HOME ANIMAL NUTRITION HUMAN NUTRITION DEALER LOCATOR MORE COMPLETE ANIMAL FEEDS FOR LIVESTOCK AND PETS. Frequently Asked Questions Q. Is the feeding rate for Total Equine® 4 lb. /day or per feeding? A: Per day. Q. How do I transition my horse to Total Equine®? A: Do not feed any grain for 24 hours (hay or grass only) and begin feeding Total Equine® at the level needed. If they do not take to it immediately, put several kibbles in the side of their mouth. Total Equine® will start dissolving in the saliva and become sweet tasting to the horse. Q. What is the NSC level of Total Equine®? A: 27%. 25% for Essentials and 16% for our LNSC formula. Q. Is Total Equine® recommended for a horse that has foundered? A: Absolutely. Total Equine® is designed to help eliminate the digestive problems that lead to Colic and foundering. Q. Can Total Equine® be fed with alfalfa? A: We strongly recommend high quality alfalfa as a first choice to feed with all our products if possible. Q. Do I need to feed alfalfa with Total Equine®? A: No. If alfalfa is not affordable in your area, feed the highest quality grass hay available. Q. Can I feed Total Equine® only once/day? A: Yes. Up to the recommended amount. Q. Can I feed Total Feeds™ products wet? A: Yes, it can be fed as a moist or nearly gruel and they will eat it very well. Q. How much hay do I need to feed with Total Equine®? A: Free choice. Horses generally reduce their hay intake by 20-30% when eating Total Equine®. Their weight generally remains stable while their total fat decreases and lean muscle increases. Q. Do I need to feed minerals with Total Feeds™ products? A: No. Total Feeds™ products are a complete supplement to hay and grass and no additional supplements are necessary. Q. Can I feed a joint supplement with Total Equine®? A: Yes, if only joint healing compounds are fed and not a complete nutrient supplement. Q. Is a joint supplement necessary when feeding Total Equine®? A: Most of the time it is not necessary. Q. Is Total Equine® a pellet or a sweet feed? A: No. Total Equine® is a 100% extruded feed made without molasses or other sugars. Q. Should I offer free-choice salt when feeding Total Equine®? A: Always. Q. Why are Total Feeds™ products in a 40 lb. bag? A: Due to the nature of the volume of the extruded feed. A 50 lb. bag was too large to efficiently pallet and ship. Total Feeds™ products are 50-100% more digestible than other feeds which means your horse digests much more of the feed you paid for. Q. Do I need to worm my horses when feeding Total Equine®? A: Always do a fecal count before worming and make the decision on that basis. Many customers do not worm since starting Total Equine® and their horses are doing well. Q. Is Total Equine® safe for a horse with ulcers? A: Total Equine® is very positive for horses with ulcers as it contains no raw starch. Many horses with ulcers have become free of ulcers once on Total Equine®. Q. Is Total Equine® safe for a horse that has coliced? A: Yes. In fact, we highly recommend it to help a horse recover from Colic. Q. Will Total Equine® make my horse “hot”? A: No. The unique compounds in Total Equine® make horses calm and much easier to work with. Q. What will Total Equine® do for a horse with thin hoof walls? A: The hoof walls can double its natural growth speed. It generally thickens and softens the hoof making it more resilient to splitting and better able to hold a nail. Q. What is the calorie content of Total Equine®? A: It is calculated at 1,350 calories/lb. Q. Why can I feed less Total Equine® than other feeds recommend? A: Your horse will absorb 90-95% of the nutrients in Total Equine®. A traditional pelleted horse feed is much less digestible requiring more feed to have the same effect. Q. Can Total Equine® and other Total Feeds™ be fed with top dress products? A: Yes, but since Total Feeds™ products are a complete supplement, it may be wasting your money. Q. How much hay do I feed with Total Equine®? A: Free-choice. Let the horse tell you how much it needs. They will not develop a large hay gut as they limit themselves to only what they need. Q. Is the protein too much for a horse? A: No. The protein – carbohydrate balance in Total Equine® is designed to make your horse healthy, lean, and muscular. The only time a low protein diet is recommended is when fat gain is desired – as with feeder cattle. Or when a horse has an untreated kidney disorder that makes protein metabolism difficult. Q. What is the shelf-life? A: Typically, up to one year in dry storage. Q. Can I feed Total Equine® to other animals? A: Yes, except for any animal in the sheep or Camelid families due to the high copper level. We have designed a formula specifically for sheep and Camillids called Total Lamb™. Due to the feedback of our customers other animals eating Total Equine®, we also have feed designed for goats, bulls, and deer. We are currently working on more in the lab. Q. Do you have other “Total” products for other animals? A: Yes. We now have Total Bull™ Total Goat ®, Total Lamb™ and Total Deer™. Q. Do you have this formula in a protein tub form for pasture animals? A: No. But we do have a line of mineral tubs available for field animals. Q. Will Total Equine® cost more to feed than does my current formula? A: No. Try our feed for six weeks and compare the total feed and hay at the beginning to the end. You should find that your horse eats less Total Equine® and hay making your total feed costs per day lower than your current program. Q. Do I need to feed a top dress with Total Equine®? A: No. Total Equine® is a complete nutritional supplement. Q. Can I feed Total Equine® to a gestating mare? A: Yes. In fact, we recommend it. Q. Will a mare milk well on Total Equine®? A: Mares will milk extremely well on Total Equine®. Q. Can Total Equine® be fed to young foals or growing horses? A: Yes. Total Equine® is safe and effective for all stages of a horse’s life. Q. What if my horse has poor teeth? A: You can wet Total Equine® and make it soft enough for any level of tooth deterioration. Q. Will I see a change in the hair coat? A: Generally, yes. Horses on Total Equine® tend to grow darker coats and develop a permanent sheen due to the oil produced at the surface from the increased blood circulation and reduction of acid build up in the body. Q. Is Total Equine® good for a very old or sick horse? A: Yes. We receive many testimonials from customers who have rescued both and completely turned them around. Q. Can I add pelleted supplements to Total Equine®? A: Yes, but there is no need except for medication. Q. Why is my horse losing weight when I started feeding Total Equine and will he gain it back? A: Total Equine® allows the horse’s hind gut to clear itself of excess indigestible fiber. After several weeks the horse will start losing excess fat weight due to increased efficiency in their metabolism. Both processes are natural and make your horse much healthier. Q. Why is the fat so low in Total Equine®? A: Total Equine® is designed to make horses healthy, lean, and muscular. Excess fat and starch in the diet counters this. Q. What does extruded mean and why is that important? A: Extrusion is a process that uses a fine mash and steam to produce a kibble which dissolves easily in the mouth and digestive tract. Our research over the years determined that this makes our feed much more digestible than a pellet which is processed under extreme pressure. It would be similar to comparing eating a raw carrot to eating baby food. Q. Why is Total Equine® a locked formula? A: Horses like a consistent flavor and texture and it insures the nutrient density and combination remain constant. Q. Is Total Equine® balanced for both alfalfa and grass hay and how is that possible? A: Alfalfas and grasses can vary widely in quality. The level of available proteins and digestible starches change depending on the climate and the days of growth at harvest. These factors were considered with the formulation of Total Equine®. Total Equine® is not intended to replace hay, or act as the only source of nutrition, but to supplement a horse’s normal diet to ensure that it is getting all the essential components to maximize its health. Q. How can Total Equine® meet the nutritional needs for all ages and lifestyles of horses? A: While horses vary from breed to breed, their basic nutritional needs are the same internally. There are over 6 billion humans, with an extreme variety of diets and climates, yet we all need the same amino acids, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates to survive. When feeding Total Equine® they derive most of their major nutrients from the forage and Total Equine™ is designed to enhance the efficiency of this process. Q. Why is Total Equine® in a plain white bag? A: The plain white bag is to keep the cost as low as possible to provide the best nutrient package possible at a good price. Q. Can I feed more than 4.0 lb. /day in winter? A: Yes, if excellent quality forage is available. Q. What does Total Equine® do for horses with thyroid problems? A: Thyroid activity will typically increase when feeding Total Equine®. Q. What does Total Equine® do for a horse’s hair coat? A: Total Equine® will improve the hair growth rate and this in turn will improve the shine and, in many cases, darken or enhance the color. Q. What about a horse with EPM? A: Total Equine® strengthens the immune system, which makes it easier for the horse to combat the disease. Q. Is Total Equine® safe for alfalfa sensitive horses? A: Yes. Q. Can Total Equine® be fed to all breeds? A: Yes. It is designed for all horse breeds. Q. How do miniature donkeys do on Total Equine®? A: Wonderful. It will make the hair soft and dark in color. Q. Can Total Equine® be fed to mules? A: Yes. It can be fed at the same recommended levels Q. What is the lysine level in Total Equine®? A: More than adequate. Q. How does Total Equine® compare to senior feeds? A: It is typically far more digestible, allowing the horse to absorb more of the nutrients that you are paying for. Q. How does Total Equine® compare to junior feeds? A: Because of the high digestibility they do very well on lower than customary levels. Q. How does Total Equine® calm a horse? A: By eliminating common digestive problems and increasing healthy circulation. It also contains nutrients required for nerve impulse transmission across nerve synapses. This allows the horse to always react calmly to normal situations. Q. Will a horse overeat and colic or founder on Total Equine® if it is available? A: No. Horses do not colic due to eating Total Equine®. Copyright © 2021 Total Feeds, Inc. - All Rights Reserved. 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