lfh1
Junior Member
Posts: 124
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Post by lfh1 on Jan 22, 2012 17:58:08 GMT
Hello bit of advise needed!! We have a 27 year old mare who has lost a front tooth :-( Just trying to figure out what is best feed for her. She seems to be coping fine has lost a little weight but nothing to worry about. Normally a healthy happy pony. Has anyone had same problem and if so what has e everyone fed. So much info on the market. Many Thanks
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Jan 22, 2012 18:42:09 GMT
I'm facing this one for the first time - my 25 yo has loose molars according to the vet who came to do them, she is mucky behind so obviously not digesting properly. The vet told me that she would struggle with hay but be much better on grass, which she's still on. I'm just about to start researching what to feed her for the rest of the winter but will be looking for a suitable fibre cube that can be a total hay replacer, which will be soaked to a mush for her.
With a front tooth missing (mine has hers) I'd guess yours won't find grazing easy but I'm sure the same regime of soaked fibre cubes of some sort would be fine for her too. The question is, what exactly? I've had Allen and Page Fast Fibre recommended, but they don't give the ingredients on the website and I don't like to feed any cereal or molasses so do like to check them out. I intend to have a chat with my feed suppliers this week to see what they stock that might fit the bill, and may talk to Top Spec, I normally feed their stuff.
Suggestions welcome!
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Post by oldies on Jan 22, 2012 18:56:31 GMT
Allen and Page veteran vitality. It is a mash, it has all they need so im told and contains no starch or molasses. It takes 3 or 4 mins only to "cook". Try it, it is well worth the money in my opinion and also contains linseed which has helped my old horses coats too.
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Post by GinaGeo on Jan 22, 2012 19:00:13 GMT
If they're doing well on grass what about grass nuts soaked to mush? That's just grass, so high in fibre and protein. But no cereals so starch or added sugar.
Mine all do well on it if a little extra weight is needed. You could add some balancer, also soaked for all the vits and mins. An old mare I knew had this several times a day as a total hay replacer. She was about 35years old.
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Jan 22, 2012 19:56:42 GMT
I was thinking about grass nuts and balancer, wondered about alfabeet, anyone used that? I used to feed my sheep beet pellets and grass nuts mixed years ago - they don't have to have beet soaked like the ponies.
I'll look up that A & P one oldies, thanks.
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Post by hannahj on Jan 22, 2012 22:45:51 GMT
I have a 32 yr old boy who recently had a tooth extracted. He has been fine since (touch wood) an not really dropped weight. I feed him on Winergy equilibrium growth (on vets advice) and at night he has two big tub trugs of hi Fi lite instead of hay. He is out at grass all day. One routine thing I do aside to feeding, is I rinse his mouth daily. I use quite a strong hose nozzle which helps to remove the grass bits from between his teeth. I also have a drenching gun which is like a huge syringe (from vet). I use the tiniest amount of hibiscrub in warm water and syringe his mouth a few times. Hibiscrub has the same in it as corsodyl mouthwash albeit in stronger form. So the tiniest bit works well. It is very worrying having these oldies, but my lad is a happy little soul and seems to quite enjoy his new oral hygiene regime!
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Post by cadbury12 on Jan 22, 2012 22:52:17 GMT
hi i us a rowan barberry ready mash for my youngsters,but apparently it is good for vetrans as you soak it and it goes like a bran mash. I use the extra one,and its fab for condition!
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Post by chestnutandfourwhites on Jan 22, 2012 23:15:48 GMT
i use grass nuts that are soaked along with dampened down ready grass for my very old shetland and 28 year old welsh .the welsh can eat haylage ,but little shetty cant.both are wsell covered too
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Jan 23, 2012 10:29:13 GMT
Having talked to my feed merchants, I'm trying a bag of alfabeet - they don't stock grass nuts as no demand. I did want a cube not a chaff as that needs just as much chewing as long hay, whereas the cubes are ground stuff pressed into a cube so the chewing is done for them. I shall add balancer too.
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Post by chalky284 on Jan 23, 2012 15:52:40 GMT
Hi, spillers high fibre cubes are recommended by the Laminitis Clinic. I feed these to all mine laminitic or not, loved by all especially when a warm mash supper on a freezing winter. Perfect for feeding meds to those fussy feeders.
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Post by boothsdale on Jan 23, 2012 16:46:37 GMT
Sarahp - I will be interested to hear how you get on! - We have one I purchased last year who is missing a number of molars and has some loose ones, she has had to winter in as she is due to foal anytime (not covered by us!). Going into the winter I was panicking and looking for hay alternatives as she seemed to show no interest in hay whatsoever (and I'd presumed this was due to her teeth). I failed to find anything that she can't get through a full nights supply of in under an hour! Fortunately I was giving her hay as well and it turns out that when there is nothing else left to eat and she gets hungry she will actually manage to eat hay. I'm still very aware that her hay eating days are numbered but I'm not convinced that she will ever be less of a guzzler when it comes to anything easier to munch!
lfh1- if she's only lost one front tooth I would think she will be fine on a normal diet. We used to have a show cob who lost a front tooth in the field (we presume he was kicked), he ate as normal but we used to rinse the hole out with salt water and had to have regular appointments with the dentist to attend to its opposite number (as this had nothing to wear down against).
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Post by pasadenastud on Jan 23, 2012 16:46:56 GMT
myy 33 year old WMP has no teeth at all! she has Spillers Hi Fibre soaked and drinks it like soup, she's been having this for 10 years, she's thin but happy x
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Post by brindlerainbow on Jan 23, 2012 17:33:05 GMT
My old section A ( 20 years ) not ancient but very odd teeth has done very well on ready mash extra as have all my ponies in fact!!! I tried him on soaked grass nuts and he had some kind of allergic reaction as his lips all cracked and bled badly!!!!
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Jan 23, 2012 17:55:39 GMT
I will report back! But Pinkie is living in a small paddock still with grass, and has a shelter (spoilt!), so it doesn't really matter how long she takes to eat her mush, she will have grass to try and nibble, or bits of hedge if she prefers.
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Post by boothsdale on Jan 23, 2012 22:32:07 GMT
Thanks Sarah, sounds an ideal set up for a golden oldie, I need to get organised for when we reach that stage!
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Jan 24, 2012 7:47:47 GMT
She will go back out with the herd in the summer on grass I hope, and this patch is next to the winter field so she still has their company next door. Little patches are so valuable I find, our yard and surroundings have grown organically over 30 years and we now have three, this one, which used to be a vegetable garden before we moved here, the old sand school, which was a tennis court, and a bit of the yard fenced off that used to have a plastic sheep tunnel on it, and shares the shelter with a bit of opening/shutting of various gates. This one has no grass whatsoever and gets too muddy to use in the winter, but ideal in the summer for fatties.
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Post by beckylock on Jan 24, 2012 8:53:06 GMT
Simple system do a grass pellet and they deliver! my 24yr TB love it and looks the best he looked in about 8yr
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