Over Supplementing

Horse owners spend allot of time and money trying to fix symptoms with supplements instead of examining what their horse is primarily eating. If we all started at the beginning to see what we are feeding our horses we could probably answer allot of our own questions as well as discover appropriate nutrition that could actually make expensive supplements unnecessary. 

For example, horses didn’t just walk around the pasture and Cushing’s or Insulin resistance or one of the many other issues fall out of the sky and hit them in the head. Unnatural things happen to horses who’s owners and carers are out of touch with nature. These problems are not found in feral horses, they only exist in captivity, now that’s food for thought.

As horse owners we must try to make our horses diet as natural as possible. When looking into fortified feed our first concern maybe price. Remember when buying cheap feed it may actually be the more expensive route. You will be feeding more pounds per day to reach a balance of daily vitamins, minerals & protein level. Even forced to buy expensive supplements to meet the full recommended amount of vitamins and minerals. In the long run buying quality fortified grain and forage is the cheapest way to reach your goals. 

If your horse does need supplements due to a specific problem be careful to not over supplement and read the dosage per pound. Do your best and take advantage of Hueber Feeds Equine Specialists to help provide your horse a complete and balanced diet primarily consisting of good quality forage, fortified grain & possible supplements.

Healthy Animals are Parasite Free

Having animal’s parasite free is important although unfortunately it may not be absolutely possible 100% of the time.  However, a scheduled program for internal and external parasites is a must for your animal’s health.  You can find information about parasites by searching the web for ‘internal and external parasites in…’, then add the animal; for instance ‘dogs’. 

For internal parasites, worms are the most common and for external parasites we are concerned with fleas, ticks and mites primarily.  The best source of local information is your veterinarian who can make you aware of the local parasites your animal may be exposed to and can help set up a control program.  Programs vary from region to region so if you are moving to a new area contact a veterinarian in that area to start on a program specific for the new location.

If you have not yet established a parasite control program for your animals the best time to start is NOW!  If you have a program follow it rigidly so parasite re-infestations are controlled. If you notice an unexpected weight loss, rubbing, scratching, energy loss or parasites on your animal or in their feces contact your veterinarian and review / update the control program.  Avoid ‘home remedies’ as the remedy may cause damage to the animal’s skin or digestive track.  Follow the use directions on all products and only use it for the animal it is made for.  Inspect your animals frequently for parasites.

Animals look and perform better when they are on a program to control parasites.  They digest their food better which helps young animals grow faster and reduces the amount of food required for older animals to maintain proper body weight.  They are more alert and active.  Hubbard® Life products are formulated to optimize your animal’s nutritional needs. 

Quench their Thirst

It’s that time of year when horses are traveling, under intense exercise,    introduced to different water sources and weather conditions, that it’s      essential to keep your horse well hydrated. 

Making sure your horse has access to plenty of fresh clean water and a clean salt block can help prevent dehydration.

When traveling, horses are very suspicious of unfamiliar water. Traveling with a water tank with familiar home water may decrease some stress and promote drinking.

If water tank is unavailable, consider using electrolytes for performance horses, horses in hot, humid conditions, horses being subjected to      changing water sources, during times of stress, when horses may sweat  excessively.

McCauley’s Hydrolyte is an electrolyte that restores the correct balance of electrolytes lost in equine sweat. Helps horses recover following intense exercise. It’s unique formulation encourages drinking and facilitates   rehydration.  Added to drinking water, McCaulery’s Hydrolyte provides a more consistent taste and smell to different water sources.

Ease Your Horse into the Spring Pastures

Spring is finally here!  The white blanket of snow has been replaced with green grass.  Your horses have noticed too as they start to deposit large amounts of shedded winter hair on every corner and wall around the barn. The temptation is very strong to turn your horses out to pasture and let them consume as much grass as they want.

As hard as it is to restrict a horse from doing just that when they are first put into a pasture, for the health of your horse, it must be done. If your horse has been eating hay and Hubbard Life® horse feed over the winter letting them eat all the new grass they want will usually result in a call to the vet instead.  Early, fast growing grass found in pastures is very soft and sweet compared to the hay they have been fed all winter. All that fresh, green grass tends to be higher in sugar and starch type carbohydrates and lower in fiber, which is the same as if you poured corn in their feeder.  Too much sugar/starch carbohydrates all at once can create colic issues in the hind gut and founder in the feet.

Another challenge is that as horses become older they tend to become insulin resistant – think human type-2 diabetes, which means it’s harder for them to utilize the sugar and starch  from eating too much high quality spring  grass diets. The sugar and starch cause the glucose levels in the blood to increase and insulin would normally help the glucose get into the cells and be utilized. But with insulin resistance, the insulin receptors do not work well and it takes more and more insulin to get the glucose into the cell. After a while if the insulin has not forced the glucose into a cell, the body will get rid of the excess glucose via the kidneys. That’s why people and animals that develop diabetes may go to the bathroom frequently and start to lose weight. 

Here are some tips to help your horses adjust to spring pastures and avoid health challenges:
      •  Start slowly on green grass to allow time for the micro-organisms
         to adjust in the gut. Build up over time to full time grazing.
      •  Watch out for animals, especially older ones, losing weight. If they
         do not have teeth issues, they may becoming insulin resistant. 
      •  Insulin resistant horses are better managed by restricting pasture
         access and being fed low carb diets like Hubbard® Life Cool Command®.
      •  Regardless of time of year always look at the horse’s body condition
         and adjust feed and forage accordingly to maintain a moderate body
         condition (body condition score of five).

Stop in at your local Hubbard Feeds dealer and ask about our line of Hubbard Life Equine products. 

McCauley's ALAM Feed...AMAZING!!!!

I just wanted you to see the difference the Alam has done to my big girl in only 2wks of hard training and 8lbs per day. I can hardly believe it she has always been such a hard keeper and now she’s a happy medium of fit/fat. I’m so pleased with these results! The first picture was taken April 11, 2013 and the second was taken April 25, 2013. I can’t believe the change!

Samantha L Maier

from Iowa City, Iowa purchasing from Hueber Feeds LLC

  

Join us for Hot Dogs, Pop & Prizes at our Shabbona Location

    Saturday, May 4th

10am-2pm

Join us for Hot Dogs, Chips, Pop & Prizes

214 Comanche St.

Shabbona, IL 60550

    815-824-8018

What you need to know about EHV-1/EHM

Jacob T. Goodin, DVM, DACVS 

Morrie Waud Equine Clinic 

Delavan, WI

Equine Herpes Virus – 1 has recently been diagnosed in Gurnee, IL. At this time all affected horses are confined to a single barn. This appears to be an isolated incident with no connection to any other outbreak in the United States.
Equine Herpes Virus-1 is a virus which affects all equids (horses, donkeys and mules). It commonly causes respiratory problems and can also cause abortion in pregnant mares. It is believed that a large percentage of horses are carriers for EHV-1, meaning they have the virus present in their body but are not showing clinical signs. A mutation of this strain of EHV-1 causes Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHM). This is the form of the disease which causes horses to show neurologic signs. EHV-1 is spread most easily by nose to nose contact between horses, however it can easily be spread by common use of buckets, brushes, tack and caretakers.
There are no vaccines available to protect against EHM. Vaccines that target the non-neuropathogenic EHV-1 strain are available. These vaccines may help to reduce shedding of the EHV-1 virus, but have no label claims to provide protection against the neuropathogeic strain of EHV-1. Anti-viral medications have not been show to prevent the spread of the disease and thus are not recommended as a preventative to horses that have not been exposed. You and your veterinarian should decide if vaccinating your horses is warranted at this time.
The best way to prevent the spread of the neuropathogenic form of EHV-1 is the implementation and practice of good biosecurity protocols. This includes:
 Isolating horses that have travelled away from their home stables for up to 14 days. This includes using separate equipment for care and feeding of these horses. Personnel interacting with these horses should changes clothes and wash hands between at risk and non at risk horses.
 Monitoring rectal temperature of these horses twice daily. If a horse develops a fever (temperature of 101.5 or greater), contact your veterinarian immediately. Your veterinarian will then test for EHV-1.
 If a horse at your facility is confirmed to have EHV-1, work closely with your veterinarian to treat any affected horses and prevent further spread of the virus.
We encourage everyone to contact their veterinarians and follow their recommendations regarding biosecurity and vaccination. Doing so will help to prevent further spread of EHV-1.

www.mwec.wisc.edu Office # 608-883-2995

McCauley Feeds Available Soon in the Chicagoland area

McCauley Bros. manufactures equine feeds and supplements out of Versailles, Kentucky. Their production is limited exclusively to products for the horse, using the very finest ingredients available. They apply the most stringent of quality control measures to all aspects of production. The result of these efforts is feed of exceptional consistency and value. Producing the highest quality feeds and nutritional supplements for horses. McCauley’s proudly feeds the world’s leading horse farms and stables.
Call our equine specialist to order you McCauley feed. 815-761-2593  www.mccauleybros.com

Deworming Questions on Worms: What's in your horse dewormer?

I was going to give my horses their 8-week rotation of dewormer timed just before the first big frost of the year.   As I got ready for the by-monthly disagreement with Skippy who hates any flavor or brand of deworming paste I give her, I looked at the large, colorful syringe and hoped this new product was going to make my afternoon go a little better.    

I usually rotate between a Safe-Guard® and an ivermectin family product.  This time I thought I would try something different.  As I finished giving the dewomer to Skippy, I noticed the “plus” after the name.    I was not sure what “Plus” meant on the brand name I had heard and read about many times.   The syringe was the same size.  Dose was the same, same smell, similar flavor (Skippy still did not like it and made sure I was wearing some immediately after she was dosed).

After the seven horses and three mini-donkeys were done, I found my glasses in the feed room and tried to determine what “plus” meant.  In this case, it was an added drug (praziquantel) for tape worms.  I thought dewomers got rid of worms, all the worms….so I did some investigating.

Horses usually get large and small strongyles, ascards, pinworms and others that the market’s standard products take care of.  But for some reason, the standard products do not affect tapeworms.  I discovered that tape worms attach themselves to the intestine only by their head and grow inside the digestive tract.  By doing this they do not eat blood like most worms.  They, instead,  eat the food that the horse is trying to digest.    Most common dewormers are absorbed into the blood, the worms eat the blood which contains the dewormer, and the worms die and leave the body.  Since tape worms do not eat the blood, they do not get any of the dewormer.  Thus, the “plus” is a compound that stays in the digestive tract where the tape worm will eat it and die too.

I am not a veterinarian and highly suggest that you work with your equine health professional to design a health program for your farm including a deworming program.  This would include taking fecal samples to the vet on a regular basis to see what kinds of worms your horses may have.  Tape worms are not found that often in horses but it is always a good idea to check.   

If your horse only needs the standard type dewormer and you have a “Skippy” in your herd, Hubbard does have a Safe-Guard® dewormer that can be fed instead of putting it behind the tongue (which is a nice change since Skippy can’t spread it all over me).  The product is Safe-Guard® 0.5% Crumbles (#8K18) with the feeding rate of 1 lb per 1000 lbs body weight   

Posted by: Dr. Ed Bonnette on 1/9/13 HUBBARD LIFE EQUINE

Lose that extra Holiday weight

New Years Resolutions usual include getting into better shape and losing a few pounds but many health benefits are associated with horseback riding. Horseback riding is a very enjoyable activity that can keep you incredibly fit. If you just think that horseback riding is merely sitting upon a horse, guess again. You can use every muscle in your body, and not realize that you are exercising! How many hours do you spend in the gym to look and feel your best? Just a couple hours a week in the saddle can keep you looking and feeling your fantastic. After your first riding lesson, you will feel muscles that you didn't even know that you had. And, another perk is that horseback riding is much gentler on the joints.  And, the benefits are not only physical....you are outside in the fresh air, bonding with your horse, one on one....this is also a great way to decrease depression and lower your stress levels. Your stress will magically disappear after a day at the barn. The bond of the horse and rider can solve the most difficult day, as well as increasing your confidence level.

HAPPY NEW YEARS, FROM EVERYONE AT HUEBER FEEDS!