FULL REPORT EXAMPLE

NUTRITION ENQUIRY & REPLY.
This was received a few months before the author sold Gravenhorse Feeds. Comments, advice & recommendations in the body of the enquiry are this colour. It has been edited to give general advice, instead of specifically promoting Gravenhorse products. Questions are in bold type; the customer’s replies in standard.
To: gravenhorse <gravenhorse@hotmail.com>
Subject: HEN Enquiry
Name:
Lisa xxxx
Email:
xxxxx@sky.com
Contact Telephone Number/s (Mobile Number Preferred).:
Postcode:
Where did you hear about us? (Select one):
Word of Mouth
Sex (Select as appropriate).:
Gelding
Your Horse's Name:
xxxxxx
Its Age (guess if unsure):
11
Breed (if unknown say so) :
(heavy sports horse)
Height:
16.1
Weight if recently recorded or guess if not.:
495kg Should be around 570kg

Is your horse considered to be (Select as appropriate):-:
Under Weight
What are your horse's main activities/workload? (Select all that apply).:
Hacking/Light Work, Medium/Draft work, Dressage
Does your horse have any known behavioural or health issues/problems? (Select all that apply).:
Droppings normal - you can skip the next 3 items. Any gastric ulcer symptoms such as, Crib biting, objecting to girth tightening, being ridden, grumpy etc
Has your horse got any other known behavioural or health issues/problems?:
IBS and doesn’t absorb nutrients very well
Is your horse receiving any medication or supplements for the problems indicated above? (If so, please specify and for what issue/problem). Please include details of recent worm counts & tapeworm tests, the last worming date & which wormer was given. :
He has recently been wormed. No medication
When were teeth last checked? (approximately):
6 March 24
Please outline your horse's daily routine: e.g. time in stable, paddock/grazing, activities, etc.:
Summer routine out 24 hours. Just started winter routine out in day in at night.
How much, & what quality hay or haylage is it receiving per day? If possible weigh your haynet- or say how long a bale lasts & give bale size? e.g. standard small - 20 -25kg? round? large rectangular?:
Constant supply of hay at night
Hours/day grazing.:
8/9 hours out
Is the pasture:-:
Average
What feed is it receiving? Coarse mix? nuts? If so which brand & what quantity.:
Thunderbrook herbal chaff - 1 scoop between 2 feeds, Allen and Page cool and collected 2/3 scoop each feed, linseed, equinectar ( 4/5 squirts 30ml a squirt), I give chaff before riding with ponease maintenance added and dampened
If you are feeding any supplements or balancers - which ones & how much of each?:
See above
Are you feeding any straight feeds e.g. oats, barley, maize, soya, copra, or linseed, & how much?:
Linseed - not sure but has a cup full
Are you feeding any long fibre - e.g. chopped alfalfa, hay, straw or grass chaff? How much?:
Hay
What is your enquiry and how can we help you?:
I am struggling to maintain weight and get top line. He gets bloated on the right flank and does often have a big belly. I would love to increase his weight. He does get reactive to sugars in grass and I think he has an issue with pea protein (makes him fizzy).

ADVICE SUMMARY:

Provide iodised salt lick
Check daily water intake
Ensure he gets plenty of exercise
Avoid coarse hay
Increase the A&P Cool n Collected to 1kg per day - this is primarily to increase the live yeast supply as well as extra nutrients
Double the amount of linseed to improve condition and
Feed full-fat soya flakes or meal - start at 100gm/day & if there is no adverse reaction increase to 250gm/day

Detailed Explanation:
In the absence of precise weights of most of the feed components I have had to make some approximations as to the quantities of feed & forage Dxxxx is receiving per day. On the face of it he is receiving an adequate maintenance diet, with the exception of salt & iodine for which you should provide an iodised salt lick.

You say he has IBS - did your vet tell you that? It has a number of causes & can impair digestion, with consequent weight loss.
Bloating on his right flank indicates a build-up of fermentation gas which is not being released.

Causes of IBS -

Reduced exercise as he’s now in at night; it massages the gut wall, encouraging gas expulsion. Increase this if possible.

Coarse, low-grade stemmy hay not being well digested & accumulating in the caecum &/or right dorsal colon. Feed good quality hay if you aren't already. Send me a photo?

Dehydration resulting in slow movement of the gut contents. Is he drinking enough? Should be drinking around 30ml/kgbody weight – 25- 35 litres 2 – 3 x standard 3 gallon bucketfuls. If not add salt to his feed - start with 1 x teaspoon & keep increasing until water intake is ok.

Imbalance of the gut microbes. Live yeast is very effective in optimising their balance. Dxxxx is getting some in the A&P Cool & Collected. It is measured in Colony Forming Units based on 1 cell, of which there are trillions in the gut. 8.38E+009 means 8,380,000,000 CFUs. The GB Register for Feed Additives states a minimum daily intake for a 500kg horse of 1.14E+10 CFU i.e. 11,400,000,000 CFUs. Dxxxxx is getting ~75% of the recommended minimum as per the GB register.
I therefore suggest you simply increase the A&P mix to 1kg/day.
If there is no improvement after say 2 weeks then try a supplement(s) containing glutamine, threonine & anti-inflammatory herbs such as slippery elm bark, marshmallow root etc. These are nutrients that support gut wall health. One such product is https://www.gravenhorse.co.uk/greenstufff.html which I used to make.
Equinectar was developed by the former head gastro-enterologist at Addenbrookes Hospital (he treated me 50 years ago!) & other microbiologists for controlling diarrhoea in humans & horses. Were Donut's droppings loose before you started to use it? It contains enzymes which help digest starch, which can cause loose droppings & other problems if it reaches the hind gut. The most effective supplements for controlling scour are live & brewers yeasts & charcoal, e.g. . - Bung-Upp™ - which I used to make
If his droppings were normal before, I don’t think it is of much benefit, as Dxxxx’s starch intake is quite low.

The Ponease has ingredients helpful for controlling problems such as gastric ulcers so I'm not sure it will be of much benefit to Dxxxxx as he isn't showing any symptoms of them so I suggest you stop using it.

In order to improve condition I recommend adding more linseed & full fat soya flakes or meal, starting with 100gm per day increasing to 250gm. This will provide extra protein & slow release energy, essential for rebuilding wasted muscles & body fat. There is a lot of rubbish in social media opposing its use; I’ve been helping customers improve/maintain horses’ condition for over 40 years with it - most accept it without any problems.

Mineral balances are within acceptable levels; whilst iron is well above the required level it s not possible to reduce it without drastically changing his diet. It is simply because of the relatively very high content in grass. which horses have been receiving since time immemorial!

Finally, I strongly advise use of kitchen scales so you can accurately measure Dxxxx's feed, instead of guessing!!

Feel free to contact me again if you need further advice.

John Chapman M.A.(Cantab)
Equine Nutritionist,
Horseheath Nutrition