|
|
 The BHW Book Worm
Posts: 1768
   
| On a recent alfalfa cubes post there was a small conversation over horses that refuse to eat alfalfa having suspected ulcers (I have one of them my mare absolutely has always refused alfalfa in every form but will barely pick at completely dry cubes) we went to a trula Churchill clinic about 3 months ago were she proceded to stress herself to the point of not eating and constant runny poo. When she got home she still refused to eat her oats,rice bran, flax so in fear of her loosing body condition switched back to equine senior. she ate but still wasn't gaining her condition, wasn't spending as much time at the round bale and seemed more fearful. About a month ago I started researching alternative treatments for ulcers, detoxing, reducing inflamtion, and balancing the hind gut (all thing i suspected were causing my problems) I spoke with the dr. Schell of cur ost who recommended a few things for me, spoke with another performance herbalist who a friend recommended, and read every article involving the study of the herbs that Schell and the herbalists and other sources recommended. I have looked at side effects and read till I'm blue in the face. As I was getting ready to take the plunge for the VERY expensive curost I wanted to check a site my mother had used for ordering her bulk herbs that have extensive quality control and realized the price for the herbs in curost and other herbal jars for equines really is only about 30 dollar(this is if you buy in bulk and downsize) in contrast to 120 ish dollars a month. BEFORE YOU FLAME AWAY!! Yes I'm taking a risk treating my own horse i have looked at my side effects. Anyway I have given my horse a slurry of aloe, slippery elm, marshmallow root, nettle, spirulina, dandelion root, hops extract, and tumeric with her oats,rice bran,flax and chia seeds for two weeks. my horse is significantly eating better and for the first time since I have owned her is CLEANING UP alfalfa. She has actually stayed at the round bale with other horses and isn't as agitated. The purpose of this post isn't to tell you what you need to do its just to remind you to keep an open mind if you feel like your horse just isn't quite right and to ask questions!! investigate! many people told me my horse looked fantastic but I just felt she wasn't quite right and her body was out of wack. With the dramatic change I would say something is deffenently going right. | |
| | |
  Twin Sister to Queen Boobie
Posts: 13315
 
Location: East Tennessee but who knows?! | Good for you & for digging for yourself. I couldn't agree more.
I've have had 2 with ulcers that what the vets & everyone else told me to do did not work. They would not stay on senior feed, or low starch feeds that were recommended. Both were TB and even top notch hay alone didn't keep enough weight on them. One of them had a severe colic reaction to the RX ulcer medication. The first one I spent over a year researching & experimenting. I really learned to let his appetite and what he would eat dictate what would work. What I learned with him helped with the 2nd case.
In both cases, what worked & the only thing they would stay on was straight grains, eliminating all beet pulp (even the kind without molassas), molassas, and joint supplements including MSM. I put them both on straight grains, flax, rice bran, alfalfa & grass mix hay. Also, herbs made a huge difference and now I mix my own with the same great results.
I have a new horse in that won't touch alfalfa in any form but his appetite is fabulous for his feed, grass hay, bermuda, and beet pulp. Unlike the others with ulcers, his appetite for everything else is superb so I wonder if maybe he could be allergic to the alfalfa. I figure if he won't eat that one odd thing, there's got to be a reason for it.
Every horse is different, and it pays to not just jump on the bangwagon but listen to the horse and do your research. Sometimes you have to when you have several head and don't have a ton of $$$$ to put into one. In my first ulcer case, I put $2,000 in vet bills and still didn't have an answer or a cure. So just because you spend a lot of money it doesn't necessarily mean they're fixed anyhow.
Good post! | |
| | |
I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| Glad to hear you are having success! Please keep us updated!  | |
| |
| |
Folks on-line