Opinions, please

You guys remember Jazz? The yearling filly I bought this last year right before Christmas... now, remember she's N/H, so this is my first yeyaw with that deal.

I'm feeding her the same as everybody else, but she doesn't get as much as everybody else. She gets a total of 3 scoops a day, and her minerals, alfalfa hay at all times... well, here lately, she's been stocking up in her back ankles.

Now you guys know me, she's going out every day, she's in a huge stall. I'd been putting corn oil on her feed, oh, about a cup a day, and I don't know if that's stocking her up or what....she's not limping or anything like that.

What's your opinion? My horse guru friend said it could be the corn oil.

I had a 2yo filly (cow bred - not a race horse on this one) that did the same thing (she wasn't N/H, she was just funky).
We cut her protein intake down...

With mine I just took away her alfalfa and kept feeding her 14% feed and corn chops with coastal and she did great! It took about 2-3 wks if I remember correctly for it to show..

Well, I tell ya, I can't quite figure out what the deal is. Took her off corn oil a couple of days ago... and she's been on the same feed since this past December. I might have to give her some Bluebonnet oats, see if that takes care of it... think I might even call the vet to pull blood, see if anything's funky there... just real weird, ya know.

7C, remember you do not want to make any rapid changes on her feed. That can cause an episode. You need to make feed changes slowly and over time. I am sure you keep Karo syrup on hand just in case.

Doesn't sound to me like an NH thing. Sounds more like growing pains as long as she has long periods of being out and moving around. If she were mine I would put her on MSN daily. Double the first two weeks then down to one scoop a day. The scoop comes with the product. You may already be using that?

Is MSN some kind of joint deal? How does it work?

Well, duh, yeah, I know you can't switch feed fast. I'm also kind of wondering if there isn't something in this alfalfa hay.... I took her off the corn oil, I'll see if that does anything or changes; if not, then I'll need to try something else.

She's already 15'2 and a half, I didn't figure she'd grow much more than that - or either I'm fixing to have to get a danged step stool ... jeesh.

But let me know about that MSN and how it works.

I think BlueJay meant MSM

Oh, okay. MSM, that's some kind of a joint supplement thingy, isn't it? Tara, have you ever used it and what's your opinion on it?

Here is some info on MSM, never used it so not sure if it is good or if this is even something that will help. You said she is stocking up not that she had any stiffness or soreness just a fluid buildup.

I have had horses who did that but once they got outside it went down. I would ask the vet see what he says you should do/change if anything.

Horse - Joint Health Formula for Horses - Springtime, Inc.

Equine MSM Supplement - Nutrition for connective tissue and joint support - Canadapets

To much Protein, alfalfa hay, has she always been on it? Could the alfalfa hay you just purchased be higher in protein then what she was use too?
Is stalled to much where she was use to
getting out, not now, Being worked more then she was?
Has it rained and been muddy?

To much Protein, alfalfa hay, has she always been on it?

Yep, always been.

Could the alfalfa hay you just purchased be higher in protein then what she was use too?

Doesn't look to me like it is...

Is stalled to much where she was use to
getting out, not now, Being worked more then she was?

Nope, same scenario - I haven't started working 'em yet, so they go out every day.

Has it rained and been muddy?

It's rained, but not been muddy.

That's why I was asking Kidd about that mud. I need some of that danged mud! HA! No, I'm going to get the vet to come out this next week and pull some blood, see what's up with that. It's not the corn oil, which I didn't think it was. She's not stiff or sore acting, she's just poofed up. Kid did this once before, and the vet (different vet) made me up some kind of concoction and one yeyaw of that, and that was it. I need to get him to make some more of that up for me...

Hey! I feed MSM... get yourself some 'Joint Combo' pellets, they helped Phenom's stocking up... that's the only product with MSM, Chondroitin and Gucosamine

PS: MSM is a natural anti-inflamatory agent

Thank you..... MSM is a great product. Do know how a halter fitter can live without it I have used it for 10 years and all my horses get it. I buy by the 20lb bucket from Valley Vet.. Pure Yucca is another great product. I have used it 6 years. It is a natural anti inflamitory and relieves pain. I also use the Max Flex Glucosomine Max relief pellets for my stallion and older mare..

Then again it could be the alfalfa.. Depending on when it was cut and baled could be an inbalance of calcium and protien. You can feed her Ostoe Form to balance that or high fat rice bran. Sounds like she needs something to get the stiffness out in those back legs.. Likey a joint suppliment of some sort would help her.

PS, I get MSN and MSM mixed up all the time.....

I've got some stuff that the horse chiropractor mixed up for me, that he always puts on the horses after he gets through working on 'em, I know it has DMSO in it, and after that, I have no clue. I'm going to try that tomorrow and see if that helps. If this doesn't work, I'll try something else. I have to get alfalfa anyway tomorrow, so maybe that'll change things up.

And nope, I've never had any of mine ever stock up, except Kid on that one leg once, but never since then.

This has been the absolute already funkiest danged year!

Couple of other good products I use are Ice Tight (mud ) and EPF5. The EPF5 is a cooling agent and you can rub it on and wrap it. Works great for any kind of imflamation that does not have open skin on it. I have used the Ice Tight more for Tendons...

Not sure you can get the EPF5 anymore. I heard they were going to stop making it. I bought a BUNCH of it.. If you want to try it I can send you one.. Really does work GREAT

I had a filly once who was having terrible trouble with her legs growing. I sprayed Beagle Oil on her legs every day and that brought her around. She didn't even start barking

If you want something to put on before you put on the mud...
Last year we started using Super Green...it is GREAT...it will NOT burn one and it feels really good on your skin...
If you want to mix up your own instead of buying the brand it is pretty much Absorbine, Vinegar, rubbing alcohol and somethin else, I'll look at the bottle.

I really like it...but that is just me Its also pretty cheap!

Lots of great suggestions here. I'm going to try that stuff I have today, if it's not down by in the morning, I'll start getting aggressive. Her stall, because we'd had Cool and the baby in it before, is actaully two pens, sorta. One's a stall, but is open on one end that goes out to another pen that's actually bigger than her stall.

Since I'll be picking up some more alfalfa today, maybe we'll see a change in that, too... Whatever it is, since I'm not accustomed to dealing with this mess, I've got to figure out exactly what it is, cut it out, change or whatever, and make danged sure that I'm prepared when we show.

Heck, even with the long haul home from getting her up in Illinois, she didn't stock up... just funky! Looks like I'll have a labor intensive/persnickety filly, hummmmm.....if she keeps this up and she might hit the broodmare band sooner than she wants... uh-huh, yep! (not meaning breeding her, but going outside totally)

Let us know what works.

Update. Well, I've just been so busy starting breeding season and my work, that I didn't get to put anything on Jazz's back legs. I had already cut the oil out... unfortunately, no other alfalfa to be found except the same place I'd gotten it before, but guess what....

She's not stocked up anymore. The only thing that has changed is not giving her the corn oil. And heck, we're only talking like a cup a day. Weird, just really werid!

Never had corn oil do that to a horse.

My barrel mare will stock up on all four legs if I leave her in her
stall to long. The vet said it was nothing to worry about so long as :

A: She's not limping or stiff AND

B: The swelling is minimal and goes down when excercised.

He said they have little pumps in their ankles and when they don't move
a lot, like when they are kept in a stall they can stock up.