Re: Hoffman's BalanceIR Ration question for Sherry
Hi Jennifer
Not Sherry, but if Fergus is doing well on the Cal Trace Plus (no footiness etc), I would not worry too much about the rice bran in it. If he were a very sensitive IR horse, maybe I would remove it from the diet, but the recommended dose (for a 1000 lb horse) is 4 ounces (112g), and although they do not state the amount of rice bran, the supplement also contains yeast, so even if the rice bran is half of the dose, the actual amount is quite small. The Hoffmans feed that Sherry cautioned against is supposed to be fed in kilogram amounts, which is a different case to the Cal Trace Plus and definitely would not be a good idea to feed to an IR horse.
However, we do suggest targeted supplementation of minerals if at all possible, as then you can make sure he is getting the minerals deficient in his hay and nothing else that might be unnecessary (such as the rice bran). There are some other generic mineral supplements in the group Files that are safe for IR horses, so you could switch to one of those if you are concerned--the Cal Trace Plus is also on that list. Acceptable Ration Balancers.pdf (groups.io)
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Maxine and Indy (PPID) and Dangles (PPID)
Not Sherry, but if Fergus is doing well on the Cal Trace Plus (no footiness etc), I would not worry too much about the rice bran in it. If he were a very sensitive IR horse, maybe I would remove it from the diet, but the recommended dose (for a 1000 lb horse) is 4 ounces (112g), and although they do not state the amount of rice bran, the supplement also contains yeast, so even if the rice bran is half of the dose, the actual amount is quite small. The Hoffmans feed that Sherry cautioned against is supposed to be fed in kilogram amounts, which is a different case to the Cal Trace Plus and definitely would not be a good idea to feed to an IR horse.
However, we do suggest targeted supplementation of minerals if at all possible, as then you can make sure he is getting the minerals deficient in his hay and nothing else that might be unnecessary (such as the rice bran). There are some other generic mineral supplements in the group Files that are safe for IR horses, so you could switch to one of those if you are concerned--the Cal Trace Plus is also on that list. Acceptable Ration Balancers.pdf (groups.io)
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Maxine and Indy (PPID) and Dangles (PPID)
Canberra, Australia 2010
ECIR Primary Response
https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/files/Maxine%20and%20Indy%20and%20Dangles
https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/album?id=933