having issues with the PP? Gus is still on SmartGut for possible ulcers (no more cribbing that I'm aware of since that day a few weeks back) so I not sure what to think about the "solid" piles at the moment.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Day 1. First day of new diet.
So, here's some shots I took this past Wednesday. This was the first day of Gus's new diet. I plan on keeping a record via photos on how he progresses. True, he is getting hairy-er... but I should still be able to see improvements.
Here goes nothing:
These first few are during our ride and right afterwards... excuse the sweat patches on Gus. He's still quite a bit outta shape.
And, here's the ones of Gus minus the saddle... Ribs are quite visible, but he is chowing down on hay at the moment in most of these photos. Just standing, sans saddle and not eating, the ribs aren't nearly as visible. I'm just not sure anymore, but I'm hoping I'll start seeing more progress - in a positive way.
Here goes nothing:
These first few are during our ride and right afterwards... excuse the sweat patches on Gus. He's still quite a bit outta shape.
And, here's the ones of Gus minus the saddle... Ribs are quite visible, but he is chowing down on hay at the moment in most of these photos. Just standing, sans saddle and not eating, the ribs aren't nearly as visible. I'm just not sure anymore, but I'm hoping I'll start seeing more progress - in a positive way.
So, what do you think? I see some progress, just nothing like I had hoped for. I'm hoping he's looking better now... we'll see how he looks tomorrow when I'm out again. It does help, I think, that he's wearing his turnout sheet 24/7 currently. That helps keep him warm and not have to worry those calories away.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Diet changes, again.
Yep. We're changing Gus's diet yet again. What's new, right? Well, after talking to a Triple Crown rep, I've decided to add some TC Senior to Gus's diet.
So, that being said, we're decreasing his TC Lite back down to 2lbs daily. He's also going to be getting 1lb of TC Senior to start with (well, actually starting with 1/2lb daily and slowly increasing that until he's at a full pound daily) and we'll adjust that as needed. He's still on 1/2lb of alfalfa pellets too.
While talking to the rep, he noted that Gus does not need to be getting a vit/min supp anymore as he's getting the recommended 2lbs of TC Lite daily and that should meet his requirements, that and he's getting the other stuff too (TC Senior and alfalfa pellets).
Hopefully we'll begin to notice a more dramatic change in Gus's weight here in the coming weeks. Otherwise, I'll bump up the TC Senior to 1.5lbs, possibly two pounds and go from there. If needed, I will be decreasing the TC Lite...
He's still getting the beet pulp when I'm out there to feed it. I do need to try to come up with a better situation to feed it though. Not sure what I'm going to do. I also want to check with other local feed stores to see if they carry the molasses free beet pulp, so I don't have to be so anal about rinsing it so well. As it stands, he's getting about 1.5lbs of BP every 2-3 days or thereabouts.
Also, next month (at the beginning of the month) I'm going to do my first ever "powerpak". I've got my Safe Guard ready, and figured both boys would get the 50mg daily dosage. I'm hoping Gringo doesn't decide to go on a hunger strike at the same time, because I'll be having the BO just dump the dose in with his grain. So, for those 5 days or so I may have her feed him a little extra, or throw in some of Gus's TC Senior to make it more appealing.
Anyways nothing else new with either of the boys. Next week the new farrier comes to visit. He'll be known as L. He's supposed to be a nice guy, but we shall see. I made a fool of myself again... I always do that when talking with someone new on the phone. I hate phone conversations. But, he does come recommended from J and her mentor too. He supposedly studied under J's mentor also.
I did get a ride in on Gus this week too... and I was pleased with how well behaved he was. Yes, he was above the bit, hollow and lazy, but he was still pretty darn sound. Did a few canter laps around the south field and he was pretty consistent... very few mis-steps this time around. I am hoping for a few more days of decent weather, so we can keep up the canter work but I'm not holding my breath. It's supposed to snow tonight and tomorrow, ugghh that's way TOO early in the season. It's MN though, so what can I say?
So, that being said, we're decreasing his TC Lite back down to 2lbs daily. He's also going to be getting 1lb of TC Senior to start with (well, actually starting with 1/2lb daily and slowly increasing that until he's at a full pound daily) and we'll adjust that as needed. He's still on 1/2lb of alfalfa pellets too.
While talking to the rep, he noted that Gus does not need to be getting a vit/min supp anymore as he's getting the recommended 2lbs of TC Lite daily and that should meet his requirements, that and he's getting the other stuff too (TC Senior and alfalfa pellets).
Hopefully we'll begin to notice a more dramatic change in Gus's weight here in the coming weeks. Otherwise, I'll bump up the TC Senior to 1.5lbs, possibly two pounds and go from there. If needed, I will be decreasing the TC Lite...
He's still getting the beet pulp when I'm out there to feed it. I do need to try to come up with a better situation to feed it though. Not sure what I'm going to do. I also want to check with other local feed stores to see if they carry the molasses free beet pulp, so I don't have to be so anal about rinsing it so well. As it stands, he's getting about 1.5lbs of BP every 2-3 days or thereabouts.
Also, next month (at the beginning of the month) I'm going to do my first ever "powerpak". I've got my Safe Guard ready, and figured both boys would get the 50mg daily dosage. I'm hoping Gringo doesn't decide to go on a hunger strike at the same time, because I'll be having the BO just dump the dose in with his grain. So, for those 5 days or so I may have her feed him a little extra, or throw in some of Gus's TC Senior to make it more appealing.
Anyways nothing else new with either of the boys. Next week the new farrier comes to visit. He'll be known as L. He's supposed to be a nice guy, but we shall see. I made a fool of myself again... I always do that when talking with someone new on the phone. I hate phone conversations. But, he does come recommended from J and her mentor too. He supposedly studied under J's mentor also.
I did get a ride in on Gus this week too... and I was pleased with how well behaved he was. Yes, he was above the bit, hollow and lazy, but he was still pretty darn sound. Did a few canter laps around the south field and he was pretty consistent... very few mis-steps this time around. I am hoping for a few more days of decent weather, so we can keep up the canter work but I'm not holding my breath. It's supposed to snow tonight and tomorrow, ugghh that's way TOO early in the season. It's MN though, so what can I say?
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