Ration balancer needed for a horse with allergies

[Djones]

I have an 18 yo gelding who has a lot of allergies. I’ve gotten him onto 20/80 alfalfa and Timothy hay, and he’s getting a once daily scoop of Timothy pellets and MSM while his pals get their feed. I’m a forage heavy feeder, light on feed. He’s on essentially a dry lot most of the year. Hay is his main forage.

I need to balance this diet, obviously. He has free choice white salt and an equimin mineral block.

His allergy panel is shown here. What’s available in ration balancers to help himself (and me).

[GPjumper]

Triple crown Gold ration balancer is completely soy free. That might be worth looking in to.
Edited: Nevermind. It has flax. Let me keep looking

[Djones]

Yep. Flax thanks though!!

[Djones]

Maybe?

https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=CB41F3AB-C8BF-4D00-8753-3054B75E59F7

Or
https://valleyvet.cvpservice.com/product/view/basic/6190013

[JB]

What prompted you to test?

Blood work for food allergies is pretty unreliable - in general, ignore anything under 200.

If you really want to avoid soy and flax, you’re looking at a forage balancer + a carrier (like hay pellets or beet pulp)

California Trace, Vermont Blend/Pro, Arizona Copper Complete, KIS Trace, Uckele Sporthorse Grass or Equi-VM, or HorseTech High Point Grass, and some others, are all forage balancers

[Djones]

Persistent RAO. He’s demonstrably more comfortable and breathing better on this new diet.

[Heinz_57]

Yep, forage balancer would go nicely with the hay pellets you’re already feeding. I use Vermont Blend because it works with my hay (tested), but all the ones JB mentioned are good.

[Djones]

Thanks folks! I ordered California Trace pellets this morning Very appreciative of your help.

[atr]

We just had one of those done. My poor guy came back at 467 for flax and around 200 for oats! Persistent hives, generally not thriving as I would like, and loose manure were our problems. And so, of course, I’d been seeking out high calorie feeds to put condition on him, which are all really high in flax… I feel like a poisoner.

We are now basing our feed around alfalfa pellets and ricebran. We can also feed Enrich plus as purina tells me it has no flax in it, but I suspect it probably has soy. I will look at the label for you.

He’s already looking much better in himself in about 3 weeks on the new diet. Not so tucked up and actually putting on some weight. Today is his first day completely off antihistamines, so we are keeping fingers and toes crossed that we have found the root of the problem.

[Djones]

Thank you! I ordered California Trace today. Chip looks more relaxed and not distracted by my daily attempts to kill him. Five days into nothing but Timothy pellets and MSM along with Timothy/alfalfa hay he looks so comfortable and is breathing well, clear as a bell.