Suggestions needed urgently - adding "sweetness" to feed taste

[StarRidgeAcres]

I've asked for advice/discussed my mare Puddin many times over the last couple of years. She was actually doing better than she had in a while until very recenly and now the weight is coming back off and I'm once again on the search for something she will eat. She actually likes cheap sweetfeed - but there is very little in it that is giving her the basic nutrition she needs. I'm currently putting Equine Senior in a blender on "grate" and pulverizing it and then I add a touch of sweetfeed to it and chopped carrots. That was working for almost 3 months, but now she's decided she doesn't like it any longer. She wants something sweet to tempt her to eat. But my fear is that I will overdo it and cause even more problems than I currently have.

Any suggestions on what will sweeten the taste without over doing the actual sugar content?

Also, I feed her chopped alfalfa but that too she's starting to turn her nose up at.

 

[Minxiesmom]

You might try Agave. Hubby puts it on his cereal. I buy it at Costco. It has a lower glycemic number and tastes like syrup. You could also try Stevia, which is a natural sweetner, but it needs to be used in very small amounts. I use it to sweeten my coffee...two drops.

 

[cretahillsgal]

What about adding ground up fruits to her feed? Pineaple? Oranges? Applesause?

 

[targetsmom]

Stomach Soother - all it is is puree of papaya, so if you can get papaya and are pureeing anyway.... Or order it from Smart Pak, get it locally or direct from Stomachsoother.com.

Max is doing well on Equine Senior mixed with soaked alfalfa cubes plus a spoonful (I don't measure it) of Stomach Soother. Good luck!

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

These are great ideas! You're right, since I'm already grinding her meals up to nothing, she may accept the fruit or agave without even noticing that it's different and it may give enough sweetness to the feed that she'll be interested again. I have apples here so I'm going to try that now and then I can get more stuff at the store this afternoon.

 

[Carolyn R]

If she actually like the cheap sweet feed and there is little more than empty calories in it, (you may have tried this) why not use a base of sweet feed and add a ration balancer to it to ensure she is getting the nutrients she needs?

Have you tried adding flavored drinks like gatoraid, applesauce, I love the idea of the papaya stomach stoother.

 

[Magic]

I was going to suggest applesauce but it's already been mentioned.

Not sure what you've done with her, but have you tried ulcer meds? That will make a horse very picky about what they eat.

That said, I had a friend who had a mare that was extremely picky, stayed thin, and my friend tried everything. Like your mare, she would eat something for a while and then it wouldn't appeal to her anymore. Extensive testing was done and they never could find anything wrong with her physically. Good luck with your mare, I know it's a lot of work to constantly tempt them to eat (so unlike most horses!)

 

[copperwood farm]

You could try apple snacks, purnia makes an apple 'snack' which is like a flavored krunch/roughage chunk, and then soak it in waer, you will get some extra calories.

Also sugar free jello, just add the 'flavor of the day'.

 

[ruffian]

You could try apple snacks, purnia makes an apple 'snack' which is like a flavored krunch/roughage chunk, and then soak it in waer, you will get some extra calories.

Also sugar free jello, just add the 'flavor of the day'.

I'm not a vet, but I'm not sure adding dry jello would be a good idea. It will absorb the fluid in the stomach and congeal.

What about instant flavored oatmeal? Mix it up and pour it on the the feed. I had a picky mare and she would scarff that down.

 

[Kim~Crayonboxminiatures]

The little packets of unsweetened Kool-Aid, my horses like the orange flavor. I add just a teeny bit to their feed, along with the powdered electrolytes so they will eat it. It's not sweet, but adds a flavor they like.

 

[chandab]

When my senior half-Arab gelding started getting pickier about his feed, among other things tried, I added a probiotic. I tried Probios, but he didn't like the dispersible powder and I didn't want ot have to syringe paste daily; so, I tried SmartDigest from Smart-Pak, he loved it (and he wasn't one for granular/powder supplements). I have 2-3 minis on it now, and no one has refused it. [smartPak also offers 3-day free sample of products (3-day for full-size, so several extra days for minis, or more than one mini), so you can try before buying a bucket.]

The little packets of unsweetened Kool-Aid, my horses like the orange flavor. I add just a teeny bit to their feed, along with the powdered electrolytes so they will eat it. It's not sweet, but adds a flavor they like.

Hey, that's a good idea, I'll have to keep that in mind. Although, with my piggies, I don't currently need to tempt anyone to eat.

 

[~Lisa~]

I would give her the sweet feed if she is not working then she does not need much more then hay anyway or does she not eat any hay either?

If she is happy withthe sweet feed why not put vitamens in it?

 

[Miniv]

Chopped apples or applesauce?

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

Thank you all for the responses. The reason I don't just let her eat the sweetfeed is that I fight to get 1lb of feed in her per day. She has very little interest in anything but grass and obviously that isn't an option this time of year. So what she does eat has to be the best it can be. She won't eat ultimate finish 40 or 100.

 

[~Lisa~]

What about Race Ready it is a sweet feed made my Purina but has beet pulp and of course all the minerals ect as well. It is a great feed gives them energy and helps with weight at least it did for my hard keepers

 

[Michelle@wescofarms]

We had a mare recovering from hyperlipemia that was difficult to feed. We had a buffet set up for her - fresh grass, grass hay, alfalfa, wet sweet feed, foal lac pellets(had a foal on her), foal lac soup (with grains).

We used over the years - grated carrot, carrot juice, apples, apple juice, applesauce, molasses, gatoraide (premade & dry), dry jello (small amount for flavor), karo syrup (light & dark), maple syrup.

Is it sweetness she's seeking or a taste/smell? Cinnamon some horses like the smell of too.

Loose salt & mineral salts (the red-pink) we've added too.

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

Thanks again for the replies! Today has been a terrible day...between worrying about Puddin and now Oscar, my Chihuahua is sick. We're waiting now for the results of Oscars xRays and blood work to find out why he's not eating and in such obvious pain.

As for Puddin, I tried the minced apple this morning and it was no-doing! This afternoon, since I haven't made it to the store yet, I resorted to disolving regular sugar in boiling water and when it cooled (about 1/3 cup sugar before dissolving) I mixed that in with 1lb (by weight) of her ground up Equine Senior. She ate about half of it before moving on to the chopped alfalfa. It's not nearly enough, but it's more than zero so I'm thankful for small steps of progress. Am going to try additional suggestions for tomorrow.

Please keep Oscar in your prayers. He means everything to me and I can tell he feels terrible, just don't know why.

 

[chandab]

Thank you all for the responses. The reason I don't just let her eat the sweetfeed is that I fight to get 1lb of feed in her per day. She has very little interest in anything but grass and obviously that isn't an option this time of year. So what she does eat has to be the best it can be. She won't eat ultimate finish 40 or 100.

I wonder if one of the bagged chopped forages would tempt her? Just a thought. Triple Crown has chopped alfalfa or grass hay and their Safe Starch forage product; Lucerne Farms has alfalfa, timothy, Hi Fiber (blend of alfalfa, timothy and I think oats) plus a couple others; TNT has a couple; and I'm sure there are other companies, perhaps one is close to you. [i have a couple that don't like hay cubes, but really went after the chopped forage when I tried it.]

http://www.lucernefarms.com/feeds_forage.shtml

http://www.triplecrownfeed.com/forages

http://www.tntforage.net/custom.asp?id=293934&page=11

http://www.kentfeeds.com/products/equine/dynasty/dynasty.php [their chopped forage is at the bottom of the page]

http://www.standleehay.com/ViewProduct.aspx?type=cb&id=ptc [not chopped, but compressed bales; also pellets and cubes]

I've tried the TNT alfalfa/timothy and the Lucerne Farms Hi-Fiber; my horses really liked both. [i don't use it often, as I have to travel to get it, but I wanted to try it and see how they liked it. Its something I think I'd like to keep on hand for the couple pickier eaters I have (at the moment, they are on-board with the current feed program, but that can change).]

 

[disneyhorse]

I wonder if you can't find something else to try that is actually NOT "sweet" or "sugar."

I read an article a few years ago where they did taste tests to see what flavors horses actually liked. Some of the top flavors weren't traditional flavors... I wish I could remember what was on the list but I think licorice flavor was kind of high. There are other "flavors" that are strong without needing actual sugar added... you could try cinnamon, mint, almond extract, who knows? It would be worth experimenting on, you might find some magic flavor combo that's not high sugar, because most horse people think along the general lines of carrot/apple/molasses.

We have also had some limited success with sugar free pancake syrup for horses with a sweet tooth, but can't have high sugar diets...

Good luck with her,

Andrea

Just did a little bit of Google-ing on "horse taste test flavors" and found some more to try:

Orange, Fenugreek, Banana, Cumin, Ginger, Oregano, Nutmeg, Rosemary, Tumeric. Horses responded a bit differently, maybe she will like one of these though?

 

[mizbeth]

Hi Parmela,

My old stallion, now 29 years old, decided not to eat a few months back. He simply did not like any food I gave him. I decided and so help me, that he would eat. I added some molasses to his Strategy and he began eating again. He has since decided he does not like that anymore, so give him lots of plain feed and plenty of alfalfa although he has no teeth really. He is doing so much better. It seems they get on the carosel too, won't eat, lose weight, don't feel good enough to eat and so on. I was lucky, or at least for a while longer.

I used the molasses you buy at the grocery store. EXPENSIVE, but Tractor Supply does have a feed grade molasses you can buy. It does not take much. I would not worry about the sugar content, they probably need it. It is better they eat that than not eat at all in my opinion that is. He will NOT EAT mushy feed, no matter what. For a while I was giving him free feed, in other words he had access to the feed room and all they hay he could eat. Of course he does not eat much, or often but the fact that he had access to it helped. He ate out of big feed holding tub that held 150 lbs of feed. Everytime I saw him eating out of it, I scolded him. He like that! He thought he was getting away with something

Could be he is in his second childhood, or whatever you call that old folks get when they don't follow the rules. As I said, it worked for him......he has put on weight and looks really good now. I do keep a blanket on him so he does not spend his "fat" trying to keep warm.

Good luck!