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Discussion on Sweet Tooth
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New Member:
billo2
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Posted on Monday, May 19, 2008 - 2:24 pm:
Are there tricks to healthy teeth for horses? My 17 year old gelding loves sweets. He’s in good shape … not over weight … he would benefit from increased riding (me too), but he looks great. He gets a couple of carrots daily and a "breakfast bowl" (of sweet feed mixed with his daily supplement and sweetened with a third cup of molasses with a tablespoon of sugar dissolved in it all mixed thoroughly). Also, he gets a slice of watermelon and occasional apples. He grazes on Bermuda and Bahia grasses normally 5 to 8 hours per day. At night he gets about 4 lbs of hay to nibble on thru the night.
I don’t think he’s getting over fed … even his vet says he looks great. But, I worry about his teeth with all the sweet goodies. Is there anything I should be doing to insure his teeth stay healthy? He get’s regular check-ups by the vet, twice a year … and his teeth are always part of the exam. He doesn’t require floating … he seems to keep his teeth in good order, naturally. Thanks.
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Member:
frances
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Posted on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 - 6:45 am:
Hi William,
I'd think that the grazing by day, and the hay consumption by night would remove any sugary residue from his teeth.
Having said that, I'd have thought that he does receive rather a lot of sugar for his overall health - could you not reduce the amount of molasses and cut out the sugar?? Just my humble opinion...
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 - 8:37 am:
I would cut out the extra molasses and sugar also. If the feed to dry to "hold" the supplement you can moisten the feed with water or a touch of vegetable oil.
DrO
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New Member:
billo2
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Posted on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 - 9:10 am:
Thank you, LL and Dr. O. He’s gonna be disappointed. He loves his breakfast bowl sooooo much! :-( I’ll reduce the molasses/sugar gradually over a week or so ‘til we get it out. Anybody need molasses? I’ve got tons of it. ha ha ha
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Member:
hpyhaulr
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Posted on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 - 10:14 am:
Well William,
Welcome Aboard!
Surplus molasses????
Sounds like you just put yourself in charge of making buckets of homemade baked beans for our HA week at Holly's in Wellington,Kansas for Denny's Clinic in June! (could't resist the shameless plug) 
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Member:
zarr
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Posted on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 - 6:23 pm:
William, if all is good why rock the boat? At 17 he sounds great. Perhaps keep his breakfast bowl but w/o sugar! Molasses would stll be there but not the extra sugar maybe he would not notice  Cindy
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New Member:
billo2
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Posted on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 - 7:03 pm:
Thank you, Cindy. Thank you for your understanding of the heartache associated with denying "my guy" even the most meager crumb of any treat he enjoys. They give us so much and they ask so little in return ... it's hard to have to say, "No" to them. But, while my initial inquiry was about potential harm to his teeth, I have to agree ... he's, no doubt, getting too much sugar ... especially now, with the Spring grass. So, I'm going to gradually swap out his sweet-feed for something called "Safe Choice" phase out the refined sugar altogether and reduce the molasses, carrots and watermelon by at least half. He IS in great shape ... I just gotta keep him that way. I want to be riding him 15 years from now or even longer and playing with him outside in the pasture for even more years than that. Thank you for understanding.
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Member:
shirl
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Posted on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 - 7:26 pm:
William, from my own sad experience with a horse I lost due to Metabolic SynDrOme and Cushings, my present horse gets Lakin Light Pellets as a treat and rarely gets any carrots, apples, etc., etc. You might try him on these as my horse is nuts about them. Some people give celery, lettuce, sugar free peppermints. It's painful to disappoint them, but more painful to see them suffer from the results of too much sugar. Just my opinion. Good luck.
Shirley
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Member:
paul303
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Posted on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 - 11:01 pm:
A good idea is to consider what these animals were designed to eat in the wild. It sustained them and served them well throughout history. If their diet in the wild did not serve them well, they would not have survived extinction.
There really are lots of "treats" that can be offered that are nutritious and low in sugar. Take a close look in your local feed store.
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