Suggestions on Complete Feed Brands?

[MunchkinsMom]

I'll try to make this short. I have a young horse that cannot eat hay, he had impaction (small intestine/ileum) colic surgery a year ago, and on vet's orders, no hay of any kind for the rest of his life, only pasture grass (good thing I live in Florida) and a complete easy to digest feed.

He loved the Blue Seal Senior feed. Would not eat Purina or Nutrena Senior last year after the surgery.

Well, he does not like the new formula of the Blue Seal Sentinel (Senior). It has been a week, and he just noses it around, chews it a bit, spits it out. He is very interested in treats, so it is not that he is off feed, he is just off this feed.

Big Sigh! So, I am back to trying to find something that he will eat. Luckily I am in an area with many feeds to choose from. I've done online research into Tiz Wiz, Triple Crown, Seminole and Buckeye. It's a pain in the rear to have to buy a whole 50 pound bag, only to find that he won't eat it.

I wish I knew that it was in there that he does not like, the other two horses are eating it just fine, but then again, they also liked the Purina and Nutrena feeds when he was refusing to eat either of those last year.

Or do I just tough it out and figure he will eat it if he gets hungry enough? Yes, he is grazing just fine, and out 24x7 except when brought in for meals 4 times a day.

[goeslikestink]

I'll try to make this short. I have a young horse that cannot eat hay, he had impaction (small intestine/ileum) colic surgery a year ago, and on vet's orders, no hay of any kind for the rest of his life, only pasture grass (good thing I live in Florida) and a complete easy to digest feed.

He loved the Blue Seal Senior feed. Would not eat Purina or Nutrena Senior last year after the surgery.

Well, he does not like the new formula of the Blue Seal Sentinel (Senior). It has been a week, and he just noses it around, chews it a bit, spits it out. He is very interested in treats, so it is not that he is off feed, he is just off this feed.

Big Sigh! So, I am back to trying to find something that he will eat. Luckily I am in an area with many feeds to choose from. I've done online research into Tiz Wiz, Triple Crown, Seminole and Buckeye. It's a pain in the rear to have to buy a whole 50 pound bag, only to find that he won't eat it.

I wish I knew that it was in there that he does not like, the other two horses are eating it just fine, but then again, they also liked the Purina and Nutrena feeds when he was refusing to eat either of those last year.

Or do I just tough it out and figure he will eat it if he gets hungry enough? Yes, he is grazing just fine, and out 24x7 except when brought in for meals 4 times a day.

i have had horses with colic issues due to feedstuffs

you need small micronised feedstuffs which are kind on the gut and easy to digest - nuts can also cause choke or colic and as a complete feestuffs have everything in them or feeds that are soakable
as there to many to name -

years ago horses with colic issues or gut related issues only countered for 5% of the market place so some feed merchants didnt make feeds for that %

i know as ossy my horse lost part of his intestines at the age of 4mths old
so it was with my own skill and knowledge and a bit of trial and error to find a feed that worked to help keep him in good condition for age size type and workload etc

nowadays technogolgy has come forwards and the larger feed merchants have invested in that % and make feedstuff to cater for them
spillers- has a nurtionist department, which is international status company
so does sacrecen, badmington, hickstead, dodson and horrel i know these are uk companies but then i am in uk

purina are a large international company and also have feed nutrionist

i would surgest you need to go back to your vet and ask them if they have a nutrionist on board - and then they can work out with your horses medical history
of what right to feed him and how much to feed him for the size type workload
and health issues

you pay your vet a vets bill this should cover all his health issues
so in conlusion ask the vet - for a feeding programme

i would also get on to your vet or dental doc to have a look at his teeth a horse that spits it out could be needing his teeth done

also ask your vet if you can feed haylage - look here for info www.thehaylagecompany.co.uk
this is a good feed of hay as its moist and easy on the stomach you feed a 1/4 to the amount of normal hay once the packet is open if small it last for 5 days if large it lasts for 10days
its easier to diegest and is often used in vets for horses in converlesence
also puts on weight

[cloudyandcallie]

Both Seminole (which used to be owned by Spillers) and Buckeye (which used to be owned by Bailey's) have nutritionists on call to help you.

Seminole still has Larry Mack, I think, call and ask for him. He spent over an hour on the phone with me (he called me back) and discussed all my horses' nutritional needs with me. And he was right about the whole flax seed!

[AKB]

The only food our picky eater likes is Omolene 400 (formerly Complete Advantage). It is beet pulp based. When he seems bored with it, I add a little Senior or Ultium on top. He also loves Lucerne Farms Dengie.

[pintopiaffe]

Triple Crown Senior was fabulous in my cranky old Her Supreme Highnessness' opionion.

If you can get Blue Seal you should be able to get it.

She was soooo picky about feed, and TC Sr was about the only one she'd finish.

Every horse is different, but I loved the TC Sr for lots of reasons. And she did too-which was the MAIN reason.

[MunchkinsMom]

The vet recommended Purina, it is what they feed in the clinic. He didn't like it.

Hayledge is out. What this horse has is illeal hypertrophy, a thickening of the walls of the small intestine where it attaches to the cecum. So, hay of any kind tends to clog his pipes, and I am not going to risk that. I'm still paying off his colic surgery a year later.

Until I can go feed shopping tomorrow (most of the feed stores are closed on Sundays here), I crushed up some soft peppermints into a powder, added it to his feed, shook it well so that all the nuggets were covered, and he did eat it, but slowly.

I don't think he has a teeth issue, as he is eating larger treats with no problems, grazing with no problem. I think what he is doing is sucking on the feed nuggets, and if he doesn't like the taste, spitting them back out. He is notorious for this.

Luckily for me, the place that sells the Triple crown is about 7 miles away, so I will go visit them tomorrow (good thing I have a vacation day also).

The one other option in the Blue Seal line is Trotter, which is also labeled as a complete feed on their website, and seems to have fewer of the extra ingredients that they have added to the Sentinel Senior feed.

[pintopiaffe]

Trotter is pretty good. I've never had a horse say 'no' to it...

Good luck. Fussy ones are SO hard!

[dwblover]

Triple Crown Senior !!!

[MunchkinsMom]

Thanks everyone, I'll let you know what his new feed of choice is. I might start with the Trotter, since there is only one Blue Seal dealer here in my area, and I go there anyway, and see if that is acceptible to His Nibs. If he turns his nose up at that, then I'll try the Triple Crown.

Good thing he was a bit on the pudgy side before he went on his self-imposed hunger strike, so that this past week of fussiness didn't adversely affect his weight.

[Invite]

I cannot say enough good things about Triple Crown Senior. I have had fantastic luck with it!

[Chief2]

Interesting. As a side observation, I tried to put a horse on Vintage Victory this past week. Wouldn't have anything to do with it. Nosed it around, then out and out rejected each and every feeding, regardless of whatever disguise I poured over it. A friend is looking at trying it with one of hers. Otherwise, the 2nd bag (unopened) I bought in my enthusiasm will be going back to the feed store later this week. :(

[MDMom]

Triple Crown Senior. My pickiest guy loves it. Try soaking it.

[MunchkinsMom]

Interesting. As a side observation, I tried to put a horse on Vintage Victory this past week. Wouldn't have anything to do with it. Nosed it around, then out and out rejected each and every feeding, regardless of whatever disguise I poured over it. A friend is looking at trying it with one of hers. Otherwise, the 2nd bag (unopened) I bought in my enthusiasm will be going back to the feed store later this week. :(

Ironic that you and I get the fussy eaters! Peppy and Sizzle are snarfing it down, and then Peppy will chase Munchy out of his stall to eat whatever he leaves. When they were all eating, they would all finish at the same time, and play musical stalls looking to see if their barn mates left anything in their stalls. Now I have to keep them all closed in until I am sure that Munchkin is done playing with his food.

It's almost like making a teenager go from eating McD's to liver and califlower. And he keeps looking at me as if to say, "isn't there anything else?" Poor little guy. I told him tomorrow I will go get new feed. Maybe I will just go out and buy a bag of each, Trotter and Triple crown, what the heck, whatever he won't eat, the other two will.

I wonder if those of us that have horses that no longer like it should contact the company?

[sublimequine]

My picky mare (who will NOT TOUCH beet pulp unless it is the PERFECT wetness and PERFECT consistency, with a correct grain/beet pulp ratio... :lol: ) goes nuts over TC Senior.

[Hampton Bay]

I've never seen one turn down TC Senior either. Seminole Senior or Perform Safe are very similar, only the Senior has some added yummy herbs.

[Mr.GMan]

How did you find out about the illeal hypertrophy? I have a horse that someone suggested his colic like behavior may be signs of this.

[titansrunfarm]

Another plug for Triple Crown Senior! My old girl loves it, it is beet pulp based and low in carbs.

[ponygirl]

You mentioned a complete feed so instead of TC Senior, look at Triple Crown Complete. http://www.triplecrownfeed.com/completefeeding.php They are also very easy to talk too if you call them up.

I just saw Senior can be fed as a complete feed as well. I didn't realize that. Good to know.

[MunchkinsMom]

How did you find out about the illeal hypertrophy? I have a horse that someone suggested his colic like behavior may be signs of this.

Grab your coffee, I'll try to make this short. I bought this horse as a 3 year old, and he was fed regular feed 2x day, and coastal hay free choice, and pasture grass. Regular worming schedule (every 6 weeks), and 14 hours a day turnout. About 6 months after I got him, he had a mild colic episode, vet was called, banamine given, cleared up in about an hour. Lots of loud gut sounds, loose small piles of manure, thought maybe gas or something.

These episodes continued (sometimes several times a month, sometimes less frequently, no set pattern), so the vet and I thought maybe ulcers or just excess stomach acid, put him on ranitidine - this seemed to help, but he would still colic from time to time. Each of the episodes were the same, and would resolve with banamine dosed orally. This went on for 2 years.

Until last year. He coliced and the banamine did not work, vet was called, he was tubed, mineral oiled, the whole works, and none of the at the farm procedures were helping after 2 hours, so onto the trailer he went for a ride to the clinic at midnight.

He did not improve at the clinic, every time the pain meds wore off, he got bad. Rectal exam showed no impaction there, gut tap was clear. After 2 hours in the clinic with no improvement, we opted for surgery.

Surgery revealed illeal impaction, they did not do a resection, as that reduces the chances of recovery, the vet manually moved the impaction, and stitched him back up. The surgeon said that with the proper feed management, he should live a normal long life (barring any other life threatening incidents of course).

I do not think there is any other way to diagnose this condition other than surgery, but I am not an expert, and didn't really ask the vet if there are other ways of diagnosing it, internet research didn't have much information either.

Causes can range from scarring due to tapeworm infestations, and sometimes it is just the way the horse is built when born. Sometimes the thickening can come and go, cause unknown at this time. And of course the only way to know if the walls have thinned would be to go back in surgically. Not an option.

He has only had one colic episode since then, it was the afternoon after he had all his spring vaccinations, and once again banamine perked him right back up, but of course I was a wreck for several days, watching him like a hawk.

ETA - if you google it, you will find some information out there on the internet.

[thatmoody]

We feed Seminole feed, and have found the quality and palatability of the Wellness line to be really good. Our older horses and harder keepers eat Senior, and the working horses and show horses eat the Performance, and we've been VERY happy with the feed.

We worked with our local rep to design a feeding program for all our guys, and our vet is very impressed with the results. The only issue we're having is that we're also feeding Seminole-certified hay and it's bankrupting me, so I think I am going to explore other options in that direction, for sure. I like feeding the T&A, but the cost/bale is horrendous. We've NEVER gotten a bad bale from them, but geez...

[MunchkinsMom]

You mentioned a complete feed so instead of TC Senior, look at Triple Crown Complete. http://www.triplecrownfeed.com/completefeeding.php They are also very easy to talk too if you call them up.

I just saw Senior can be fed as a complete feed as well. I didn't realize that. Good to know.

Thanks for that tip, I will take a trip over to the feed store that sells Triple crown tomorrow. Bought a bag of Totter today, he ate it, but not with gusto (and I didn't give him a full ration either - don't want to risk stomach upset). Going to give him all day (4 feedings) to see if he likes it or not.

At least I know whatever I try, I can mix in with the other feed for the other two un-fussy eaters to use it up.

[Hampton Bay]

Moody, you can get some REALLY nice coastal, but you have to find a good source for it and stick with them. You should also transition slowly.

The coastal I feed is a tifton grass, and it is very stemmy but still has some leaves (which usually fall off, but they do go back and clean them up). Mine take a long time to eat the stemmy stuff because they really have to chew it well, which is another plus. Too bad you are not closer, because the guy I get it from is wonderful.

As for the TC Complete, I have had a mare get very very hot on it, so watch out for that. She was only getting a half scoop, but she had lost her mind.

[Buffyblue]

My 30+ y.o. with 10 teeth missing in the back thrived on Blue Seal Trotter. I highly recommend it.

[Equibrit]

May I ask why you are feeding a young horse a senior feed; and recommend Triple Crown Complete. I have yet to meet a horse that won't eat it. http://www.triplecrownfeed.com/complete.php You should be able to get it from a Southern States feed dealer.

[MunchkinsMom]

Well, at lunchtime, the little bugger gave the big thumbs down to Trotter. So, off I went to Southern States and talked with the owner, and came home with a bag of TC Complete.

His Nibs was still sulking in the barn over no lunch (even though not eating was his choice), when I got back, so I put him in his stall, and gave him a small bit of the TC Complete (which by the way, is really different for me, after all these years of feeding pellets, or extruded nuggets), and he seemed to like it. So much in fact, that he hung around in the barn while I picked stalls, hoping that more was forthcoming.

So, this might be the winner. Of course now I have the challenge of getting him used to it, I can't go the "gradually add" route, since he won't eat his old feed *pulling hair out*, so I will just have to slowly increase the amount he eats per feeding. And of course I will have to dole out a bit of the Trotter to the other two, since they will eat it.

And if he decides he doesn't like this, then I still have a few more options.

FYI - he eats Senior feed as it is a complete feed, due to no hay in his diet, the vets said he must be fed a complete feed, most other feeds are formulated to be fed with hay.

Pasture grass is acceptable since grazing horses nip off small blades of grass as they graze, so little to no chance of clogging the pipes with grass. With hay, they eat long strands, and don't always chew it well enough, or down to the small bits like they do with grass.

[pintopiaffe]

You know what, for all the reasoning behind gradual change...

How many horses go to auction and come home to new feed?

Given the choice, I switch over two or three days. Not always given the choice. I've had MANY horses come in over the years go straight to whatever we are feeding.

If he's been OFF his feed... then I truly wouldn't worry about a straight switch.

[Mr.GMan]

Grab your coffee, I'll try to make this short. I bought this horse as a 3 year old, and he was fed regular feed 2x day, and coastal hay free choice, and pasture grass. Regular worming schedule (every 6 weeks), and 14 hours a day turnout. About 6 months after I got him, he had a mild colic episode, vet was called, banamine given, cleared up in about an hour. Lots of loud gut sounds, loose small piles of manure, thought maybe gas or something.

These episodes continued (sometimes several times a month, sometimes less frequently, no set pattern), so the vet and I thought maybe ulcers or just excess stomach acid, put him on ranitidine - this seemed to help, but he would still colic from time to time. Each of the episodes were the same, and would resolve with banamine dosed orally. This went on for 2 years.

Until last year. He coliced and the banamine did not work, vet was called, he was tubed, mineral oiled, the whole works, and none of the at the farm procedures were helping after 2 hours, so onto the trailer he went for a ride to the clinic at midnight.

He did not improve at the clinic, every time the pain meds wore off, he got bad. Rectal exam showed no impaction there, gut tap was clear. After 2 hours in the clinic with no improvement, we opted for surgery.

Surgery revealed illeal impaction, they did not do a resection, as that reduces the chances of recovery, the vet manually moved the impaction, and stitched him back up. The surgeon said that with the proper feed management, he should live a normal long life (barring any other life threatening incidents of course).

I do not think there is any other way to diagnose this condition other than surgery, but I am not an expert, and didn't really ask the vet if there are other ways of diagnosing it, internet research didn't have much information either.

Causes can range from scarring due to tapeworm infestations, and sometimes it is just the way the horse is built when born. Sometimes the thickening can come and go, cause unknown at this time. And of course the only way to know if the walls have thinned would be to go back in surgically. Not an option.

He has only had one colic episode since then, it was the afternoon after he had all his spring vaccinations, and once again banamine perked him right back up, but of course I was a wreck for several days, watching him like a hawk.

ETA - if you google it, you will find some information out there on the internet.

Thank you for this info. I will google it, but I wanted to know from someone's personal experience what symptoms their horse showed. I have only had my gelding since Feb this year and he has always been "nervous", but since I brought him over to my house, I have changed his feed(about a month and half ago) to Cool-n-lite with equishure, as the ultium he was eating was getting chunky and I wasn't giving him enough of it for him to get his RDA's.

He has always "nipped" at his sides in the stall and acted like he wanted to colic, but since the food change, he has actually had at least 3 episodes where he has had almost full blown colic, but with gut sounds and gas and pooping smaller balls, but lots of them. Banamine so far has always resolved the episodes.(knocking on wood as he did this again about a half hour ago). I will definitely look into this as it does sound a lot like what is going on. Thank you for your reply in your post....I didn't want to hijack, but the pm feature said you couldn't be pm'd. Thank you again.

[dalpal]

Can you get Pennfield feeds in your area. I'm not sure if they have a complete feed or not, but I am absolutley loving the Fibergized Omega and Cool and Lite Feeds

[MunchkinsMom]

Thank you for this info. I will google it, but I wanted to know from someone's personal experience what symptoms their horse showed. I have only had my gelding since Feb this year and he has always been "nervous", but since I brought him over to my house, I have changed his feed(about a month and half ago) to Cool-n-lite with equishure, as the ultium he was eating was getting chunky and I wasn't giving him enough of it for him to get his RDA's.

He has always "nipped" at his sides in the stall and acted like he wanted to colic, but since the food change, he has actually had at least 3 episodes where he has had almost full blown colic, but with gut sounds and gas and pooping smaller balls, but lots of them. Banamine so far has always resolved the episodes.(knocking on wood as he did this again about a half hour ago). I will definitely look into this as it does sound a lot like what is going on. Thank you for your reply in your post....I didn't want to hijack, but the pm feature said you couldn't be pm'd. Thank you again.

You are welcome. The signs of my geldings colics would be that he would not even want to come in to eat, and he would circle the barn (self walking I guess), and would lay down and roll (and not shake off when he got up) and actually lay flat on his back with all 4 legs in the air. If I managed to get him into his stall, he would start to dig - not just paw, dig! And he would look a little "bloated", with lots of gut noise that I could hear with my naked ear on his flank. And yes, lots of small piles, that would end up getting very, very loose. He would refuse to eat treats (that is my usual yardstick if I suspect a horse is colicking, if they refuse to eat it, grab the phone and call the vet). A few of the articles I read online said that it can be diagnosed using ultrasound and any impaction can be felt via rectal exam usually. There was also mention of xrays being used to help with a diagnosis.

Thanks for the tips on the feed switch, and just an update, he got about 1/2 scoop of the TC Complete for dinner, and snarfed it all up and was looking for more.

I'm not sure what new ingredients they added to the Blue Seal Senior, but honestly, the bag I opened tonight actually smelled a bit like fish - not that this stopped the other two horses from eating it. The Trotter smells a bit like licorice, and the TC smells like molasses (which it seems to have a lot of). I'll keep you posted on how he does on it and if he continues to like it. And thanks everyone for the tips.

[MunchkinsMom]

Can you get Pennfield feeds in your area. I'm not sure if they have a complete feed or not, but I am absolutley loving the Fibergized Omega and Cool and Lite Feeds

Yes, I can get it at Larsen's here in Ocala, unfortunately I checked to see what they offer, and didn't see anything in the way of a complete feed on the list.

[MunchkinsMom]

As for the TC Complete, I have had a mare get very very hot on it, so watch out for that. She was only getting a half scoop, but she had lost her mind.

Thanks, I will keep an eye on him, as far as any signs of "wildness" or loss of hair coat luster and of course weight. Like I said, it was lucky that he was getting to be a bit pudgy, and I had cut back his feed to almost half of what he was getting last winter, so he did loose a few pounds in the past week, but nothing alarming at all, in fact, he looks pretty good (except when he was making faces at me because he didn't like the food).

[dalpal]

I just remembered that Progressive has a complete feed.....

Premium - Senior Formula
Older and mature horses
High fiber content for optimum digestion, especially when quality hay is not available
FORM OF FEED: Sweet and Pellet
PACKAGING: 50 lb paper bags
A "Complete Feed" formulated to meet the special needs of the older horse. Use for all mature horses when good quality hay is not available.

Advantages
A premium feed, formulated and balanced for the special needs of the older horse.
For older horses that are unable to chew and digest hay and pasture.
A complete feed that contains enough fiber to make up for little or no hay in the diet.
Can be used to stretch a limited hay supply.
Available in sweet or pelleted.
Contains flaxseed for balanced Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids.
Senior Formula Contains
Contains oats and flaked barley (no corn) for ease of digestion.
Fiber, including beet pulp, for healthy gut function.
Balanced lysine and other amino acids for muscle maintenance.
Vegetable oil for skin and hair condition.
Yeast for improved digestive function.

[MunchkinsMom]

Thanks, I will add that to my list in case I need it. The closest dealer is about 20 miles away, so I might not make it my top choice, but if it ends up being the only thing he will eat. . . . who knows?

[MunchkinsMom]

I'm loosing my patience with this horse. Third feeding of TC Complete, he turned his nose up at it. Went to another feed store, picked up a bag of Seminole Senior (complementary bag, nice company) and he just sort of picked at it, and keeps looking for treats.

I just might have to go back to plan A, and find something that I can top dress or soak the feed in, so that he will eat anything other than horse cookies and grass. I'm at my wits end with him right now.

Meanwhile the other two horses are enjoying the smorgasbord of different feeds mixed together, so I can use them up.

I wish these feed companies had free samples or sold in smaller quantities, I'm running out of trash cans to put all this stuff in. :mad:

Also going to call the vet in the AM, so that she can come and see if there are any dental issues, but I don't think so, since he manages to crunch up the large hard horse cookies with no problem. Guess I know where any Christmas cash that I get this year will be going.

[MunchkinsMom]

Oy, this horse is turning me into Betty Crocker of the horse world. I stopped at CVS and picked up a tub of soft peppermints, a bag of hard peppermints, and some candy canes. Crumbled a bunch of them up, added boiling water, and then added his original feed. Well. . . the smell of the feed overpowered the peppermint. He would not eat this mush (but of course the other two thought it was a gourmet treat). So, I cleaned out his feed tub, and tossed in one handful of the Seminole Senior. And what do you know? He ate it!

I had to run out to pick up my daughter, and when I got back, I brought them back in again, and gave him two more handfuls, and he ate those too.

I don't want to get too hopeful, but maybe he will eat this tomorrow too.

[dalpal]

Have you talked to your vet about beet pulp? Considering the horse's history, I would want the vet's okay....but mine LOVE beet pulp...especially the Standlee brand..even my picky gelding doesn't leave a bite of the Standlee in his bowl.

Can he have mushed/soaked alfalfa cubes??? I know you said no hay, but would the soaked cubes be okay...of course another question for your vet.

I make a lunch mash for my guys..combo of beet pulp/alfalfa cubes and they love it.

What about something like Omega horseshine/flax? A half cup dressing of Omega Horseshine ontop of wet (I say wet so he can't just eat the flax) food???

[Posting Trot]

My mare (who admittedly is not picky at all) loves and has done extremely well on TC Complete. Great feed.

I may have missed this in an earlier post, but have you investigated whether the horse has ulcers? Ulcers will turn a horse into a very picky eater very quickly.

You could invest in a couple of tubes of Ulcerguard (website: http://www.ulcergard.com/) and see if it helps at all..

Good luck.

[MunchkinsMom]

No, he has not been scoped for ulcers, two years ago we suspected ulcers, and treated with ranitidine, but it was not ulcers, it was the ileal hypertrophy causing his colic episodes.

Knocking on wood, he cleaned up the Seminole Senior again this AM, so that is three meals of it that he seems to like.

As to the beet pulp, alfalfa cubes, hay cubes/pellets, vets answer is no to alfalfa and hay products. Almost all the senior feeds have beet pulp in them anyway. The ileal hypertrophy causes the intestinal walls to be very thick, which makes the opening very narrow, which causes the impactions. His mild colic episodes were due to partial impactions that managed to pass on their own.

This horse is just a very picky eater for whatever reason.

[MunchkinsMom]

What about something like Omega horseshine/flax? A half cup dressing of Omega Horseshine ontop of wet (I say wet so he can't just eat the flax) food???

I had him on the Horseshine for about a year, and suddenly one day, he decided that he didn't like that anymore either.

[dalpal]

It does sound like he is just not feeling well on some days. :(

Poor guy......have you researched a product called Equishure...I don't know if it would help in this situation, but worth checking out.

[MunchkinsMom]

I can't say that I agree on the not feeling well. . . he is begging and snarfing down horse cookies with gusto, and grazing just fine.

He's more like a kid that got served liver and brocolli and wants a big Mac instead!

More knocking on wood, he is still eating the Seminole feed.

[dalpal]

I can't say that I agree on the not feeling well. . . he is begging and snarfing down horse cookies with gusto, and grazing just fine.

He's more like a kid that got served liver and brocolli and wants a big Mac instead!

More knocking on wood, he is still eating the Seminole feed.


Well in any case..good luck, I've given you all the things I have to offer to help the situation. ;)

[MunchkinsMom]

Well in any case..good luck, I've given you all the things I have to offer to help the situation. ;)

And I appreciate it very much!

I have good news, he snarfed up his dinner tonight, even finished before the other two, and was looking for more. I think we have a winner!

[MunchkinsMom]

ARG! Tonight he sucked all the molasses off the feed and left the rest. That takes some serious talent. I guess I spoke too soon. Back to the search.

[MunchkinsMom]

Well, he ate his midnight meal, I cannot figure him out. I offered him some of the Blue Seal Senior and he grabbed a big mouthful, and then spit them all out all over his stall. So I gave him the Seminole Senior, and he snarfed it up again. I should offer his services to the feed companies as a taste tester!

[ivy62]

Have you considered a major change in style of diet? My horse is on a psuedo EPSM diet and has done fantastic....I use rice bran pellets for the fat and an organic feed to supplement....He looks awesome. Can he eat Dengi (sp) or soaked alfalfa cubes?

[MunchkinsMom]

Nope, no Dengi or alfalfa cubes for him per vet's orders. He is still eating the Seminole, but not with any great enthusiasm.

Grazing fine, and thanks to the El Nino year, my rye grass seed is sprouting, I have what looks like Chi Pets all over the field (where I hand spread the seed in the bareish spots). So at least I know he will have some live grass, as a hard freeze is predicted here over the weekend.

At this point, since he does graze 24x7, I might have to try some feeds that are not complete feeds to see if he will eat those. Maybe. I'm still hopeful that he will accept the Seminole feed.

[suzyq]

I have a picky eater too. His favorite feed is TC complete, although he's a slow eater. He's on a lysine supplement right now that he hates, I added one of those small lunch tubs of applesauce to his feed and he scarfed it down. I may just keep doing that.

[MunchkinsMom]

Sometimes farm life with horses is like a never ending science fair project.

Just as I was about to give up on the Seminole Senior, he decides that it is acceptable (so far, probably just jinxed myself).

It appears that he likes it better if he is really hungry, so spacing the meals about 6 hours apart seems to be working.

[Chief2]

I bought Triple Crown Senior and added a pound of it into S.'s haystretcher. The first meal he ate the hs and pushed the rest around. The second meal went better, and last night he licked the bowl clean. I am hoping this trend continues as he is very suspicious of anything new or different in his bowl.

If you remember my old mare, Ashley, her taste buds would change with the onset of cold weather every year, and I would have to totally revamp her diet each winter to get her to eat. Drove me nuts.

[MunchkinsMom]

Here's hope that S will continue to like his new feed. Yes, I do recall you jumping through hoops with Miss Ashley, to get her to eat.

It's been a week, and Munchy is much better about the Seminole Senior. I know my Blue Seal dealer is a bit sad that he won't eat the Sentinel, and he even called the company to see if they had any reports of other horses not liking the new formula, but they said no, not yet at any rate.

I'll keep offering the Blue Seal from time to time, to see if he changes his mind about it, it is a pain in the rear to have to run to two different feed stores every week.

[AJHorsey]

The complete feeds- not senior- that my customers have had a lot of luck with are listed below:
Purina Omolene 400-
not anything like Equine SR- small pellets, lots of beet pulp and more like a complete sweet feed. I use it for a horse that won't eat anything else when he travels. Great for a sweet- tooth horse...;)

Nutrena Triumph Complete-
Pelleted complete feed- heard wonderful things about it with other customers who use it even as just a "hay extender"/ horse won't eat all it's hay.

Triple Crown Complete-
I've fed this to a client's horse who is horribly picky about what His Magesty eats, and he cleans it up! He is in hard work, as well, and maintains his weight on it. Also picks through his hay quite a bit, so needs the extra forage in the grain.

Which is best? Whatever the horse will eat and stay healthy on! LOL

The only concern I have when changing diets is switching from a whole grain feed to pellets, and vice versa. Not saying that it will always irritate, but I like to take fewer chances when dealing with a gut- finicky horse!

[MunchkinsMom]

Which is best? Whatever the horse will eat and stay healthy on! LOL



LOL - that is the truth!

Oy, this horse is going to make me crazy. Went out and bought another 50 lb bag of the Seminole. Fed them all lunch, and once again, he was just picking at it, sucking off the molasses. . . I crushed up some peppermint flavor horse snacks, and he spent the next 20 minutes trying to just eat the peppermint snack crumbs. I'm hoping it was just because it had only been 3 1/2 hours between feedings, and that he was just not that hungry (plus I woke him from his noonish nap).

[thatmoody]

Is he eating the Wellness Senior with the herbs? My horses LOVE the fenugreek (and I love the way it smells) but they do make one without. I prefer it with :).

We've really been happy with the Seminole feeds AND with the service. We got some bad bags this year (one of their trailers got wet) and they replaced them immediately - even came out to do that, we didn't have to drive to the store to exchange them. We are big customers, but still...

We also had one of the Seminole reps come to Pony Club this year, and I was really pleased - she didn't push the food at all, but rather talked about nutrition in general, and had some good visual aids, like a giant horse intestine made out of pantyhose!

[MunchkinsMom]

Well, I cannot for the life of me figure this horse out. On a whim, I tossed a handful of the Blue Seal into his feed tub last night, and he snarfed it up, so I gave him that for his midnight snack, and he never took his head out of the bucket. This morning, tossed in another handfull, and he spit it out. So, for breakfast it was back to the Seminole Senior, which he ate.

Maybe he just wants variety? Oh well, at least he is eating, and with the feed stores closed for the holidays, he will have to make do with that.

Also, this is not the Wellness Senior, it is the standard Seminole Senior, will try the Wellness if he starts getting finicky about this feed.

[MunchkinsMom]

Well. . . now he seems to like both the old and the new feed mixed together. Silly boy. Hopefully I can get him back to the Blue Seal feed only, and simplify my life somewhat.

This thread was helpful in talking about the different options that I could try with Mr Finicky Eater.

[MunchkinsMom]

So, 5 weeks and 5 feeds later, guess what he has been choosing to eat (at least for now)? Yup, you guessed it, back to the Blue Seal Sentinel Senior.

Picture me in his stall with 3 small buckets of 3 different feeds, and letting him pick what he wants to eat. His herd-mates get the rejects (and they are lovin' it).

Each of the "new" feeds, he would eat with gusto, and by day 4-5 (max), turn his nose up at each and every one.

I think this horse was sent to me to try my patience!

[Tegan]

This sounds frustrating! Has he always been so picky?

I would recommend the Seminole Wellness Senior with the added herbs. It smells yummy! Although I don't know if a picky eater would like the herbs more or less, hmm.

It's only slightly more expensive than the regular Seminole Senior (I forget the exact amount, but its not much)

[ivy62]

If you want to go out on a limb the feed we are presently using my horse absolutely loves. It is organic and has lots of healthy stuff in it....
KAM Animal the finally feed.....
MIght be worth a shot...\
Good luck

[MunchkinsMom]

This sounds frustrating! Has he always been so picky?

I would recommend the Seminole Wellness Senior with the added herbs. It smells yummy! Although I don't know if a picky eater would like the herbs more or less, hmm.

It's only slightly more expensive than the regular Seminole Senior (I forget the exact amount, but its not much)

Well, he has not always been this picky, but after his colic surgery, he refused to eat Nutrena or Purina, and loved the Blue Seal until they "improved" the formula. My feed dealer has been in contact with Blue Seal to see if they have any reports of other horses not liking it, and of course they say no.

The Wellness Senior is next on the list to try if he starts to turn his nose up at everything that I currently have on hand. I just got in from the midnight feed, and he is still chosing the Blue Seal Senior over the Racer and Seminole. Let's see how long this lasts.

ivy, I don't know if the KAM is available in my area, but I will look into it.

[ivy62]

I think it is available in Fla but I will ask. Is seems really pricey but you do not need much of it. I have a 1200 lbs tb that in the summer gets 1 lb for breakfast and 1 lb for dinner along with 1 lb of rice bran with ea and he looks awesome and he is working...so when you work out the price per meal it really isn't to bad....one thing that is really nice about this feed is that the base is timothy...
It is not available in NY so I have it shipped in....

[MunchkinsMom]

Thanks Ivy, we have just about every other brand available here in Ocala, so it might be available.

Just another update, this morning (after eating the Blue Seal Senior all day yesterday), he opted for the Racer today. I'm starting to wonder if the new plastic bags have something to do with it, maybe it is altering the taste or smell of the feed. Yesterday the feed was more from the middle of the bag, this morning, we are getting close to the bottom, and he didn't like it - took one mouthful and spit it out. The old version of the feed came in the paper/lined bags. hummm.....need to think about that.