Advice need

[taffydales]

As most of you will know I have trouble keeping condition on Merls, we have tried a no of different feed and recently had to change as he developed protien lumps, anyway for the last few months he has been on Spillers calm and condition with triple top up and some sugar beet, garlic and soya oil and he is putting some weight on but seems to really struggle eating the stuff it takes him ages, he dose,nt seem to be happy with a cube of any sort even though these pellets are tiny, but loves a cereal, any idea please....he also has ad lib hay.

[Deleted]

have you soaked the calm and conditon we use that we used to feed ours as pellets we found it made our ponies ill but now we soaked the pellets in water for 10 minutes he should be a lot better in a week

[bellajack]

Sounds like problems with his teeth to me. Is he old? Has he seen a good horse dentist recently (with emphisis on the good)!

[taffydales]

He is only six and deffinately no probs with his teeth.

[bellajack]

It's very hard to believe it isn't his teeth, the symptoms sound so typical. Have you looked at how his canines (tusks) are coming through? At 6 they would usually be through but if they are still sitting under the gum in the bars of his mouth, they may be very sore. Jack is 6 and his haven't been through for long. They sat there for ages before breaking through.

Also wolf teeth will occasionally sit under gum level and cause problems. If he hasn't had them looked at in the last couple of months I would get them checked again, in the circumstances.

[bellajack]

Just to add, one of my previous ponies could eat pellets on their own but not mixed in with other feedstuffs. That was because she had trouble with a particular tooth, so she could avoid chewing on it with a small amount of nuts on their own, but not a mixed mouthful where she couldn't keep track of where the hard bits were and they caught her out, if that makes any sense!! If he can handle them on their own that might indicate a problem with one tooth only. That can be very hard to pinpoint, even with a full mouth speculum, if the tooth is right at the back. Some ponies, ie Bella, have teeth that go a very long way back in a very small mouth that doesn't open very wide. Makes life very hard for the dentist!!!

If he is 6 this year, then his permanent teeth will still be settling in, coming into full wear, and little problems could develop quite quickly.

As to how you know that you've got a good dentist, I am beginning to think changing regularly may be best! I was very impressed with the one I am using the 1st time he came, when he was making an effort to impress. I was not nearly so sure the 2nd time, and the 3rd time I had to point things out to him, like Jack's canines which were by then big lumps under his gums, and the fact that although his adult corner incisors were through, one of the baby incisors was still holding firm in front of one of them - fairly un-missable, you would have thought! This dentist is on all the approved lists.

When I told someone that I was thinking of changing, they recommended theirs and then told me that they had organised a days work for him in the area, which involved doing 32 horses between 11am and 5pm, and they got around them all! This dentist is also on all the approved lists. I'm sorry, but no-one can be doing a thorough job on 32 horses in 6 hours!!!

If you get these youngsters teeth sorted out at an early age they are far less likely to have trouble in later life.

If you are wondering why I am up so late and why this is so dear to my heart, it is because I have to go and have the remains of a tooth dug out today, due to being too cowardly to go before, and if I am tired enough I might just fall asleep in the chair! I wouldn't mind but it doesn't even hurt! I know it will by this evening!!!

[taffydales]

Its deffinatly NOT his teeth, I have a fantastic dentist who has checked them, also if you put a cereal based feed in front of him he will wolf it down, the problem is that most of the conditioning cereal based feeds contain barley!

[greydales]

Does he eat haylage Van? Shame you can't send him up here for a few weeks - he'd probably put on more weight than you'd like!

What about the Allen & Page range of feeds - they have all sorts for intolerances etc (although a bit expensive!). They have a Weight Gain mix but not sure what the full ingredients are (they don't mention barley)

www.allenandpage.com/products/12.shtml

[harleydales]

I use Dodson & Horrell Staypower muesli to get condition on, or Build Up.
D & H have an excellent helpline, you could give them a phone and have a chat.

My old Shetland Billy wouldn't eat pellets, but his teeth were fine. Sometimes I think they just don't like them! Maybe it's something to do with the size of their mouths - perhaps pellets dig in to the roof of their mouths or something???

Hope you find something that works for him

[taffydales]

I have decided to stick with Allan and page calm and condition, but will add some cool mix to try and make it more appetising for him, I was going to try Dobson and horrel build up but it contains barley so I have decided against it.

[nars]

Sorry to hear about Merls. We had similar problems with Sabina despite her having the best of healthcare.
One thing that did help was the Simple System grass pellets that you have to soak. She is now in training at Cambridge and has swopped hay for hayledge. It makes a huge difference to her and I think I'll have to try and get a local supply when she comes back. Top Spec helped also, but I can always ask the trainers what they have swopped her onto feedwise as she looked great when I saw her last weekend (and she is very fussy about her food).

PM me if you want me to get the info, Van.

[Debbie]

Van, I know your dentist, so I sincerely doubt it is his teeth giving the troubles. Over here, the endurance peeps reach for oils to add to the feeds to help boost their endurance horses without sending them loopy. Most will grab just any oil, corn being the preferred grab, but you'll have to see what works best for you.

Over winter, Blossom was losing condition (well actually, it was a combo of Lady Bear being here, and Blossom growing), so I added oatmeal to her soaked beetpulp with a handful of sweetfeed throw in. I figured with the finely ground oatmeal, it would be that much easier for her body to digest and utilize.

Also, when I contacted her breeder, he said she didn't need a larger sized feed, just add an extra one if needed. Luckily the oatmeal kicked in for her, so I didn't have to add a lunch to her breakfast and dinner, but that would have been my next route.

With Merls, you might try the oatmeal. It didn't make Blossom 'fizzy' at all, but she was also turned out 24/7 and she's got all her energies going towards growing. It may be entirely different with Merls. And do give the oils a try, they can give the added calories without the extra problems of more food.

Bellajack, I hope you've gotten that tooth sorted by now Small wonder you've got 'teeth' on the mind!

[bellajack]

Yes thanks Debbie. She took 2 out in the end, 1 each side, so eating will be hard for a while, but they definately won't trouble me again! I stopped at the chemist on the way home and asked for some Ibuprofen, just in case. You can imagine how easy that was to say with mouth totally anaesthetised. She said to make sure I ate something before taking them. Was she having a laugh or what?!!!!!

[Debbie]

Oooh, been there, done that.....stood in line waiting patiently (actually so doped and in shock) listening to some chronic person railing about their back meds. The second pharmacist luckily spotted me standing there....actually I think I was swaying by that point. Not only did they get my meds, but he actually got me to take two of the tablets right there on the spot, food or no food.

Its been so long I can't remember what they gave me, but it wasn't ibuprofen. I probably would have spit in their faces, as it works, but not that great for me. I did find the 'generic' version didn't work so hot for me, and oh, if they tell you to swill with salt water ~ be extremely careful!!! I ended up with a dry socket from doing that Read: Fate worse than death!

I ate a lot of mashed potatoes, some broth through a straw, and slept loads. Oh, and I found sleeping atop a bag of frozen peas helped with the swelling too. Miserable having teeth worked on.....wish it was as easy for people as it is for horses/ponies..

Sorry to hijack your thread Van

[bellajack]

Debbie, I went through 60 pages looking for 'Fate worse than death' then noticed the search icon (doh, my brain hurts!) but still can't find it. I was told to swill with salt water, but I am incapable of ever doing as I am told, so that may have been to my advantage for once!!!