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Thanks for the reminder about beet pulp.  My mare is 34 in March, still 
maintaining weight on Allegra Sr. but have been concerned about her teeth.

I did notice a sour odor when I was at her boarding facility this weekend 
so will call the vet/dentist.
Cindy
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Valerie Hewitt" <auroraarabs@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, December 28, 2005 11:35 PM
Subject: RE: [RC] senior horse feeding


> Thank 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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