Nutrition for Health Conditions & Illness
Here's a helpful guide to assist with choosing the right feed and forage for horses with health conditions or illnesses.
| CONDITION | FEEDING AND MANAGEMENT TIPS | RECOMMENDED FEED(S) |
|---|---|---|
| RAO, COPD, Heaves, Respiritory Allergies, EIPH (Bleeders) | Avoid dusty grains, hays and dry pelleted feeds. Feed a complete textured feed high in digestible fibers. Feed chopped or cubed hay. Soak hays. |
|
| Tying Up (PSSM, EPSM) | Avoid grain-based, high-starch diets. Feed low-starch feeds. Higherfat feeds are recommended for EPSM, draft horses and "hard keepers". |
|
| Colic Gas/Spasmodic | Feed low-starch diet. Feed hay at a minimum of 2% body weight daily |
|
| Colic Gas/Impaction | Feed hay at a minimum of 2% body weight daily. Provide minerals free-choice. Do not feed horse on ground and place a mat under feed bucket. |
|
| Laminitis (Chronic) | Feed diet extremely low in starch. |
|
| Laminitis (At Risk) | Feed diet low in starch. |
|
| Insulin Resistance/Cushings | Feed diet low in starch. Watch for weight changes. |
|
| DOD | Feed diet low in starch, high in lysine or protein with balanced blend of Calcium Phosphorus. |
|
| Gastric Ulcers | Avoid grains and high-starch feeds. Feed a low-starch feed. Decrease feed intake. Feed forage and hay at a minimum of 2% body weight. |
|
| Bolting Feed/Choke | Mix chopped or cubed forages with feed to slow feeding rate and encourage the horse to chew. |
|
| Poor Teeth/Dental Malocclusions | Follow your equine dentist's recommendations. Feed an easy-to-chew food. |
|
| Hyperactivity | Feed low-starch, low sugar diet. Keep volume of feed low. Supplement with oils if needed. Feed hay at a minimum of 2% body weight daily. |
|
| Overweight | Feed low-starch feed to avoid laminitis. Feed a reduced calorie diet and increase exercise. |
|
| Underweight/Hard Keepers | Feed diet high in digestible fibersand fats. Mix chopped forages with feed to encourage more chewing. |
|
| Finicky Eater | Include yeast culture in the horse's diet. Horse may prefer textured feed over pellets or vice versa. |
|
| Geriatric | Feed a diet high in digestible fibers. Avoid whole grains. |
|
| Orphan Foal | Bottle feed if possible along with creep feeding |
|
| Brittle/Split Hooves | Provide feed with high quality proteins and amino acids, biotin, methioine and zinc. |
|
| Poor Endurance | Feed high-calorie, high-fat feed with digestible fibers. Feed hay at a minimum of 2% body wieght daily. Mix chopped forages with feed to encourage more chewing. |
If you have a specific feeding question,
feel free to notify us directly, and our nutritionists will be
happy to help you!
Give us a call
at 1-800-683-1881
or send
us an email!