# vegetable oil or corn oil to add weight



## tealamutt (Aug 21, 2009)

Corn oil can be very inflammatory and I would not recommend it. Also, vegetable oil can cause diarrhea even if you work up to a full amount very slowly. If your horse is dropping weight or just a hard keeper, make sure you check his teeth and rule out digestive issues such as ulcers. 

Once you know the horse is healthy, if you need to add weight, the best thing you can do is first make sure they are getting 2-3% of their body weight every day in a good, quality hay. After that you can consider adding groceries in lots of different ways, depending on your horse's use and demeanor. I have a TB who gets pretty hot on grain so he gets some senior feed, two scoops of Cool Cals (costs about $0.40 a day) and rice bran. I have put lots of weight on him this way, no need to soak any pellets and his coat is very beautiful.


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## sandy2u1 (May 7, 2008)

Thanks for posting. The reason I'm asking is because we are trying to fatten up our 25 year old mare. She is underweight (was like that when we got her). She already gets 4 scoops of grain (divided into twice a day) and she just can't eat any more than that. We tried giving her two and a half, but she just can't eat that much. The last time we measured her, her weight was about the same...although I do think she is looking better. What is Cool Cals?


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

For some reason, the older horses seem to fatten up well on CoyaSoya. I think it's a flax based supplement that comes in both an oil and a powder. I second the thumbs down on corn oil since it is an Omega 6 oil and can contribute to inflammation.


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## welshies rule (Feb 7, 2010)

we have always used linseed and codliver oil but I have a friend who swears by soya oil


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## tealamutt (Aug 21, 2009)

Cool Cals is a suppliment you can buy from smart pak (or lots of other places) It is a fat suppliment which is basically dehydrated vegetable oil. My guy loves it and it really puts a shine on his coat. He's an older gentleman and a very hard keeper. You might think about a complete senior feed for her instead of grain- to make sure she is getting all her required minerals and vitamins.


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

Hi,

Get her teeth seen to by a *good* equine dentist if you haven't already. It may be that due to tooth loss or damage she can not chew long stemmed fiber such as hay, so would be better fed chaff instead. I also suggest getting onto an equine nutritionist(pref independent of a feed co). I personally use an online service/program called FeedXL.com who I find invaluable and very economical.

Oil is one ingredient you can add, and in reasonable quantities - such as a cup or 2 per day, I haven't seen probs. BUT I know corn is a particularly problematic grain for horses & not sure about corn oil. Basically any other vegie oil is OK, but the cold pressed ones, such as flax/linseed, have a heap of essential fatty acids & nutrients in them too.

But the prob may be what/how much/how frequently you're feeding presently. Firstly, horses don't generally cope well with grain or other high sugar/starch feeds. They can cause hind gut problems & effectively cause weightloss, among other probs. Horses also have very small stomachs and quick metabolisms, designed for eating tiny amounts very frequently. The bigger &/or more infrequent the feeds, the more problematic they can be - especially if feeding sugary/starchy feed - the less is likely to be digested, the more wasted. If you want to continue feeding grain, at least make sure it's well processed and fed little & often - eg at least 4 feeds daily of up to half a scoop with a fair bit of chaff. But there are also healthier, safer alternatives to grain, such as copra, soy, etc. as well as manufactured feeds such as Hygain Zero.


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## tealamutt (Aug 21, 2009)

If you do decide to go the oil route, start her really slowly (couple tablespoons) and work up to a half a cup over a two week period or more. If she starts to have loose stool back off some. My guy had absolutely horrid diarrhea no matter how slowly I tried to introduce it which is why I ended up going with the Cool cals.


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## sandy2u1 (May 7, 2008)

I made a mistake in my previous post. I said grain when what I should have said was she is getting four scoops of feed a day. I have a habit of saying grain when talking about any bag of feed lol. What I am currently feeding her is four scoops of Purina Equine Senior per day. Her teeth have been floated. I had my vet out a couple of weeks ago and she said that she has good teeth for her age, but some are really worn down. She does have the necessary ones to chew grass and hay for now, and the vet said she will be able to do it for at least six months and maybe as long as two years. It takes her a little longer to chew, though. Sorry again for the mistake about saying grain. I will definitely be taking all of your posts into consideration and checking on the products you all have suggested. I will stay far away from the corn oil...the ole' girl is 25 years old, the last thing I want to do is cause her unnecessary problems. Thank you all very much for the helpful advice and taking the time to post...it is very much appreciated.


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## 5cuetrain (Dec 11, 2009)

Corn oil or vegatable oil is usually added for the coat not the weight.

Older horses are hard to keep weight on for sure. Beet pulp--soaked in water for sure--has worked for me for awhile. Soak it and add a couple of handfuls--squeeze out some of the water-- to their normal feed and see if it works.

And brace yourself for differing opinions.


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## WSArabians (Apr 14, 2008)

I think you might be thinking of Corn Syrup. 
The oils produce a sheen in the coat, but it's Corn Syrup that will help to put weight on. 

Apple Cider Vinegar is also a great immune system booster.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

I would definitely NOT do corn syrup. Sugar in horses in large quantities is bad....laminitis/founder bad! While I feed sweet feed and the occasional peppermint or doughnut to my horses, I would be really afraid to add straight sugar such as corn syrup. 

It's corn oil, not corn syrup that is for gaining weight (fat, not sugar). 

I have heard that corn oil not the best, but I have fed it for a while and never noticed a problem. I am now feeding vegetable oil (which is soybean). 

I have heard beet pulp is excellent soaked, and also rice bran. But rice bran should not be fed in large quantities unless they are also getting adequate calcium (such as from alfalfa hay, or rice bran that is in pellets and has been balanced for calcium). I also used to soak alfalfa pellets and drizzle a little vegetable oil over it for one of my old guys. Soaking it makes it easier to chew and gets more water in their system, which is always good.


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## sandy2u1 (May 7, 2008)

Thank you all for posting. My research on the products that are suppossed to help a horse gain weight brought about more questions than answers, so I decided to call the vet. I hated having to do that, but since I am dealing with a 25 year old underweight horse, I feel that I need to be extra careful. She did say stay away from all kinds of oil when trying to put weight on a horse of Hopes age. A horse that old cannot digest the type of fat found in oil. She said if the horse was 15 it may be something to consider. She did say that a dollop of corn oil is good for the coat and hoof and shouldn't cause any problems. In our individual situation, she thinks we need to go with the feed and the grass and add alfalfa cubes. She did come out to give to us an evaluation on Hope a few weeks ago...nothing wrong, just general geriatric care and to give her a full exam (we were having issues from previous owner...which is a topic for a different thread), so she is well aware of our individual horses needs. I didn't get to ask her all of my questions, because when she called me back, I was at work.

All that being said, I still think we will have to go with a supplement, because Hope just doesn't have a very big appetite. She isn't interested in hay after grazing all day and getting 4 scoops of feed. I have taken note of all your suggested supplements and am going to print out the info on them (because none of them are found in our local feed stores, so my vet may not yet know about them). I have 3 stores nearby where I can buy that sort of thing and all of them carry the exact same 2 products :roll: The good thing is, though, with the internet, I can buy any product I want  Any suggestions are still welcome...especially those that have worked for your senior horses. Thank you all some much for your help and suggestions.


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

I use a touch of corn oil to help bring out the shine in my girls coat.

As far as weight, most horses will actually do just fine on free-choice hay, and a combination of grass, timothy, and or alfalfa pellets mixed with beet pulp. There are no excuses for thin horses, age is irrelevent, and being underweight is usually due to the "wrong" kind of feed or tooth/digestive problems. I've read an article that said an older horse was given pounds of pelleted feed, enough feed that should have been okay, but due to a health problem, the horse wasn't able to maintain weight.

I DO realize that you are doing what you can for this horse, and my comment about "no excuse" is not directed at you, or anyone, merely a fact. You are obviously trying to do everything you can to help this horse. =]


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

sandy2u1 said:


> I have been told by someone, I forget who now, to use vegetable oil to help fatten our old mare. Then the farrier said use corn oil. So which is the best or are they about the same?


Corn oil can increase inflamation and decrease nutrient absorbtion, especially in older horses, so I personally do not recommend it.

I have had good luck using alfalfa pellets and flax meal or rice bran to put weight on horses. You can soak the pellets if you have a horse that eats fast or if the older horse has dental issues. I feed 1 cup of flax or rice bran daily, with 1 to 2 scoops of alfalfa pellets, using a 3 qt feed scoop. One scoop equals 3-3.5 lbs of alfalfa pellets.


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## pieinthesky (Mar 12, 2010)

the veggie oil I buy is actually 100% soy. It says so on the ingredients but its not advertised as it on the front label. I prefer corn/veggie over more expensive fat supplements, its healthy, unless you are using cups and cups of it.


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## silanac (Apr 24, 2010)

i have a 24 yr old gelding who has a rare combination of shivers and stringhalts. no vet has actually been able to definitively diagnose it. we use corn oil on his food to help with his shivers and it works great! it also helps keep weight on him. the corn oil is high in fat and does something to the metabolism that makes it burn sugars and carbs more efficiently and leave fat (the sugar and carbs make the shivers worse apparently).


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Canola oil all the way. I did plenty of research before I started to add oil and that one has the best omega3/omega6 ratio. I've been adding oil to my girls diet from the beginning. I've also seen the skinny horse became fatter and shinier after the owner started to add oil (about cup/day).


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## sandy2u1 (May 7, 2008)

Thank you all for the info and taking the time to post. I did purchase some alfalfa cubes today. I haven't given her any yet...although, I will start her tomorrow. I'm not sure she's going to eat them though. I also added a few squirts of the corn oil. She ate every drop of her feed during both feedings (very unusual). Does the corn oil make it more palatable or is that just a coincidence? 

Also, as just a side note....we didn't let this horse get skinny, she came to us that way. We've only owned her a little over a month. Our vet said it would probably be easier to keep weight on her once we get it there than it is trying to get it on in the first place.


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## artsyjenn (May 12, 2010)

We had a thoroughbred (passed away last fall) who we started having real problems keeping weight on once he hit 20. Particularly during the winter. It was a little better in the spring/summer when the grass was good.
Vet ran all kinds of tests, nothing turned up in those. Kept his teeth in really good shape with the equine dentist.
What seemed to work the best for him (after a LOT of trial and error) was unlimited (24/7), good quality second cutting grass hay, senior feed, some supplement powder (I think it was called Fat Cat) and afew handfuls of black oil sunflower seeds with each feeding. Also, we fed him his senior feed combo 3 times a day instead of 2.


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## qtrsnkids (May 12, 2010)

My vet had me try Smartpak's Fat-Cat and cocosoya, for a horse i took in to gain weight. Quick results too.


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## sandy2u1 (May 7, 2008)

Are the sunflower seeds easy for a horse to chew?
qtrsnkids: Was it for a senior horse?


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## artsyjenn (May 12, 2010)

My senior horse had no problem chewing the sunflower seeds. He really seemed to like them. I do think they helped with the weight, and they made his coat really shiny.


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## qtrsnkids (May 12, 2010)

Yes it was for a 23 yr old gelding.


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## mzfhredi (May 10, 2010)

My dad has a 28 yo gelding and he lost so much weight last year that he almost died. He was feeding senior feed to him. His vet had him start him on 2lbs beet pellets watered down for 30 minutes and 2lbs whole oats mixed in. This was split up in 2 servings per day. About a month and a half later his weight was back on and he is a grumpy ole healthy horse again. My dad split this serving in half and he gets it once every other day and he has never had a prob through the winter with him anymore. Won't say this will work for you but it worked for this ole sheepherders horse.


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

I don't know, I just don't like feeding my horse bird food..., so I never have feed black oil sunflower seeds.

As for the corn oil, it has shown to increase inflamation, and it's not recommended to feed to senior horses because of that.

Some good articles & information:
Horses - Diet and Nutrition: corn oil, omega 6 fatty acids, omega 3 fatty acids
HorseAdvice.com Equine & Horse Advice: Black Oil Sunflower Seeds and increase in osteoarthritis
HorseAdvice.com Equine & Horse Advice: Corn oil increases inflamation?
SmartPak Mag/Advert: "Corn Oil = Inflammation" - Chronicle Forums
http://www.ker.com/library/EquineReview/2008/Nutrition/N41.pdf
SmartPak Equine - 8 Supplement Myths BUSTED

Horses generally have plenty of Omega 6 fatty acids in their diet already, from hay and feed. You don't have to supplement it and you don't have to have a fat supplement that is "balanced" in Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. The best fat source for horses is one that is high in Omega 3s with little to no Omega 6s in it.

I feel all my horses, hard keepers to fatties, an Omega 3 supplement. I have used NutraFlax from horsetech.com before and really liked it. Right now I'm using Cocosoya from Uckele as it's cheaper and I am feeding 6 horses ;-). So far, I've gone through a 5 gal container of it and like it. I feed my easy keepers 2 oz and my hard workers 4 oz a day.


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## glam1 (Mar 25, 2010)

yep i love feeding oil to my boys.

I have had sucess with feeding oil to fatten both an arab and a standie. Both were underweight when i got them.

My standie is a hard doer, he is wormed, teeth etc i give my other standie oil but only about 50ml as a coat conditioner.

1 cup of oil = 1.5 kg oats in energy. It came in handy when my boy could only have 1 feed a day plus his round bale24/7 in a small bareen paddock.

But i would worm and check teeth first. Then add SLOWLY to the diet star with 50ml for a few days then slowly increase or he may get diarhoea.


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## Appyt (Oct 14, 2007)

Adding my 2c as I feed a 31 yr old blind and lacking some teeth Appy.

If you can get it Total Equine is a great feed for any horse who is in need of a total package feed. It can be fed from 2# twice a day on up to full feed. I am currently feeding 10-12# a day in 2 feedings. 

I started out with feeding all my horses a few handfuls of Beet pulp shreds, either soaked or not. Once Cheno could no longer graze or digest hay efficiently I began feeding him more Beet Pulp with Alfalfa pellets(not cubes) soaked. Then I found the Total Equine and I fed that at 2# twice a day along with the BP/Alf Pellet mix. At some point he got really picky and is currently eating just the TE with one large coffee can of BP shreds tossed in. He also gets a couple flakes of (I cut it about 3-5" long)chopped up grass hay as he cannot eat long stem prairie hay well. This gives him a lil bit of long stem roughage to chew on during the day. I do not feed oil cuz it's messy and I just don't like that. I have tossed in some BOSS(black oil sseeds) at times, but after learning that fresh grass is loaded with omega 3 and hay is high in omega 6 I stopped doing it. 

Anyway, he does pretty good on this. He's not fat but he's healthy. 
Cheno in 2008 prolly around when I started feeding TE









Cheno in 2010 after winter


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## sandy2u1 (May 7, 2008)

Thanks everyone for posting. This thread has turned out to be a really educational one. You all are so smart about horse nutrition...I think I need to do some research and learn more myself. I've owned my horse a couple of years, but all I've learned about horse nutrition from him is that if he gets fat take away some feed, if he gets thinner add some. He is a really easy keeper...sometimes to easy in my opinion. I'd like for him to be able to have grain for nutritional purposes, but he just gets so FAT! Hope on the other hand is forcing me to learn all about horse nutrition. I have added alfalfa cubes to her diet and will not be adding any supplements until I am sure the alfalfa isn't going to be a problem. She is eating them, but only if there are just a couple in there...but hopefully, when she gets used to them I can add more. Anyway, that should give me a few weeks to look into your recommend supplements and figure out which one will be the best for her. I will be taking money into consideration also when choosing a supplement....not that I would rule out a great supplement because of that, but if I can find a really good one for cheaper, then that's what'd I'd like to do. Senior horses aren't cheap (well, maybe in price, but you know what I mean), plus on top of the two bags of feed she eats a week and the alfalfa, she is going to have to see the vet again this week for a lameness issue that has sprung up. Anyway, thank you all so much for your help...hugssss to you!


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## McBo (May 28, 2010)

We got a rescue horse that every bone in his body was showing..It was bad...We started feeding half heavy duty 14 and rice brand pellets and in 2 months he has put on the pounds and his coat slicked off very pretty and shiny. Good Luck!!


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## SeWHC (Jul 1, 2009)

The fact that the horse os too full from grazing and eating grain to eat hay is a little disturbing to me. Forage should vastly outweigh grain. I would cut down on the grain and feed the horse as much high quality hay or cubes as the horse can eat. Perhaps she can't chew the hay well- have the dentist out and perhaps try the hay pellets, or just soak the cubes.

I also am a huge advocate of the black oil sunflower seeds. While they are high in omega 6, feeding up to two cups a day has been shown to not have a harmful effect on the horse. I would start on .5 cup per feeding and slowly increase to one cup per feeding. The BOSS is packed with nutrients- you'll get more out of it than straight oil, an the horses really like them. The hull is softer than the shell on oats.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

Hi,

Haven't checked in to this thread for a while, thought I'd make a quick couple of comments more:mrgreen:



sandy2u1 said:


> I'd like for him to be able to have grain for nutritional purposes, but he just gets so FAT!


Well I've got what for once on this forum for assuming 'grain' meant grain, so will first clarify what I'm talking about is indeed grain, grain based feeds, or high sugar/starch feeds.... 

I know it's been said before, but needs emphasising... If people really want to feed grain to their horses for whatever reason, please do your homework first **& look at more recent research, not just the traditional stuff**. Despite it being a traditional, still common feed, it is NOT generally a good feed for horses. If ingredients such as this are to be fed, please bother to learn how they effect the horse & how you can minimise the problems it causes. Such as feeding tiny amounts over *at least* a few feeds daily, rather than feeding it only twice or less daily &/or large feeds. Such as learning how it can cause laminitis, Cushings, IR, colic, weightloss....

Now back to OP's above comment - definitely if he's already fat you don't want to feed anything like grain, but yes, they do still need nutritional supps. You can get them 'straight' or in 'ration balancer' pellets, which are often grain based, but you may consider this, depending on the horse, with a type you only have to feed a very tiny amount of.



> a few weeks to look into your recommend supplements and figure out which one will be the best for her. I will be taking money into consideration also when choosing a supplement....not that I would rule out a great supplement because of that, but if I can find a really good one for cheaper,


Again, I know I sound like an ad for them:lol:, but I can't recommend highly enough the services & program of Feedxl.com to take the confusion & trial & error out of the question of balancing nutrition. They also have some very cheap sub options, that make using their services potentially only light pocket money, (but they've actually SAVED me money anyway) unless you want to sign up for longer/more horses, etc. I'm sure there are other services such as this out there, if that particular one doesn't suit too.

Re price of supps, yes, don't we all want the cheapest option where possible?? But after analysis of a heap of different supps.... meaning proper analysis, not just going off the packaging, which tends not to be so accurate & invariably paints a 'rosier picture'..... I have come to the conclusion you definitely get what you pay for. BUT I have also found that the more expensive *per package* aren't necessarily that costly. For eg. the feed store guy asked me to sit down when I asked him to order a 'ration balancer' supp called KER Gold Pellet... then told me it was $170 per 20kg bag!:shock: I thanked him & went away without ordering:wink: After further analysis, I went back to him & told him to sit down... & ordered some!:lol: Despite the 'recommended dose' on the bag, thanks to feedxl.com I worked out my horses would need only about half that much - whopping 60g per day; a single handful! - and it amounted to only $1.20 a day for all 3 of them! That is vastly cheaper - & vastly less quantity & calories for my fatties - than anything 'cheaper' would be, not to mention giving them a much better balance of nutrients in one product than any other combination I'd looked at.

Anyway, suppose that's further info to overload your brain! Hopefully it's of some more help to you!

Cheers!


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## sandy2u1 (May 7, 2008)

> The fact that the horse os too full from grazing and eating grain to eat hay is a little disturbing to me. Forage should vastly outweigh grain. I would cut down on the grain and feed the horse as much high quality hay or cubes as the horse can eat. Perhaps she can't chew the hay well- have the dentist out and perhaps try the hay pellets, or just soak the cubes.


 
She is out on pasture all the time. She is also getting alfalfa cubes in the feed during one feeding, so shouldn't that be enough forage? I also think her appetite has improved. She can easily eat all of her feed now...even with the alfalfa cubes. I think it may have just been that she was getting so much more than she was used to, but IDK that for sure. I do have to be a bit careful not to put to many alfalfa cubes in her feed or she won't eat it, but other than that, she is eating all that we put in front of her. I think she is well on her way to gaining the weight that she needs.

Loosie- My fatty horse is getting Omolene 100...which I'm pretty sure qualifies as grain. He has been only getting 1/4 of a scoop once a day. For the longest time he was getting a full scoop once a day. Then when he gained a significant amount of weight, he got cut down to 1/2. He continued to gain weight, so now it's down to 1/4. I think I may have to take your suggestion and take him off of it altogether. I think what is really overloading my brain is the fact that I'm trying to help one horse gain weight and the other one lose his :?

​


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

Hi,

Yep, sorry to say but you're right. Just looked up Omolene & it is not only whole grain(oats are a bit of an exception, but whole grains aren't able to be digested in a horse's stomach) but it also has molasses(extra sugar) & oil(fat) so is quite unsuitable. It also says that it should be fed at least twice daily(good minimum practice) and at 'when fed as directed' (likely a heck of a lot more than you ever fed him), 'provides 100% of the required vitamins and minerals' which is a crock IMO anyway, & the amount you'd want to feed him would mean it's way under 100% anyway.


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## sandy2u1 (May 7, 2008)

Wow :shock:! I have never ever fed him this feed more than one scoop a day and right now he is only getting 1/4 of a scoop once a day. I have been trying so hard to work with his weight problem without cutting out the feed, because I believed it had nutritional benefits. It sounds like in the small amount I am feeding him, it is doing nothing to benefit him. So why the heck am I wasting my time and money? As the saying goes...a fool and their money are easily parted :lol:


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

Yeah, frustrating, isn't it?? Don't just take my word for it, esp as all I know about that particular product was of one page of the manufacturer's site, but it's a minefield of a subject I reckon, speaking from experience on lost funds & wasted useless products! That's why I reckon FeedXL.com & related services are such a good idea. I'd just be leery about a nutritional service run by the feed co's tho.:wink:


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