Problems with TopSpec

[june]

K, that could be the grass though. The warm wet weather has made the grass grow very quickly. It might be worth trying some magnesium and seeing if that calms them down. Many horses go a bit loopy in spring and autumn with the grass flush and it is often due to a magnesium imbalance. This year autumn has been remarkably long!

[fin]

Finn, have you talked to Jackie Taylor? She's the resident expert on laminitis.

I have.

I'll give JJ a few days and if he does seem to improve without the Top Spec, I'll ring them and see what they say. I don't think it's a problem with the product as such, it's just that it may be supplying say, minerals he doesn't need that are already in excess in our hay...... but like I said we won't know that until I get the hay analysed.

It's a pain

ETA, June, it's brewer's yeast in Total Eclipse, not soya. Pity really! I think the ned can tolerate soya..... I think I might go back onto the TE once I've finished my bin of linseed tho, if SS can give me a full analysis of it (depending on what the hay comes back as)......he looked very well when he was on it last time, although I suppose he'll prove me wrong. I know SS market it as a feed balancer but it isn't really--not like TopSpec--it's just another food product.

[june]

Sorry, Finn, you're quite right, it is brewer's yeast in Total Eclipse. It is Soya and Linseed in Top Spec Cool and Condition. Having one of those days!

[fin]

Just one of those days, June? Lucky you. I'm having one of those lives!!!!! ;D

[june]

Oh no, a day is bad enough!

[taklishim]

Finn, I have a horse in a similar position, LGL and some days he was just such a total bully boy and beat everyone up. In desparation and not finding any answers with the mineral imbalance thing I put him on yea sac 3 weeks ago. (£11 from Jackie) He is now a million times better with other horses and going really well out riding and feet are doing well. He just seems calmer and happier.
I don't think it is the answer to everything as I don't even begin to know the questions with these LGL horses but it has made a lot of difference to mine. Maybe it is worth a try?

[sarak]

Like Calli experienced, my horse (TB) was extra spooky and full of himself on the standard Top Spec balancer - to the point of being unpleasant to ride. I switched over to their Anti Lam, and he was better, but still quite strung out. However, he looked so well on it that I was prepared to put up with him being a little sharper.

[fin]

Alas, taklishim--he's been on Yea-sacc for the last year! Along with MagOx and Aloe Vera (he cribs). It's excellent stuff, isn't it? It definately has improved his gut function (and his tolerance of other living beings) but it only up to a point. Like most laminitics he seems to have a very sensitive gut--unsoaked hay particularly gives him very nasty droppings, though if I up the yea-sacc to a triple dose it has warded off the dreaded LGL if he's showing signs of an imminent attack. The aggression is definately displacement--he's uncomfortable or annoyed, so he has to attack someone smaller than him. Not usually me though, fortunately

Sara, I think it's possible that a horse that feels very well and lively because they're taking in lots of nutrients, might well be sharper, because they're more alert and chirpy. I could live with that (I'd probably fall off mind, but that's OK)......it's when they can't turn in a tight circle and try to murder everything within biting distance I'm having a problem with

[nich]

omg...maybe that is why Dolce has been so sharp lately!! in 6 months she only went loopy once before top spec, now she has bolted one alone - leaving her companion, once following a companion, and had me off in the school. I will move her to anti lam which I have for Autumn, I have already started her on the top spec calmer.

[fin]

Oh dear!

Well, I'm sorry to say that after three small TopSpec free feeds JJ is perfectly cheerful and friendly--no pinned ears, faces, sulking, attacking H (even when she stuck her head into his feed bucket). OK, the wind's dropped which might have cheered him up, but it is raining and he's sodden, which normally puts his nose out of joint as well. He's still a bit pottery mind but it'll be a week or so before that comes right (if it is the Top Spec causing it).

H is still on Top Spec. Hard to say whether she's got any worse on it--she's a horror anyway

[mandal]

Well Finn..I'm glad he is getting back to 'normal' whatever the cause
I hope the pottering settles too.

I suppose the absorbtion of nutrients/minerals in the gut varys too and perhaps the yea-sac settling his tum has increased absorbtion levels???................. Just thinking out load really

[taklishim]

Hmm! interesting Finn.
My LGl has been on top spec balancer for a long time and is improving despite it Was yours OK on top spec comp or is that suspect as well as the balancer? Please keep posting so we can see if the balancer has the potential to cause problems. What a nightmare this all is!!

[fin]

Isn't it? It's interesting though, tho sometimes I wish I had a normal horse

I'm not sure he was OK on the Comp powder....problem is we took him off alfalfa AND the Comp at the same time--not intentionally, I just ran out of TopSpec and didn't get round to getting any more. I wonder if the problem was with the Top Spec rather than the alfalfa? I suspect he was OK on long chop alfalfa anyway--it was stuff like lucienuts which are highly processed and quickly digested that seemed to be problematic. At any rate, a few weeks after he was off all that we had a sound horse with no pulses for the first time in a year!

I'll see how he goes and keep you posted......

[mags]

Interesting cos Dan is alot lot calmer on top spec and more thinking rather than just going off on a stress. He completely feel to sleep today for his trim...a first with someone totally new

Is JJ ok on alfalfa Finn, I didnt think it was good for lamanitics

[fin]

Generally it's ok for laminitics. It's high protein, which is good because laminitics need protein to repair all the foot damage....and it's low sugar. So generally, yes, it's good. But there do seem to be a lot of horses that react by becoming footy and sore and pulsey......it's like haylage I suppose--low sugar, but a trigger for laminitis anyway for some other reason

As for Dan falling asleep now he's on TS--that's cool Isn't it odd how some horses react so differently to others?

JJ's only ever fallen asleep once during a trim, on a lovely sleepy sunny day....we thought we'd prop him up and get all feet done before he came round...then a fighter plane flew over and woke him up. After that he was 'Uh? You still here? I'll have you, see if I don't!!!!'