Tag Archives: Hay

Topping Off Hay Diets

Posted on November 27, 2020 by Dr. Kellon

Hay is just dried grass and grass is the horse’s natural food so it shouldn’t need any supplementation – right? Wrong. Variety is a major difference between the diet of feral horses and that of  domesticated horses fed hay.  The … Continue reading →

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Free Fecal Water Syndrome

Posted on October 16, 2020 by Dr. Kellon

It’s as unappealing as it sounds. The horse has normally formed manure but passes extra brown water along with it, staining the tail and hindquarters. This is different from diarrhea, where the frequency of passing manure is increased and/or the … Continue reading →

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Digestive Issues in Horses on Dry Diets

Posted on March 7, 2020 by Dr. Kellon

When horses can’t have fresh pasture, either because of stall confinement or the season, the logical next best thing is hay. After all, hay is just dried grass. All the major nutrients – fiber, protein, carbohydrate – are basically the … Continue reading →

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Mid-Pregnancy Nutrition

Posted on November 3, 2019 by Dr. Kellon

When an average size mare delivers she will have produced a 100+ lb foal, an 11 pound placenta, and as much as 16 pounds of fluid. She has also greatly increased the size and thickness of her uterus and blood … Continue reading →

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Insulin Problems – Forget about NSC

Posted on October 2, 2019 by Dr. Kellon

Hay or pasture is a major component of any horse’s diet, and is likely to be virtually the complete diet in animals that are obese.  Since insulin resistance is often part of the reason why a horse or pony becomes … Continue reading →

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Struggling Lungs

Posted on August 12, 2019 by Dr. Kellon

ProAir, Vitamin C, Lung EQ, Spirulina Most of your horse’s body is heavily oriented to minimizing contact with the rest of the world but the lungs rely on it to function.  This makes their job of extracting oxygen and releasing … Continue reading →

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Vitamin C – Friend or Foe

Posted on May 18, 2019 by Dr. Kellon

Vitamin C [ascorbate/ascorbic acid] is a water soluble vitamin which functions as an important antioxidant and is needed for the synthesis of L-carnitine, catecholamines like epinephrine and dopamine, as well as collagen, the major protein in all connective tissues, including … Continue reading →

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Cold Weather Feeding

Posted on November 11, 2018 by Dr. Kellon

As the country rapidly slips into winter, questions on cold weather feeding increase.  People want to know what to feed and how much more in winter. The short answer is, it depends. If you have done any reading on this … Continue reading →

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Hard Keepers

Posted on November 4, 2018 by Dr. Kellon

Overweight horses are grabbing all the headlines but horses that tend to be very thin can also be a major headache for their owners.  While obesity is clearly to be avoided, there is such a thing as too thin. Photo:  … Continue reading →

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Treats

Posted on October 14, 2018 by Dr. Kellon

There are many behavioral and safety reasons not to give your horse treats but for those who can’t resist, this is for you.  If you must give treats, at least do no harm. This feral horse skull shows remarkably clean … Continue reading →

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