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RE: [RC] senior horse feeding - Valerie HewittThank you Susan He is on a 6 month schedule with his teeth and had the first one pulled in July . At that time the other one was just loose and not quite ready . He is due again now and we'll see if it will come out this time or in the summer again . He was doing fine with hay until the first tooth was pulled . He does clean up the beat pulp and the senior horse feed with no trouble at all . I'm seeing more of the partially chewed hay balls in his shed now and had a vague idea I might need to stop the hay . It's hard to get that idea in your head, not to give the hay . Valerie --- "Susan E. Garlinghouse, D.V.M." <suendavid@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: If he's already having trouble with hay, you might consider switching him to "mush" sooner rather than later. I've had to treat a couple of old horses that choked on hay and were still trying to swallow it down (unsuccessfully) when their dentition wasn't quite up to the task any more. If you still want him getting the equivalent of hay, just start him on soaked down hay pellets, and add supplements as needed to the mush. Later on, if the horse can't maintain good weight on hay pellets alone, then start adding in some senior feed, beet pulp or whatever. I had one ancient pony in the practice that was heart-broken when his teeth wouldn't allow him to eat carrots or apples anymore---but he was just as happy slurping down applesauce as a treat. :-) Also keep in mind that older teeth may still be "there" in the jaw, but may not be adequate for chewing, and causing more trouble than they're worth. As the root gets shorter and shorter with age, those old teeth can start getting loose, which makes chewing uncomfortable---so they just don't chew hay as well as they used to, and try swallowing it as is. Loose teeth are also much more likely to form tooth root abscesses, which also makes chewing painful. Those teeth should either be extracted (half of them practically fall out into your hand), or at least monitored pretty closely. If your old horse's breath starts smelling rotten, or if he suddenly starts really having a hard time eating (they'll look at food wistfully and just walk away), time to call in a vet that likes to do dentistry to take a look and possibly start him on antibiotics. It can really make a big difference in quality of life for the old guys. Susan Garlinghouse, DVM, MS -----Original Message----- From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Valerie Hewitt Sent: Wednesday, December 28, 2005 8:35 PM To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: Re: [RC] senior horse feeding This has been a great thread . My gelding is 30 1/2 and has lost one tooth and has one about ready to go . He is having trouble with hay and is also on the beet pulp / senior horse diet . I still give him hay free choice but I don't know how much longer I'll offer it . So far he is keeping the weight on . Great to have some more ideas on what to add to keep him going . Valerie
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