Weight Gain for my N/H Quarter Horse?

Question

My Quarter Horse is a carrier of Hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP), which disables her to eat any food containing high amounts of potassium. In any weight gain supplements i have seen, the amount of potassium is too risky.

Does anyone know of any weight gainer that is HYPP safe? My horse isnt necessarily underweight, shes just not at the weight i would like her to be. I want her to look nice, bulky, and muscley. I know she could with the right supplement, but i dont want to risk hurting her. The links lead to pictures of my horse.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h65/K12Lynch/IMG_0220.jpg?t=1215150267

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h65/K12Lynch/28show.jpg?t=1215150289

I have been working with her at times i am not busy. But my schedule really gets in the way. Please help if you can.

Answer 1

I have great success with Nutrena Safechoice.  I look at the ingredient list and I did not see potassium on the list.  I have been able to improve the weight of my athletes and rescue horses on this feed without supplements.  It is a bit pricey but I think it is worth it.  Good luck With her.  Here is their website.  

www.nutrenaworld.com

Answer 2

To me your mares weight looks fine. With a HYPP Possitive horse you don't really need to put alot of fat on them, muscle is one thing, fat another. Feeding them properly is a key to keeping them healthy and attack free. Also a regular exercise schedule should help her stay attack free as well as to help her build the muscle you want.

For weight gain you might look into Super Gain, It is advertised as HYPP safe and does not list potasium in the ingedient list.

http://www.horseguard.com/shop/index.php...

As far as feed goes XTN made by Nutrena is a very good weight gain feed for hard keepers.

http://www.nutrenaworld.com/Screens/Prod...

It's low in protien yet high in fat and fiber. Does not list added potasium. Has vegetable oils, beet pulp, barley, rice bran and flax seed, all of which are low potasium.

Generally with HYPP horses you want to keep the daily potasium intake at no more than 1%. If you email or call Nutrena I'm sure they'd tell you the exact amount of potasium in the feed. Find out what it is then have your hay and/or pasture tested and average that, when you find out that level  then you'll know where you can go with the weight gain suppliment.

Here is a list of different common equine food and their levels of potassium. If she's on pasture you might want to have your grass tested as well as check for any clover, fescue ect as they are high in potasium. Your local  County Extension Office will help you with the testing of both your hay and pasture.

Low-potassium (should constitute the majority of the horse’s diet)

Oats

Corn

Barley

Wheat

Wheat middlings

Wheat bran

Soybean hulls

Beet pulp (without molasses)

Pure fats and oils (corn and other vegetable oils)

Medium-potassium  (should be fed only in conjunction with low-potassium feeds)

Brome hay

Fescue hay

Clover hay

Timothy hay

Coastal bermudagrass hay

Oat hay

Kentucky bluegrass

Stabilized rice bran

High-potassium (should be avoided totally)

Molasses

Soybean meal

Alfalfa hay or cubes

Reed canarygrass

Orchardgrass

Rich spring pasture

Canola oil

Electrolyte supplements

Answer 3

Dealing with Hypp is still a relatively new thing with me (The past 3 years.).  The only horse I had that was N/H I traded off within a couple of weeks of purchasing her (And she was a TANK and had been owned and bred by the owners of Buz Burnett.).

I did feed her what I fed the rest of my crew sans the ground alfafa and molasses.  3 LBS of rolled barley corn along with a 1/2 C of Corn Oil and 1/2 C of ACV and she did fine.

Answer 4

My aunt does a lot of horse rescues, and usually, the horses that come to her are hundreds and hundreds of pounds under weight.

CORN OIL, is the best thing going. and, it keeps their coats soft :]

Answer 5

She doesn't look fat to me, right size

try this i didn't list potassium

http://www.horse.com/Horse-Supplements/M...

here's a great product but contains potassium

http://www.horsesuppliesdirect.com.au/pr...

GOOD LUCK!!