BOSS for horses

[jackiedon]

Is BOSS good for horses? What would be a good lubricant for a horse to eat. She had coloic a few months ago and we were told to give her pyshulm husk for humans it's meticulae but she doesn't like it like the one made for horses whis is really expensive.

Thanks,

jackie

 

[s6bee]

I don't know that product and to be honest, not a whole lot of knowledge on this subject, but, what I want to know is wouldn't a "lube" be a temporary fix? Why did he/she colic. Maybe a digestive aide would be better?
What is her daily diet?

 

[s6bee]

I just did a quick search on BOSS. I couldn't find much, but can say that what I have my horse on is similar. I use it, love it and it's really inexpensive. It's called Omega Horseshine. I buy it at Tractor Supply but you can get it on line too. I buy a small bag ( I think it's 15 or 20 lbs.) for under $30, and it lasts my 900 lb. horse around 5-6 months. I started him on it because he bleached out so bad in the summer months and he just didn't look good for the shows. This past summer he stayed dark just like he was in the winter. I just bought a mare a month ago and she has bad feet, so I'm starting her out on it too and hope to see improvent there as well. My gelding never had any hoof problems before but my ferrier tells me he's got the best feet.
This product has what you are looking for I think.
Do you feed your horse sweet feed? If so I would rethink it. Just a thought.

http://www.smartpakequine.com/Produ...cmPreserveSource=true&cmPreserveCategory=true

scroll down till you see Omega horseshine product and read reviews. It's helped with colicy horses too.

 

[Meesh]

Lots of folks feed their horses BOSS or even a little bit of oil (corn, canola, etc.) as a fat source, but you don't want to feed your horse too much fat... It can affect digestion negatively. Not to mention, make your horse fat which can cause all sorts of other serious health issues.

If your vet is having you feed the horse psyllium (a fiber) to remove sand, changing over to a fat source will NOT do the same thing. You really need to just pick up the phone and ask the vet what else you could do.

Cheers,
Michelle

 

[patandchickens]

Black oil sunflower seeds (BOSS) are NOT NOT NOT a 'lubricant'... they are just a source of dietary fat (and a little bit of fiber).

You need to talk with your vet about how to proceed.

Also, what have you tried to make the psyllium more palatable to the horse... applesauce, molasses, grated apple or carrot, etc often can tip the balance, especially if you don't try to feed the whole dose at first.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[Wynette]

Probiotics really helps my horse, who used to have a tendency toward colic. Also make sure they ALWAYS have access to fresh water. If they don't drink enough, they can get bound up.

 

[jackiedon]

We haven't had this horse very long. She got colic a few months ago and thought we were going to lose her. DH and I walked her all night. The one time we tried to get a vet out they just didn't go out anymore. That time they gave me advice on how to fix her leg she had cut.

There is an old cowboy down the road that has helped us a lot. He had told us to us Metamusel but she didn't like it so we got some of the same stuff at TSC and it's apple flavored and she liked that. I just wondered if there was a natural lubricant. She has a mineral block and fresh water daily but to me she just doesn't seem to drink a lot.

We feed her oats and hay no sweet feed.

Thanks for all the help and any help you can give me.

jackie

 

[EggCentric]

How old is this horse? You can try putting a cap full of cider vinegar in her water, sometimes they like that, or even try changing the color of her water bucket. We have one horse that won't drink out of anything but a red bucket. (Go figure.)

If it's an older horse, it probably isn't getting much from the oats, they don't digest them well. Put it on a senior feed and add water to the feed to make a soup. Blue Seal's senior is the best, it holds a LOT of water.

If it isn't an older horse, I would still put her on a regular feed and make soup with it, especially if she tends to colic.

Have her teeth been floated?

 

[jackiedon]

Thanks EggCentric! She's 15 yrs old. We haven't had her teeth floated and I was telling husband that yesterday.

Jackie

 

[snugglepup]

I give my guys 1/4cup BOSS with their food. I have used several omega-3 products (including Omega Horseshine), and couldn't really tell a difference in the horses. The BOSS are much cheaper... so thats what we use!

That said, its not necessarily a replacement for the psyllium. Ask your vet. There are several different equine products with different flavorings, it may just be a matter of experimenting.