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Supplementing Calcium

3K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  gottatrot 
#1 ·
I want to share a tip in case anyone is trying to supplement calcium to their horses.

It can be easy for many people who need to add calcium because they can feed some alfalfa or alfalfa pellets. However, some people have horses with alfalfa allergies, or as in my case a picky horse that won't eat alfalfa.

We have our hay analyzed and all my feed is entered into the Feed XL program which analyzes the vitamins and minerals. An issue I have with my mare (as also can be a problem with racehorses) is that I feed her a large quantity of oats which are high in phosphorus. This is because she has difficulty keeping weight on and won't eat large amounts of hay, and also has boycotted many other feeds including rice bran, beet pulp, wet oils, and more than several brands of high quality complete feed. She continues to love oats.

As many know, it's important to keep the calcium and phosphorus ratio in balance, so some horses must have calcium added to their diet.

Some people feed Dicalcium Phosphate which is somewhat poorly absorbed by horses but also has the texture of fine gravel, does not mix well with feed, and neither of my horses would eat it. Others feed Tums, which I've only found in either berry or peppermint flavor, and my horse won't eat either.

On Amazon several months ago I discovered powdered Calcium Carbonate (same as Tums) is sold in bulk very cheaply. It can be bought food grade, and is a fine powder that is completely tasteless. You can mix it with grain as a powder or paste, or make it into a paste and give it by syringe. 1 Tbsp of Calcium Carbonate is about 12 Grams which is equivalent to 12 high dose Tums. I bought 10 lbs for about $12 online with free shipping. Should last many months since I feed 1 Tbsp a day (my mare needs about 12 grams/day to balance her phosphorus).

Again, I'm sure this is an uncommon problem but I wanted to share for those who have issues getting calcium into their horses. A bonus is you can take a small dose of the powder yourself instead of taking an antacid, and apparently some people use it to make homemade toothpaste.
 
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#3 ·
^Limestone flour/dolomite are also generally reasonably high in magnesium, and it's vital to keep Ca/Mg well balanced also. Especially for horses on high starch rations, such as cereal grains, they're likely to need extra Mg supped even if no extra Ca. BTW, Mg levels aren't really considered in FeedXL.
 
#4 ·
BTW, Mg levels aren't really considered in FeedXL.
Apparently powdered calcium carbonate/limestone flour are the same thing. Depending on the processing, the levels can be higher or lower. For example, the limestone flour mentioned by Jaydee is something like 30% calcium carbonate and the kind I'm buying is 97%. So you'd have to feed larger quantities of the lower percentage kind to get enough calcium.
The calcium carbonate I'm feeding does not have appreciable magnesium.

It's possible I'm using a different version of Feed XL? Mine does factor in magnesium. It is the "pro" version. Magnesium is difficult to overdose (due to many sources having excess excreted through urine or stool), can have positive digestive effects and is important along with Vitamin E, Selenium, Calcium for muscle and nerve function. So I do feed a large dose of magnesium to be on the safe side, since my mare is a higher than average sweat producer also.
 
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