Well it took a bit longer than 3 weeks but I now have a really good idea on what works. Plus my fence posts have survived another winter :)
Riley was already on, and has remained on, Maxia Complete, and has never been a big offender when it comes to destroying anything wooden. Maybe the fact that he has been on this for a decent length of time assists with his lack of offending, I can’t be 100% sure but he’s not coming off this anytime soon.
Lily did really well on Tuffrock GI, the nappy behaviour was already on the way out and continued to improve, so this bit I put down to having a job (thoroughbreds do love a job) rather than the supplement alone but she also got a whole lot less girthy, and this I attribute to the Tuffrock as this was something she had been pretty intense about and I saw a BIG change. Lily had a pretty big turnaround on the Tuffrock, she definitely needed help and she is a much happier horse for her treatment.
Beau was put on Elite Equine Compete, and I was so impressed with his overall improvement in condition and behaviour that I now have 4 horses on this supplement twice a day. Beau has now turned into a bit of a ‘hot mess’ so I am experimenting with other supplements but the Compete definitely stays, we just need to find out whether we have a gastric upset or grass problem.
This will most likely be my next blog as Beau has had a distinct change in behaviour that I’m keen to get to the bottom of!
Lola has been on Dynavyte MBS and has also responded really well, she looks amazing and has been a whole lot less ‘stressy’ which is a bit of a Lola problem so I’m really happy with what it has done for her. I love when you get unexpected improvement in other areas, and this seems to be a Dynavyte specialty, such a fantastic all round tonic.
So did they completely stop attacking all things wooden? No, but I did see a huge improvement through the addition of some simple supplements, plus I got some other unplanned benefits. To be fair I could have said it was a complete cure apart from a couple of days that were particularly wet and cold and for whatever strange reason some horses would choose a fence post over food - it’s almost like something very subtle, like barometric pressure, I honestly don’t know what it is but there is simply the odd day that no wooden things are safe!
With regards to cost of the supplements given, here is a day cost breakdown for those interested.
Riley on Maxia Complete - 4kg pack at 20g per day = $0.89/day
Lily on Tuffrock GI - 4l pack at 100ml per day (50ml per feed) = $8.12/day
Beau on Elite Equine Compete - 4.5kg pack at 40g per day (20g per feed) = $2.13/day
Lola on Dynavyte MBS - 5l pack - 50ml per day = $1.51/day
There are a couple of others that could also have been perfect for this situation, such as:
Digestrite - 5kg bag, 50g per day = $0.76/day
Betavet Gastri-tec - 4l pack, 20ml per day = $2.49/day
Grand Digest - 4.5kg bucket, 56g per day (one scoop) = $3.61/day
Provida Digest Aid - 3kg pack, 25g per day (one scoop) = $1.29/day
Plus there are more but you get the idea! As you can see there are some really big differences in costs here, but please do remember that some of these supplements offer a lot more than just gastric conditioning. Some are organic and some are not. Some have huge support products included and some do not. Some include pre and pro biotics and some do not. Please be careful to compare apples with apples in scenarios like this - and if it all gets a bit much with selection I’m only an email away info@healthyasahorse.co.nz - I’m happy to do a more in-depth breakdown of a couple of products as it all helps me understand them all better too. Start with the problem we need to solve first and we can delve down from there. As far as wood chewing goes though, Future Posts all the way forever more!