Looking for advice on the different flavors of Stabul-1

[LSMarnell]

My IR horse who had laminitis in February lost too much weight on Thyro-L. I was getting concerned because he was really at the tipping point of looking emaciated. The vet said to feed him 2# of Triple Crown Senior a day. We did that and it worked. But, I was not happy about it because the ECIR group does not recommend TCS for IR horses. Especially if they are recovering from a laminitic episode. He is a much better weight now, but I can still see ribs and he usually drops weight over the winter even heavily blanketed.

So, if I need something else to get calories into him that is safe I was considering Stabul-1. Barn owner will not do rinsed-soaked-rinsed beet pulp. Too much time/ work in winter. Horse will only eat so much hay also. Less than he needs to eat.
He can be a picky eater so which flavor is the most palatable? The fenugreek, banana, or peppermint?

[Garythesquirrel]

I use it as a carrier for supplements and all of the horses I’ve fed it to have loved the fenugreek flavor. It breaks down in just a few minutes when cold water is added. I buy it through Chewy. You can get free samples of the different flavors.

Ordering Information* : *This low starch, low sugar horse feed is available directly from Chewy.com or Tractor Supply Co. nationwide at your local store. For free samples within the US, please send us your request directly* .

[LSMarnell]

Thank you Garythesquirrel! I guess all I need to do is request the samples to know! I was planning on ordering from Chewy because my local TS stores do not carry it.

[RhythmNCruise]

My guy adores the fenugreek flavored Stabul nugget treats. I’ve tried the other flavors, and he’ll eat those happily too, but he goes bonkers for fenugreek.

[JB]

Is there a reason he’s staying on the Thyro-L? Is his insulin not controlled when he’s off it?

2lb of an 11.7% ESC + starch feed is not a lot. They tend to not recommend it, even though it’s not HIGH, because of the normal 6lb feeding rate for a 1000-1100lb horse

2lb of that at 11.7% ESC + starch is 106gm
5lb of a 10% ESC + starch feed is 227gm

All these ESC and starch numbers need context of how much is fed.

So, if 2lb TC Sr is working for calories, and he likes it, I see no reason to change

Stabul1 is max 5% starch and 5% ESC, with a min feeding rate of .5lb per 100lb,similar to TC Sr.
TC Sr is max 6.4% starch (starch is a bigger issue than sugar) and 5.3% ESC.

But at 2lb TC Sr, that’s 58gm starch, with Stabul1 being 45gm - not a huge difference at the 2lb rate

Are you feeding a v/m supplement or forage balancer to make up the difference in what you’re not feeding, by under-feeding the TC Sr?

[LSMarnell]

He has been off ThyroL since June. He continued to loose weight. Currently 650# 14.2 h Arab. He gets 4 cups Nutrina Topline Balancer, Magnesium & Farriers Formula. He’s supposed to get 13# of hay but he won’t eat all of it.
He was getting the TCS in addition to the above.
Thanks for taking the time showing me the difference JB. Maybe the TCS will work. It would be more convenient and he loves it.

[JB]

Numbers always help

I assume he was slowly weaned off the Thyro-L?

Have you re-tested his insulin? Was it (and glucose) ever tested?

Is is hay tested?

I’m just wondering if his IR is in the uncompensated stage with high insulin AND high glucose.

Most IR horses are the fatties/easy keepers, but some are on the other end of things.

The TC Sr may or may not be a fit for him if you need to feed more, so don’t take those numbers to say you CAN feed more. You do have to do the math to see why the ECIR recommendations are what they are

if you need more calories, and don’t feel comfortable getting to the 5-6lb of the TC Sr, you can add 3-4lb of the Stabul1, and if he doesn’t like it on its own, maybe mixed with the Sr he’ll eat it well.

Have you considered ulcers as a reason he isn’t eating more hay? Is that hay he used to eat well - same batch?

[LSMarnell]

Yes he was slowly weaned from the ThyroL. Insulin was 56 when he was in active laminitis. Also tested negative for PPID. Retested insulin in August and he was back in the normal range. He had lost 200#. Glucose was never tested. He is at a boarding barn that has very limited hay storage, so we get new hay every month. Very hard to keep up with the testing, but I was happy his insulin level was ok even on the different hays. He was on ulcer guard for about a month in June but he still wasn’t eating all the hay.
For some reason my vet really wants to keep him on that Topline Balancer and add TCS as needed for extra calories.

[SharonA1]

I find Stabul 1 to have very strong flavors/smells. I could not deal with the Fenugreek or Banana smell myself, and therefore did not ask the horse. I was okay with peppermint and strawberry. Just saying. Several horses about tore down their stalls when they saw the Stabul 1 coming, so, I never worried about which flavor was more palatable since all apparently were sublime.