Since my 1.5 year old filly has been diagnosed with very mild physitis, I have been told to change her feed but the vet has come up with yet another diet of this amount of this and this amount of that and so on . .  I don't want to be taking anymore chances with her and have opted to switch to a feed that is already complete with no more of this guessing amounts stuff.  The company I've chosen to go with rec'd one kind then the other guy I talked to rec'd this one.  Since the sales guy was supposed to come WITH the feed and meet my filly and talk about the diet but DIDN'T show up, I am still unsure how much she should get, etc.  I have an email in but am curious what you guys think. 

Should I be feeding this only?  And in what amount?  On top of it, I give Vit C, MSM, Flax Appeal and Antiflam.  She is a Morgan and is 14.2 and, according to the tape, approx 800 lb.  She is NOT fat, quite trim and solid.  She gets free choice grazing and is currently on poorer pasture in an effort to cut her protein.

It doesn't seem like that is meant to be a complete feed.  Are there feeding instructions on the bag?  If you're trying to cut back on her protein, then I would probably look into something that's much higher in fat.  This only contains 1.5% crude fat.  I'm not familiar with physitis though. 

Edited to add:  Researched physitis...I see that it's probably because your baby is growing too fast?  Is she over weight? 

no, she's not overweight.

Hmmm...  I would seek the help of a nutritionist, but that's just me.  I'm sorry I have nothing else to offer.  Good luck with the little girl!

Is this your only feed option?  I have no idea what brands are available in Canada. Can you get Purina?  That is not a proper feed for a growing youngster.  Protein is NOT what causes physitis.  It is caused by an unbalanced diet -- unbalanced in terms of energy versus mineral density mostly.  Denying protein will only stunt her growth.

yes, I can get Purina.  Have to drive farther . . . Master Feeds is in town.

brooksfeeds.com also has a feed called Phase II which they rec for yearlings but they said in her case, she should have the enhancer . . . .

Ok there are no good specs for the Phase II or the master feeds. 

 What have you been feeding her in the past?  

 You want to reduce caloric intake to slow her rate of growth while not reducing the other nutrients which are critical for proper bone development.  You must continue to meet the her requirement for protein, minerals and vitamins. 
One of the ways in which this can be nicely done is by utilizing a protein, vitamin, mineral supplement such as Born to Win by Purina which supplies all of the protein, vitamins, and minerals she needs in her diet in a very concentrated formula and without all that extra calories and energy that she does not need.  Yes it will contain 32% protein and yes everyone freaks over this.  Think of it as orange juice concentrate in a can versus a gallon of ready to drink oranje juice.  They both have the same nutritional benefits but you'd have to drink a lot more of the ready to drink as opposed to drinking the concentrate straight out of the can.  (Ok so that's not a GREAT example but hopefully it will help, lol).

 On the Born to Win for a yearling estimate her weight (http://www.gaitedhorses.net/Articles/horseweight.html) then multiply that by 0.0018 to get the actual amount to feed for her weight.  Say if she's 750lbs that's 1.35lbs per day.  Since she is having a problem with physitis I would add 1/2lb to that for 60 days to get her straightened out.  Measure the circumference her affected joint(s) and do so weekly or bi-weekly to keep track of how she is doing and also make note of any heat or lameness.

My vet told me she was getting too much protein.  he has me taking her practically off her vit/min feed (the Stamina) and giving her only a handful along with plain oats and some oil.  Her joints are not visibly affected.

If she does not have visible changes then how/why did the vet diagnose physitis??

  Some reading if you're interested

http://www.ecmagazine.net/Winter0607/WeanlingYearlingNutrition.htm

 http://www.equisearch.com/horses_care/feeding/feed/youngbones_052406/

http://pub35.bravenet.com/forum/2983398634/show/403885

 http://forums.delphiforums.com/ProgNutrition/start

 Well anyways good luck with her...

where exrays taken? did you have her feet looked at? have you moved your horse out of pastor to a soft footed stall? a poor pastor will only make you horse sick and unbalance her diet even more. she needs to go on a diet also, being small but large boned horse her wieght a year should not be over 700lb. lower her protien but not cut it that will hurt her digestive track. no grain also, that will only make her heavery right now. stick with a good local grass and watch her feet and weight. don't use a foal or yearly blend of feed right now, that are made for growth increase, try a seinor feed. they have lower protien levels and are made to help maintain a horses body not build it up. remember that compys will tell you what you wont to her just to sell you there stuff. preblends are not good for horses with problems. wonts she is balanced again then yes, pre mix feed is ok but rember that all blends are not the same and not all horses work well on them.

She had a full exam, no x-rays.  she spent a day or 2 in her stall (comfort stall system) as she also had her wolf teeth out but, no, she is outdoors 24/7.  Vet did not recommend stalling although I am not positive he is correct . . .  Anyway, I have put her on Patriot by Masterfeeds and tossed the stuff I got from Brooks Feeds due to their conflicting information and seeming inability to get back to me when I call/email.  Patriot is 12 percent protein and meant for an adult horse.  The other choice was Developer but that is 14 percent.  She is now also getting free choice mineral made up by my feedstore.  I've heard differing things about free choice mineral, but she is actually eating the stuff so maybe she really does need it.  Hard to tell how much she is really getting though as she does dump an awful lot on the floor . . . .  She is not eating her food like she used to and I am concerned that perhaps her teeth are bothering her after the little bit of "surgery" she had.  Other than that,  I can't figure her out!  She has done some weird things of late.  My vet is on vacation yet again too!  I want to start her on some probiotics and see if that makes a diff . . . .

I am in the same boat you are in. I have a 16 month old Oldenburg that is also about 700 lbs and 14.2 h with mild Physitis. I have been reading and learning all I can. I called an Equine Nutritionist named Jayne Dewey with Porgressive Nutrition. She has mapped out a personal feeding plan for my horse and has put him on a mineral suppliment called Rejuvenaide. It's about 11 dollars a tube and he's getting one tube a day for  a week. I've also put him on Progressive Nutrition's Pro Advantage Grass Ballancer and Envision for fat and amino acids. He also now has free-choice minerals and a white salt block available. We've been experiencing a terrible drought here so our pasture is worse than poor at this moment.

 My colt is getting better but it's only been 5 days since I started the Rejuvenaide and 3 days on the Progressive feed. I have to travel 2.5 hours to the closest dealer but if this helps him it's well worth it. I did have x-rays done on him and no OCD was found, thank God. But that will always be in the back of my mind.

 At first I limited his pasture to a small yard to keep him rested by I've since opened him up to more room. He still limps a little bit but I have more hope now than I did before I talked to Jayne. She says the problem is often cause by an imbalance of the Calcium and Phosphorus ratio.

I can't believe my Morgan is the same size at the same age as your Oldenburg!  Yikes. 

I am hoping that now that she is on a regular food and not a mix of oats and stamina, that she will do better/be getting the correct balance especially the Ca an Phos.  I caught my mare eating the free choice minerals last night but she only does it because it's hanging there and because she saw the filly in it.  Same as the lead shank chewing/sucking that she has started up nowadays.  Arrgghh!!! 

I haven't seen her limping or holding up her feet since the vet visit, but I don't know if that maybe worries me more than if she was still doing it!  It can't be magically cured so why was she doing it??  Anyways, I'm just crossing my fingers for now!

Don't worry about your girl's size. My colt is off a mare that's only 15.1 and the sire is 16.2. He is the third offspring from this breeding and none of his siblings have gone over 15.3. I'm told he may reach 16h but that's about it.

I emailed his breeder for advice and was told that with the Rejuvenaide it takes her about 3 weeks to see some real improvment. Other places I've read it takes about 2 months. I think we're at the latter stages of this (I hope, anyway) and I'd like to get more x-rays done before he's 20 months just to make sure he's on the right track. I don't want the growth plates to seal until his legs are good and sound with no inflamation.

 Did you use any Bute on your filly?