beet pulp alternative/picky eater

[blob]

RP has been a challenging one to find a diet for--pretty much any pelleted product whether a grain or a ration balancer disagrees with his digestive system. To get him what he needs in terms of vitamins/minerals I've been giving him vermont blend, flax for some added fat, and vit E. Since this is all powder I needed a vehicle to feed him these powders and so have been using beet pulp. He was eating the pulp happily until moving to the new barn. Now, he's on and off his beet pulp. At first I thought it was just the move and then he seemed to be eating it, but now he's gone off again and I'm thinking I might need to give him something else as a vehicle for his powders.

I don't think hay cubes are an option because of how long they take to soak. Hay pellets could possibly work if they're wet down enough for the powders to stick and not fall to the bottom. But I wanted to see if folks here had any other ideas?

He does not have the luxury of spending hours trying to finish his food so I need something enticing enough that he wants to eat it right away, otherwise MM will definitely eat what he does not finish.

ETA: he gets the beet pulp without molasses. I suppose I could get the kind with to make it more enticing, but that seems like unnecessary sugar.

[Tanga]

Just a thought. How about aloe vera? I have been experimenting with drying it and feeding it to them for just such issues with digestive systems. Dried aloe is cheap. Also, maybe some stevia in it to sweeten it up a bit? I am giving my older mare turmeric to see if it helps with her arthritis, and it seems to be making a noticeable difference, but it's a bit meaty smelling. Adding stevia seems to have made the untasty tasty without the sugar. She went from not wanting to finish to eating it all and licking the feed pan clean.

Do you have hay pellets there? We have alfalfa pellets around here, which are a quick soak.

[blob]

He won't eat aloe vera unless it's mixed in with like a pound of molasses, lol.

I can do hay pellets was just curious if there were other options. It's hard to have a combo of both limited in what he can eat and what he wants to eat

[exvet]

I use alfalfa pellets that are made without molasses to use as a vehicle to get my guys to eat their supplements (most are in powder form). I have access to timothy, bermuda and blends of both with alfalfa, all without molasses if I needed something different yet for the same purpose. I don't have a lot of time in the morning nor do my guys to eat before getting kicked out together (I have to bring both Junior and Brandon into stalls for 15 minutes to eat so that everyone gets what is intended for them) and these do seem to do the trick. They're not real mushy which Brandon refuses to eat anything that doesn't still have texture to it, but they get wet enough to hold all the $$$$ supplements to them in order to be ingested.

[Chisamba]

Apple sauce? Its my go to for adding powders etc

[Josette]

My guy is an easy keeper and I was wasting any supplements in powder format. I do feed him a small amount of alfalfa pellets with his pelleted supplements - this vitamin mineral supplement was recommended by my vet (pellets) and no waste. It is specific for easy keeper horse. His Equithrive Joint is pellets too.

https://kppusa.com/product/micro-phase/

Wetting the hay pellets might work too - my guy does not like soaked alfalfa cubes either. Picky pony.

[Kyras_Mom]

What about a ration balancer? He might take a bit less than a pound (1lb per 1000 lbs). My ration balancer has 500 IU of Vitamin E/lb and I just throw in 3-400 IU capsules of natural E to increase the dose. Kyra’s RB has flax. She is pretty sparkly and she gobbles it right up. Hers is a west coast mix but I am sure there are plenty of RB’s in the east.

Susan

[blob]

What about a ration balancer? He might take a bit less than a pound (1lb per 1000 lbs). My ration balancer has 500 IU of Vitamin E/lb and I just throw in 3-400 IU capsules of natural E to increase the dose. Kyra’s RB has flax. She is pretty sparkly and she gobbles it right up. Hers is a west coast mix but I am sure there are plenty of RB’s in the east.

Susan

He' can't have ration balancers. He's can't have any pelleted type of feed--it makes him colicky so there is clearly something he is intolerant of. I've tried 5-6 different brands before deciding he's just not going to get any pelleted supplement, grain, or RB.

[Josette]

It seems like wet food works best for him. I think try wet hay pellets with added apple sauce as Chisamba said with your powder supplements. Worth a try.

Have you tried any probiotics in the past?

[blob]

Have you tried any probiotics in the past?

They make things worse, sadly. I worked with a nutritionist because he was so difficult and the take away was forage only + Vermont blend is really all he can have. It's just trying to find another vehicle for that Vermont blend since he's off his bp

[Srhorselady]

Have you tried beet pulp pellets? I soak those and use them as the transfer element for my picky eater. They don’t take long to soak.

[blob]

Have you tried beet pulp pellets? I soak those and use them as the transfer element for my picky eater. They don’t take long to soak.

the beet pulp is what he's been getting but has decided he no longer wants to eat

[Srhorselady]

Sorry. I assumed shredded beet pulp.

[texsuze]

Try soaked hay pellets first, without any supplement, to see if they'd be palatable. I wouldn't rule out beet pulp products with molasses, if you're only using the foodstuff to deliver supplements, since the molasses content overall is not going to be a huge component of the daily diet. Also, what about the smallest amount of textured senior feed necessary to carry the supplements?

[blob]

Try soaked hay pellets first, without any supplement, to see if they'd be palatable. I wouldn't rule out beet pulp products with molasses, if you're only using the foodstuff to deliver supplements, since the molasses content overall is not going to be a huge component of the daily diet. Also, what about the smallest amount of textured senior feed necessary to carry the supplements?

that's a good point that he's getting very minimum so molasses BP might be ok. He far from overweight right now.

He can't get even a handful of textured senior feed without getting gassy

[Ryeissa]

Do you still need help Blob?

[blob]

Do you still need help Blob?

I ended up just mixing in some alfalfa pellets with his beet pulp mix to make it more palatable.

[piedmontfields]

Would copra (Coolstance) be an option as a carrier? Many horses find that pretty delicious.

[blob]

Would copra (Coolstance) be an option as a carrier? Many horses find that pretty delicious.

I've considered coolstance as something to feed RP since he's off grain and I know a lot of people feed it. Honestly, though beet pulp is so easy and cheap that for now I'm inclined to stick with it. I know copra provides additional benefits so if I need to re-evaulate his needs, I would definitely consider.

[Moutaineer]

My dear departed Walker was the same way. Any kind of bagged feed, packaged horse treats, etc, made him colicky. My feeling was that it was the soy in them. He lived pretty well on a base diet of alfalfa grass mix hay and a mix of alfalfa pellets, rice bran and crimped oats.

Potters tested allergic to oats and flaxseed, which are in every bagged feed nowadays as well. He's doing very well on a base diet of timothy pellets and rice bran (and alfalfa/grass mix hay.) Too much alfalfa was not a good thing for him.

[Ryeissa]

Would copra (Coolstance) be an option as a carrier? Many horses find that pretty delicious.

I've considered coolstance as something to feed RP since he's off grain and I know a lot of people feed it. Honestly, though beet pulp is so easy and cheap that for now I'm inclined to stick with it. I know copra provides additional benefits so if I need to re-evaulate his needs, I would definitely consider.

I have one of my nutrition clients on beet pulp and it can be a great option- try to get the non-coated if possible. Keep me posted if you want to talk through options as it gets to fall.