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Vitamin E for IR horse and non IR horse
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Hi,
vitamin E dose for IR horse is 1000 IU/500 lb horse. In the winter we have only hay. I tried to find how many vitamin E is in pasture, but without success. How many vitamin E in winter (only hay) for non IR horse? Same dose? Thank you -- Marie Volsicka Mid Europe 2021
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HI Marie,
It is best to increase your dosage if horse is on pasture to at least a minimum of 2,000 IU a day, and if not on pasture to a minimum of 4,000 IU. You should have a blood test on each horse to see how their vitamin E levels are and if they are deficient or not. Some metabolic horses do not adsorb/process it as well as others and can be very low/deficient, even on 4,000 IU a day. My personal experience is to test their blood. I was giving my own herd 4,000 IU a day on Emcelle and they are still very low, so I had to increase the dosage. Not all vitamin E supplements are made the same either. -- Candice Piraino Primary Response Team September 2018, Summerfield, FL Shark's Photo Album
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Judy and Bugsy
Hi Candice,
If hay is green and In covered building is 4000 iu still the recommended starting point? thanks --
Judy and Bugsy Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada Feb. 25, 2020 https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/files/Judy%20and%20Bugsy
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Judy, may l butt in here to report my experience with Vitamin E in two IR mares? For years I had used the same approximate dose of powdered Vitamin E in oil, around 4500 IU for both my mares. When I checked serum Vitamin E levels at Cornell, one tested 547 ug/dl, pretty close to the middle of the reference range of 200 to 1000 ug/dl. The other tested 222 ug/dl, close to the bottom of the reference range. That's not the reflection of optimal nutrition I want! I want them in the 500-600 ug/dl range.
I reexamined the low mare's supplements and realized she's that horse who always leaves about a cup of supplements in the bottom of the feed bin, and that's where some (most?) of the Vitamin E ended up. I first jumped her Vitamin E up to 6000 IU using a natural water-soluble Vitamin E. A subsequent lab showed Vitamin E only rose to 300 ug/dl range. Now I'm giving her 7500 IU Vitamin E/day. Labs are pending. Bottom line: if you check serum Vitamin E levels, that's your best bet. If you can't, I'd give 4000-5000 IU Vitamin E to any horse on a hay-only diet. The green color of the hay is more an indicator of Vitamin A content, not Vitamin E. -- Cass, Sonoma Co., CA 2012 ECIR Group Moderator Cayuse and Diamond Case History Folder Cayuse Photos Diamond Photos
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Judy and Bugsy
Thanks Cass.
if the recommended Vitamin E is 4000-5000 iu of vitamin E why is the emergency diet only 2000 iu (for 1000 lb horse)? A horse who is on the emergency diet should not be on pasture, so that shouldn’t play a role in Vitamin E intake. --
Judy and Bugsy Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada Feb. 25, 2020 https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/files/Judy%20and%20Bugsy
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Thanks Cass!
Judy- those recommendations are at a minimum, AND another reason why we prefer to review case histories to get an over all picture. Not every horse reacts the same or absorbs the same so it is difficult to cover EVERY horse with a blanket statement. You are correct in saying that a horse on the emergency diet should NOT be on grass, which is a hard concept for many to swallow! Maybe Dr. Kellon will chime in soon to expand more. -- Candice Piraino Primary Response Team September 2018, Summerfield, FL Shark's Photo Album
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It’s an **emergency** temporary diet. 2000 IU should avoid a frank deficiency. After that, the diet should be balanced. We don’t know why some horses store plenty of Vitamin E, others not so much. Like many here, I’ve taken the NRCPlus course to try understand my horses’ nutritional needs. For a number of nutrients, including Vitamin E, there’s a range of safe supplementation. Those ranges aren’t the central focus of this group. If you search Messages, you’ll see many discussions of Vitamin E that delve into some of it.
-- Cass, Sonoma Co., CA 2012 ECIR Group Moderator Cayuse and Diamond Case History Folder Cayuse Photos Diamond Photos
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