• Rounds With Doc T

  “Magnesium, Developmental Orthopedic Diseases, and External Parasites” April 10th, 2025 [[REPLAY]] ( Moved to community.thehorsesadvocate.com )

  Posted by Doc-t on April 1, 2025 at 7:15 am

  Timestamps based on the full questions below:

  • 0:04:40 – Magnesium discussion
  • 0:22:00 – Developmental Orthopedic Diseases (DOD) discussion
  • 0:39:10 – External Parasites (https://aaep.org/resource/external-parasite-and-vector-control-guidelines/)
  • 1:01:40 – Summary
  • 1:03:25 – horses backing off of eating SBM and someone purchasing bags of SBM that was really corn meal.

  This meeting will discuss three topics from questions sent to me. They are copied here:

  1. Myths/Facts surrounding Magnesium as a mineral supplement as it is another one heavily marketed as the end-all be-all (similar to Vitamin E). The second one is How to feed a mare in preparation of breeding, while carrying the fetus and then while the mare has the suckling by her side. I heard one of your more recent podcast (113) where you made a few comments about another’s vet advice to add grain to the mare during third term with a quick explanation as to why it was incorrect advise. It would be great to get more information regarding mares and their endeavor as broodmares and food requirements to create a viable healthy foal. I recently bought to young horses and asked both breeders how they address the nutrient requirements for the mares and foals. I was told what I wanted to hear but in reality one of the breeders outright lied as what I was told and what I saw were completely different.
  2. I have a young horse and am wondering what your thoughts are on OCD in young growing horses. Currently, I’ve been working with Dr. Kellon, another equine nutritionist, and she has helped me with my horses’ diets and getting all the minerals balanced, etc. But I find it very complicated, and their recommended diets include grains like wheat bran and oats, and also mineral supplements, oils, etc. And it’s so expensive to keep up with all the supplements needed to balance the diet. Which lead me to find your website!Anyway, I’ve heard that OCD can be caused by nutritional imbalances, genetic causes, and also excess weight. What are your thoughts, and should I keep anything in mind for a young horse when implementing a forage-based diet and getting rid of all the supplements? If I have an easy keeper, how do you recommend giving them the necessary protein and aminos without contributing to the weight problem? My vet has said not to feed alfalfa…but that is a good source of aminos, correct? Our current hays are low-sugar orchard and teff hay.
  3. external parasites such as mites, ticks and lice. i have a WB cross with Vanner. He is the one with the skin conditions. I think I have been dealing with mites in his mane, tail, lower legs and dorsal line. I now shave the mane and legs but continue to battle dandruff in the tail. He used to be engulf in dandruff throughout his entire body. Every summer he has lesions tracking up all four legs, onto his chest and under neck. He stamps adamantly when fully agitated. I have used Ivermectin extensively to assist with the problem. When his behavior becomes too assertive moving into aggression, I double dose him with IVM and within 24 hours he is well-behaved again. But within a month to six weeks, the behavior digresses so I deworm him again. I have many times dewormed with IVM double dose every two weeks for six weeks (or single dose MOX with same protocol) but it does not prevail. I have burnt him with lime sulfur dips, I have burnt him with Moxidectin topically on legs, NOT doing those again. I have used garden-variety sulfur powder on his tail and mane, I have used Neem oil on his legs and dorsal line which does assist, I have used MTG (mineral oil with sulfur) on his legs, dorsal line, tail and mane which assists. I have now had this horse since 9/2023. Each summer his skin response to flying insects has improved. He has been on SBM only with pasture forage since 11/2024. this winter has been a better skin response compared to the last two winters as this is a year round problem. I have even fed him the garden variety sulfur to no avail as I had read that mite infestation is a lack of dietary sulfur. I was hoping you could shed some light on this topic as I think more horses deal with forgae/ground mites than suspected. I hope you have some experience with my described concerns and effective remedies even from the past traditions or Amish traditions. I did get in touch with an Amish connection and was told to use sulfur powder topically which I already was doing. Why would IVM/MOX has such a profound effect on his behavior? Also, when this horse sees a dewormer in my hand, it is like I have candy. I do not have to halter him and he will even attempt to eat the syringe so I know there is something about the products that make him ’happier’. It is about time to give it to him again based upon his behavior. It has been four weeks since the last time I gave him IVM. If you saw my spreadsheet logging his deworming schedule, you would probably flip. Lastly, I had read that copper sulfate orally will prevent ticks from adhering to the skin since ticks are mites, I now give free choice copper sulfate treated water. Last summer I found not one tick on either horse. He drinks it extensively compared to my second horse. the second horse has been drinking it more recently but the bugs are returning to VA so it does not surprise me. The use of oral sulfur and copper sulfate is coming from a woman named Pat Coleby who wrote extensively about minerals and animals. She has published several books about different animal species and minerals. My local vet is aware of the issue. His response was typical, ’he is allergic to the flying insects”. I had never considered it as a protein deficiency until listening to your podcasts but see the improvements. Prior to SBM only, I was feeding Standlee hay pellets and adding ’supplements of the day. in an attempt to resolve his skin deficiencies. I have wasted much money on this endeavor. No longer. I also had the horse tested for fungus called Valley Fever as he was raised in Central Valley of CA which has Valley Fever. He came back negative.

  Doc-t replied 8 months, 1 week ago 1 Member · 0 Replies
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