Picky eater, easy-keeper.. How to get supplements in

[islgrl]

Horse is a 13 y.o. morgan. Current diet is:

First cut hay not unlimited, haven’t weighed what I feed in ages so I have forgotten but he gets probably 1/2+ bale a day (18 - 20 pounds maybe?). No grass in turnout to speak of, some very overgrazed nibbling available

small amount of standlee alfalfa am/pm in hay cube or fed loose before turnout

daily:
3 cups Poulin ETEC balancer
3 pelleted supplements (smartgut, vit E, equithrive)
salt
animed remission (powdered)
Sucralfate (powder)
Chinese herb (powder)

He loves hay. really doesn’t care about his grain. I don’t care if he gets grain except its a vehicle for the supplements I want him to have and the sucralfate which he must have. I add a small amount of water to it to make the powder stick. I tried this week to add cocasoya oil instead of water as a tiny treat to stick the powder but that didn’t help. I could, in theory, syringe the sucralfate 2x daily but that isn’t really a great choice if I travel or can’t get there first thing.

His weight is fine, but I don’t want him to gain any…

He doesn’t really care for soaked things (cubes etc…)

So, what can I safely give him to get the powder and pelleted supplements in twice a day?

My vet will be out next week and I will talk to her but I wanted to begin looking at some options…

[trubandloki]

Have you tried adding a little applesauce?

Or maybe a drizzle of molasses (if he is allowed to have that).

I assume you looked to see if any of his supplements are available in a different form that might be more palatable.

[WildGooseChase]

I had an easy keeper that was a picky eater. She didn’t get a lot of grain but needed some pretty stinky supplements because she had pretty severe RAO. I always wetted grain down, not soaked but wetted down to help it break down and added 1-2 table spoons of stockman’s molasses. I had her on a 12-13% NSC diet otherwise and it was safe to add some sugar.

Edited to add link to molasses that I used. Click HERE to see the Kalmback Stockman’s Sweet Glaze Molasses

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[islgrl]

@trubandloki

Have you tried adding a little applesauce?

Or maybe a drizzle of molasses (if he is allowed to have that).

I assume you looked to see if any of his supplements are available in a different form that might be more palatable.

Trying to avoid molasses, hates applesauce, everything that can be pelleted is! All good ideas though thanks to both of you…

[trubandloki]

They do like to make our lives challenging, don’t they?

Have you tried different brands of the powdered supplements. Never know, one might taste better?

[islgrl]

@trubandloki

Have you tried different brands of the powdered supplements. Never know, one might taste better?

I don’t really think the taste of the powdered stuff is the issue, he’s been eating them for years. He’s just decided that he doesn’t really care about his grain and thus he doesn’t get all his supplements. When I drop his grain he often doesn’t even lift his head to go check it out, he just stays with his hay and keeps eating. When he does finally eat he usually has some but then doesn’t bother finishing it

[FjordBCRF]

Im not a molasses fan either having an easy keeper fjord. With that said, he was adamant that there was poison in California Trace. I diluted a couple TBSPs of molasses in a couple cups of water and put it in a spray bottle. I would lightly mist that over everything in his food pan reducing over a couple weeks did the trick.

[WildGooseChase]

So he has a sudden disinterest in grain meals?

[greywithchrome]

My morgan mare likes her grain but just a few extra pellets of a certain supplement will make her change her mind that day Unsweetened applesauce didnt work for her, I heard that adding a few drops of peppermint can be enticing but haven’t tried it yet.

[trubandloki]

@FjordBCRF

I diluted a couple TBSPs of molasses in a couple cups of water and put it in a spray bottle. I would lightly mist that over everything in his food pan reducing over a couple weeks did the trick.

Oh, I like this idea.

I typically put the molasses in a squeeze bottle and put a very slight drizzle underneath the food/supplements. Kind of like how they plate food at fancy restaurants.
I think that I am using maybe a teaspoon of molasses, on a generous day.

But your misting idea might work even better.

On the peppermint thought, I have had very good luck with crushing a peppermint candy and stirring that into the supplement powder.

[WildGooseChase]

I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT THESE…
Uckele makes specialty gel/liquid flavorizers that enhance palatability but don’t alter blood glucose levels. They are sugar free! They sell in pints and gallons. I used the peppermint one for the same horse I referenced above. Shipping is reasonable and it was always delivered super quick.

Equi-Sweet Molasses
Equi-Sweet Peppermint
Equi-Sweet Apple Banana

[jherold]

Mine started eating supplements better when I started feeding in a pan instead of a bucket.

[islgrl]

@WildGooseChase

So he has a sudden disinterest in grain meals?

I don’t think its totally sudden, he just has never loved it, and for some reason he has over time just gotten less interested. He is healthy, happy, doing well, just not eating the things I wish he would eat

[islgrl]

@jherold

Mine started eating supplements better when I started feeding in a pan instead of a bucket.

That’s interesting. Mine cannot have a pan because he instantly picks it up and dumps it. Because why wouldn’t he

[islgrl]

@WildGooseChase

I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT THESE…
Uckele makes specialty gel/liquid flavorizers that enhance palatability but don’t alter blood glucose levels. They are sugar free! They sell in pints and gallons. I used the peppermint one for the same horse I referenced above. Shipping is reasonable and it was always delivered super quick.

thanks

[trubandloki]

I know nothing about this product, it just came up when I was looking for a different product (the name of which I can not remember so I was trying all kinds of things).
Not horribly expensive, might be worth a try.

https://www.farmvet.com/Equine-Flavor-Fix?location=&quantity=1&size=26

[twelvegates]

If you have access to a refrigerator or freezer – measure out your supplements for each meal into plastic containers/bags and keep them in the freezer (preferred) or fridge. Take them out when it’s time to feed. This should do the trick IF your horse eats his balancer first. Otherwise, everything will warm up and you will lose the advantage of the freezing/refrigerating. If he doesn’t eat his balancer first, maybe consider substituting a small amount of something that he can’t resist. I don’t know why it works, but I assume it has something to do with smell.

[candyappy]

A very small amount of Purina Omolene? I have to admit I haven’t fed it in many years but it used to be the perfect feed to get something into a horse. They inhaled it no matter what you were adding to it.

They might have changed it but it was very sticky and you wouldn’t need but a tiny bit and it won’t hurt him.

[QuestionMark]

What if he got his grain in a feed bag? Maybe he’d decide finishing was worth it to get it off and move on to his hay?

[ala359]

I was recently having the same issue with my mare and added some of the Tripe Crown grass forage which she seems to approve of! I still add some water but it’s not soaked