# What would yo do if your horse ate alot of raw sugarbeet?



## niagaraduval (28 August 2008)

I am confused.

I read on the thread by Pelly that she put a hose down her horses throat because it are a tub of raw sugarbeet. Someone said that it was to make it swell up very quickly. Sugarbeet should be soaked for more than 12 hours!?
What would you have done if this was your horse?
It would never happen to my horse, as he isn't fed sugarbeet, but if this did happend what would be the right thing to do? I thought the vet would have to be called out to empty the horses stomach.
What's the right thing to do in a situation like this? 

Thankyou. I'm just confused.


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## vieshot (28 August 2008)

called a vet


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## burtie (28 August 2008)

Call the vet immediately.


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## Donkeymad (28 August 2008)

Call a vet immediately


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## niagaraduval (28 August 2008)

That's what I would have done.

So was the hose the worst thing to do?


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## ladyt25 (28 August 2008)

Umm, our old horse once broke into the feed room many years ago and ate a LOAD of dried sugar beet - think it was shredded beet not cubes. He must have had about half a sack! He was absolutely fine to be honest (think he had a iron stomach)

He also once ate a fair bit of dried cement (another tack room break in by him!), this didn't cause him any trouble either. He lived to the ripe old age of 36! Personally I would just keep my eye on the horse, don't panic uduly. you know your own horse and you will know whether he/she is not 'right'. By all means ring the vet, ask their advice. A healthy horse's gut can cope with a lot more than we give them credit for I think.

My old pony once pulled off and swallowed a large toggle button from my jacket when I was a kid. I thought he'd die and was v upset but he didn't. I never saw it again though!


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## skewbaldpony (28 August 2008)

Veteroinary emergency.
And yes it probably was.
When I'd called the vet, I'd shoot the idiot who'd left the sugar beet nuts accessible. Even if it was me.


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## Ravenwood (28 August 2008)

You would think the shock of having a hose pipe shoved down the horses throat would kill it anyway if not drown it  
	
	
		
		
	


	





I can't possibly imagine that this is good advice in that scenario - I would definitely ring the vet.


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## rss07 (28 August 2008)

Pelly feeds sugar beet?






 *runs and hides, sniggering*


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## skewbaldpony (28 August 2008)

[ QUOTE ]
You would think the shock of having a hose pipe shoved down the horses throat would kill it anyway if not drown it  
	
	
		
		
	


	





I can't possibly imagine that this is good advice in that scenario - I would definitely ring the vet. 

[/ QUOTE ]

I can't imagine it actually happened either, but if it did, it was really stupid.


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## Honeypots (28 August 2008)

My understanding, from reading on this forum in the past, is that alot of other countries feed sugar beet dry without problems..
Afterall..horses chew their food not swallow it whole. I would imagine its only a major problem if its been bolted..just like ordinary nuts.

I've always soaked mine tho..


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## LauraBR (28 August 2008)

[ QUOTE ]
Pelly feeds sugar beet?






 *runs and hides, sniggering* 

[/ QUOTE ]

Why is that funny, have I missed something?  
	
	
		
		
	


	





I'd call the vet.


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## Horseyscot (28 August 2008)

After reading some recent posts by 'pelly' and also threads shes posted on other sites re how she likes winding us up here on hho i think she may be at it again with this comment.....


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## rss07 (28 August 2008)

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/sh...ID=#Post3458707

...and yes, I would definitely call the vet too, sorry to detract from the main issue.


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## Horseyscot (28 August 2008)

lzt, pelly posted this last night, I never even joined in, but as you can see it got quite a response............
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/3455696/page/0/fpart/1/vc/1


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## niagaraduval (28 August 2008)

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Pelly feeds sugar beet?






 *runs and hides, sniggering* 

[/ QUOTE ]

Why is that funny, have I missed something?  
	
	
		
		
	


	





I'd call the vet. 

[/ QUOTE ]

Nothing's funny Don't worry about it.


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## Scribbles (28 August 2008)

I said it about the swelling - I meant the water would make the sugar beet swell inside the horse's gullet and stomach, which would be very very dangerous, and probably kill it, and she was lucky she didn't lose her horse.

Shoving a hosepipe inside your horse is a daft idea whatever, let alone doing it with sugar beet.


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## Donkeymad (28 August 2008)

[ QUOTE ]
Umm, our old horse once broke into the feed room many years ago and ate a LOAD of dried sugar beet - think it was shredded beet not cubes. 


[/ QUOTE ]

I _think_ (but am not sure) that shreds are less dangerous than nuts in this respect.


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## skewbaldpony (28 August 2008)

You can get some, which my husband uses for dairy goats, which only need ten mins soaking, so I am assuming are not so dense and therefore dangerous.
Sheep eat sugar beet nuts as they are.
My sister's labrador ate some, and it killed him, despite prompt veterinary attention.
Not worth the risk imho, I'd always get the vet.


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## mintaka04 (28 August 2008)

I think Pelly is at the wind up again.
Either that or she is a total moron.


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## Rags01 (28 August 2008)

I remember Limerick University conducting trials regarding feeding dry sugar beet to horses at a stables near me.  I never got the details but it did seem that horses coped extremely well not colicking etc???


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## jewel (28 August 2008)

call the vet and shot pelly moron


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## Ziggy_ (28 August 2008)

A horse at my old yard did this once - she smashed her door right off its hinges, opened the barn door, opened the feed bin and ate about 3 sacks of barley and at least one sack of sugar beet (she was a big horse if anyone's wondering!). Amazingly, she was fine. Had the vet check her as a precaution as she was a bit colicky in the morning, but by midday she was fine.

So I'd call the vet but not panic too much.


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## Moggy in Manolos (28 August 2008)

i would call the vet right away


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## CracklinRosie (28 August 2008)

You do realise that there is a difference between RAW sugarbeet and unsoaked sugarbeet!!!!!

Unsoaked SB is a processed food stuuf produced for the equine market.

Raw SB is a root vegetable........http://uk.encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861784497/sugar_beet.html

We fed our horses RAW sugarbeet in turkey if we could get it and they loved it! (Without water)


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## skewbaldpony (28 August 2008)

[ QUOTE ]
You do realise that there is a difference between RAW sugarbeet and unsoaked sugarbeet!!!!!

Unsoaked SB is a processed food stuuf produced for the equine market.

Raw SB is a root vegetable........http://uk.encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861784497/sugar_beet.html

We fed our horses RAW sugarbeet in turkey if we could get it and they loved it! (Without water) 

[/ QUOTE ]

yes thank you, I do. Being in farming it would be hard not to understand this, given that I am also not a total moron.
What gives  you the impression that I was too stupid to understand the distinction?

The sugar beet which my husband uses for the goats is of the processed variety, but only needs brief soaking as opposed to the long soaking of the standard variety.

When I need your help, or that of an internet encyclopaedia  to identify common british crops, I'll shout.


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## hellybelly6 (28 August 2008)

When mucking out my horse, I have come across a pelted plastic bin bag.  The colour caught my eye and I had to investigate it.

Also he has eaten an empty packet of crisps (Quavers) which must have blown into his field, also found on his droppings.

He broke out one night and ate all the feeds of the other horses, about 15 and all the haynets and still demaned his own breakfast the following morning!

Thank goodness he has guts made of cast iron!

In the event of ingestion of unsoaked SB, I would call the vet and cross my fingers.


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## YorksG (28 August 2008)

When we kept our horses at liverly one of the other liveries bought her feed made up by a local feed merchant. She discovered that they had used unsoaked sugar beet nuts in the feed. Her mare was ok and had been fed about half a bag full before they realised the problem. So I think I would just keep a close eye on the situation. I would not 'push a hose' down the horses throat and seriously doubt that anyone else would either.


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## CracklinRosie (28 August 2008)

Actually Skewbald I wasn't offering you any advice I was refering to the main topic of conversation and highlighting the error in that headline.

It just so happened that in between reading the last post of yours and typing in what I wanted to type that it looked as if I was answering you.

There's no need to be so bloody rude either. Not everyone has your encyclopedic knowledge.


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## amandaco2 (28 August 2008)

take all food and water off them and call aa vet for advice and watch them like a hawk for laminitis and keep them off grazing.
i would not be too worried if they were the shreds that can be soaked in but if they had eaten half a sack of the pellets i would be abit concerned.
i wouldnt put a hose down their throat though.


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## skewbaldpony (28 August 2008)

then its a misunderstanding and I apologise for my abrasive answer.
It is worth trying (I sometimes fail) to remember to type QR for quick reply when something may look directed at someone, which isn't.


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## SecretSquirrell379 (28 August 2008)

I'm wondering how someone could shove a hosepipe down a horses throat....mine would go crazy and stick her head so far up in the air you would not stand a chance......and i'll call my vet, immediatley


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## Tia (28 August 2008)

I'd keep an eye on the horse to make sure he didn't choke.  I would keep checking on the horse over the next few hours to make sure he wasn't colicky.  The only real threat from sugar beet is the risk of choke and possibly, but rarely, colic.

Sugar beet is fed dry over here, although I don't tend to use it therefore none of my horses would get into any.

If the horse choked then I would massage the oesophagus until the blockage cleared.  If the horse colicked then I would check all vitals and call vet.


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## Booboos (28 August 2008)

I once had a vet arrive three hours late for a routine vaccination as the entire practice was trying to deal with three ponies that had emptied the feed bins. The sugar beet was the main concern and all of them had serious colic, so I would call the vet asap.


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## CracklinRosie (28 August 2008)

Apology accepted.

I did think it was worth highlighting there was a difference as I don't think many people are aware of that.

If I need any though I now know who to ask!!!!!!


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## JM07 (28 August 2008)

i'd administer liquid parrafin.....which i keep on the yard....and tube for the "regurge" to come back through..

then call the vet only if no improvement after a few hours..


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## skewbaldpony (28 August 2008)

which is ok if you know what you're doing (which you do) and I think I would have done something similar when stud grooming on a farm in the middle of nowheresville twenty five years ago.
But most people better call the vet! 
The whole hosepipe thing is just a horror story. Thankfully, I don't think it's a true one!


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## kirstyhen (28 August 2008)

Most horse feeds in Britain have a small amount of unsoaked sugar beet in them, it is also thought that sugar beet will not swell in the horses' stomach, as the horses' stomach is acid not water!
Whether it does or not, I don't think sticking a hose down your horse's throat is advisable in any situation, something about leading horses to water etc etc!


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## dozzie (29 August 2008)

Thanks for that. I wasnt aware. I have only come across dried sugar beet.


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## Hedgewitch13 (29 August 2008)

Nice one  
	
	
		
		
	


	





Pelly has freely admitted on another board that she comes on here to wind us up so I would just totally ignore the silly, little girl. I guess she doesn't have a life and has to use us for her entertainment (then runs back to the other board to tell them what she has done on here). Sigh..... Lets hope she never really needs some help although I suspect her horse already does


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## hussar (29 August 2008)

Apologies if this has already been mentioned but one danger of feeding unsoaked sugarbeet, apart from swelling in the stomach which I agree is arguable, is that as the beet passes through the digestive system, it draws fluid from the intestines and there is a risk of dehydration.

But I think Pelly is a wind-up merchant - the hose story is too unbelievable.


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## ischa (29 August 2008)

call vet if it was mine  but i have known a woman whos horse ete alittle but her vet said because he ete only a small amount that it would not cause harm but i still wouldnt trust it


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