Busselton Stockfeeds and Pet Supplies

11/10/2024

$15 on short-dated Repel-X. Limited stock, only what’s marked 🌼

05/09/2024

28/08/2024

𝗦𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 - it's only days away! Spring grasses are risky for horses and ponies that are prone to laminitis and metabolic conditions. It is recommended that they are managed with a diet that is low in sugar and starch (or Non-Structural Carbohydrates - NSCs). But why?

❓ Starches, sugars and fructans occur naturally in grasses and plants, created through photosynthesis and used by the plant as fuel for growth. Spring is an active growth period for most grasses which means they need more fuel and consequently the NSC levels in the leaf can get dangerously high. When we've had a good wet winter, these growth rates and NSC levels will likely be even higher! The NSC levels are generally lower in summer and winter when the grass growth slows down.

This is why grazing management and restriction in spring is so important for horses and ponies who are prone to laminitis and metabolic conditions! When you restrict grazing, you need to ensure that they still get enough low sugar and starch fibre and forage from other sources. Our Lupin Fibre Cubes are a great low NSC fibre supplement.

⏲ TIMED GRAZING - The safest time for grazing is usually in the morning. Why? Grasses accumulate sugar through photosynthesis during the day, then use it overnight for growth, meaning the NSC levels are usually lowest first thing in the morning. BUT if the nights are still cold or there are frosts the plant won’t use the sugars to grow so NSC levels will still be too high in the morning for safe grazing.

❗SPRING GRAZING MYTH: Short pastures are safer than taller pastures – MYTH!
Short pastures can be more dangerous than tall pastures because when they are grazed down, they become ‘stressed’ and need to work overtime to grow and repair themselves, meaning the NSC levels are often higher. This doesn't mean that knee high waving grass is safe, but we can't assume that just because the pasture is shorter that it's safer for at risk horses and ponies to graze.

❓Need a laminitis safe complete feed? Lupin Fibre Boost is our new low NSC complete feed, available now at your local WA Stockist.

20/08/2024

- Feeding Rates - is your horse's diet meeting their daily nutrient requirements? Here are a few important things to understand about nutrient requirements, and checks you can do...

➡️The 'Nutrient Requirements of Horses' is a formula and standard developed by the NRC that outlines the minimum amounts of each nutrient required by a horse to sustain health, production and performance. It takes into account things like age, breed, weight, workload and more.

➡️ When a complete feed is formulated, our nutrition team use the NRC 'Nutrient Requirements of Horses' to ensure we include the right levels of nutrients like energy, protein, vitamins and minerals to meet the needs of the horses or ponies we've designed it for.

⚠️A complete feed becomes complete when it is fed at the recommended rate.

➡️ The recommended feeding rate is developed by taking the nutrient levels of the feed and working out how much your horse or pony would need to eat to meet their daily requirements depending on the weight, age, workload and breeding status

➡ If you aren't feeding at the recommended rate, your horse or pony may not be getting all of nutrients, especially vitamins and minerals, that they need. Even good doers need protein, vitamins and minerals to stay healthy!

So, what can you do?
✅ Weigh your horse (or estimate their weight)

✅ Workout their workload (or check their health/breeding status)

✅ Check weight and workload against the recommended rate of your feed! You can find it on the back of a bag or on our website.

✅ If you're not feeding the full recommended rate, ask yourself why, and what else is in their diet that is making up for that i.e. pasture, hay, other feeds or supplements.

✅ If you're not feeding at the full rate for a reason (like weight or energy control), you could add some Lupin Fibre Boost to meet their requirements.

✅ If you're not sure or need help, you can reach out to us about balancing diets.

Remember, if you are not offering enough of the right feed to meet the daily requirements of your horse or pony, you might not be feeding in a cost-effective way or getting the results you are hoping for!

18/08/2024

Foaling season is well under way. 🐴

T&R Horse Grower Weaner Pellets New & Improved Formula! Now with added pre & probiotics with higher levels of lysine, vitamins & minerals.

09/08/2024

💥 Super Specials! 💥
* PONY size polar fleece neck rugs was $45 now $25
* Polar Fleece rugs were $75 now 1/2 price just $37.50
Only while stock last!

09/08/2024

💥 Super Specials!! 💥
* Kozy 600D RUG size 6ft6 only, was $155 now $120!
* Kozy 1200D COMBO size 6ft6 only, was $195 now $140!
6ft6 sizes only, get in quick, only while stocks last

07/08/2024

🥳 Coolstance Copra back in stock 🥳

07/08/2024

🌟 For the month of August get $2 off per bag of Pryde’s Biomare 🌟

11/07/2024

Looking for hardworking rations to fuel your dogs’ gruelling workload? Look no further 💪

Here’s why CopRice Working Dog keeps your best mates working at their peak for longer:

🐾 Meat No.1 Ingredient
🐾 Nutritionally Balance & Complete
🐾 Protein & Fat for Stamina Energy
🐾 Antioxidants for health and wellbeing
🐾 Omega 3, 6 & 9 for joint, skin and coat health
🐾 Made with 100% Australian Brown Rice.

09/07/2024

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02/07/2024

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- For a balanced, healthy diet we recommend feeding your birds using the 90/10 rule - 90% complete feed, 10% treats and scraps. Why?

Treats and scraps, while delicious, can have low nutritional value and fill your birds up without providing them with the nutrients they need. Our birds are very good at self-regulating, so if they fill up on scraps or treats first, they may not eat as much of their complete feed as they should.

When they're not getting enough protein, vitamins and minerals, your flock's egg laying and overall health can decrease.

29/06/2024

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🐾 Reward years of high performance, hard work and unconditional friendship with superior quality nutririon. CopRice Working Dog Senior delivers specially developed nourishment designed to maintain an active lifestyle, support coat shine and maintain bones, cartilage and joints.

28/06/2024

A balanced diet means a healthy belly! 🌿🐾 At Cherish Pet Food, we've perfected the blend of soluble and insoluble fibre to ensure your pets' digestive health is always in top form. Science shows that the right fibre balance boosts digestion, nutrient absorption, and stool quality—minimising gastrointestinal upset. Trust in high-quality, science-backed ingredients to support your pets' total wellbeing. 🌟 To learn more follow the link below!

https://cherishpetfood.com.au/fibre-finding-the-balance/

15/06/2024

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Not really!🐱 Here is our Playtime Tip! 🐱
When using laser pointers or chasing toys, let your cat catch them occasionally. It’s one of quick ways to improve their mental health.🏆 No one likes a game they can never win, and your cat is no different.
Learn more about how to keep your cats happy: https://eacanimalcare.com

14/06/2024

In stock now 💪

Fantastic Customer Feedback 🤩 🤩

“I just want to thank you for your fantastic products that I have used religiously for the past couple of years since buying my horse S.L.M Signature.

Benny came to me with some stress issues including stomach ulcers so he refused to eat.
I experimented with a few products experimented with a few products before taking on advice from my coach, Susan Elekessey to try Mag-E, Gastro-Coat and Muscle XL.
The ulcers cleared up quickly with Gastro-Coat. I manage his stress with Mag-E, he is much more relaxed at events and at home now making him so much more reliable and safer to handle.

Muscle XL has helped Benny build up his top-line and maintain a good shape for the show ring. He is winning and shining in the Hack ring to Royal Show level and making all my dreams come true.”
Angela M, ACT

11/06/2024

Some very interesting information to read about given the hay shortage WA is experiencing at the moment 🌾

- have you switched to a new hay recently? Here is some information about hay types, and some important things to be aware of with each ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Teff Hay
➡️Teff is a warm season grass species that can be fed as hay for horses.
⚠️The starch and sugar analysis of Teff can vary, so while it can be considered low in sugar and starch, it isn't always below a safe level for laminitis/metabolic condition prone horses and ponies.
⚠️Teff (being a C4 species) does contain moderate to high levels of oxalates, so you will need to supplement to reduce the risk of bighead disease.
⚠️ Teff has caused some behavioural changes in horses, linked to alkalosis (showing a high pH result in manure).

Barley Hay
Barley hay or straw can be fed to horses but should be an awn-less variety. The 'awns' are the stiff bristles that can grow on the barley head. It does have a similar nutrient profile to Oaten Hay, with NSC often over 16%.
⚠️Both the hay and straw are not suitable for horses prone to laminitis or metabolic conditions.
⚠️Being a cereal it can provide more energy, so be aware of re-balancing energy levels if you notice behavioural changes in your horse or pony.
⚠️ Watch out for hay that has seed heads that still contain the grain.

Oaten or Wheaten Hay
Oaten and wheaten hay are cereal hays, and a good source of fibre but both the hay and straws are quite high in NSC.
⚠️ WA's Oaten hay consistently tests between 30-38% but has been recorded as high as 42.63% in Southwest WA.
⚠️ Wheaten has an NSC of around 28.8%
⚠️ They are not suitable for horses prone to laminitis or metabolic conditions
⚠️ If feeding Oaten, make sure you balance your horse's concentrates, so they are not getting too much energy

Rhodes Grass
Rhodes grass is a good quality, low sugar and starch hay, that is low enough in oxalates not to pose a bighead risk. It is more consistent and reliable than teff when it comes to the sugar and starch levels.
⚠️ Rhodes can be high in calcium, iron and potassium, but low in phosphorus and magnesium, so make sure you re-balance your horse's diet in case they need supplementation.
⚠️ If some horses and ponies don't like eating the Rhodes hay, you can spray it with a stevia solution to it to make it more palatable.

Straw
Straw can be used to replace a portion of the hay in your horse’s diet to help extend hay supply. You can use straw for up to 20% of their daily fibre/forage intake.
⚠️Straw is not laminitis friendly. The average straw NSC is over 17%, as most straws come from cereal crops.
⚠️Make sure straw has been ARGT tested.
⚠️Straw must not be fed to foals, weanlings or yearlings as their digestive system is not mature enough to digest it properly.
⚠️If you need to feed higher than 20% straw, consult with your vet first to make sure that your horse is a candidate for this level of straw.

If you are unsure about changing hays and what your horse needs, feel free to reach out to our nutrition team or contact an equine nutritionist to rebalance your horse's diet.

Thanks to your steed equine nutrition for providing this great information.

08/06/2024

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We stock Cherish for cats and dogs 🐱 🐶

07/06/2024

Help Your Horse Build Muscle Tone 💪

Properly developed muscle tone and topline is essential to support all working horses, especially those training and competing regularly. Well-conditioned muscles and a toned topline can also help to support soundness and athletic performance as well as assist recovery from work and competition. The development of muscles and topline is influenced by an individual horses build and conformation as well as age and even breed.

Exercise and diet are important when trying to develop or improve a horse’s muscle tone or topline. For young horses or those coming back into work after a break, an exercise program with a stepwise increase in intensity will help to develop muscle strength without overloading muscles or causing soundness issues.
Working on an appropriate surface, coupled with hill work and Dr. John Kohnke’s sacroiliac pole exercises can help to support muscle and topline building. A regular work schedule will help a horse to maintain muscle tone and topline. Try to avoid a sudden increase to intense work before a competition followed by long periods of rest, this will not support proper muscle development.

Muscle and topline building requires good nutrition. A well balanced diet, in combination with a good quality muscle building supplement such as Kohnke’s Own Muscle XL, will help to boost muscle and topline development. Muscle XL contains a natural source of high-quality protein, added pure amino acids and other essential nutrients that have roles in muscle and top-line development plus recovery and maintenance of muscles after exercise.

Muscle XL is recommended as a dietary supplement for racing, performance, endurance and equestrian horses where top-line and muscle tone are lacking. Muscle XL is also suitable as a targeted supplement after intense training sessions or hard competition to help fast recovery and replenishment of muscles.

For horses which find it particularly hard to develop topline or muscle tone or appear to have muscle soreness, it is important to investigate the possibility of sacroiliac pain or injury which often occurs in performance horses.

07/06/2024

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Not sure which HYGAIN® feed is right for your horses? Here’s a quick guide to help you choose between GROTORQUE® and TRU BREED®:

🌾 Feeding Rate:

HYGAIN® GROTORQUE®: Semi-concentrated feed, feed less to meet nutritional needs of good-doing horses.
HYGAIN® TRU BREED®: Full feed, feed more to meet nutritional needs of poorer-doing horses.

🌾Feed Texture:

GROTORQUE®: Muesli-style feed, highly palatable for fussy horses.
TRU BREED®: Extruded nugget feed, can be soaked into a mash if needed.

🌾 Ingredients:

GROTORQUE®: Legume-based and cereal grain-free, ideal for cereal-sensitive horses or good-doers.
TRU BREED®: Barley-based, great for conditioning.

Find the perfect feed to support your horses’ growth and breeding needs with HYGAIN®.

06/06/2024

We need to talk about drought - NEW ARTICLE AND DOWNLOADABLE GUIDE ⬇️⬇️
It's been great to get some rain recently, but that doesn't mean that the drought conditions we've been experiencing are going to turn off like a switch.

For WA horse owners, one of the biggest issues we're facing is the limited supply of hay. When horses need fibre to make up the majority of their diet, how can we keep them healthy?

Working with Feed Your Steed equine nutrition, we've put together a new article and downloadable resource 📃 for WA horse owners with information and tips on how to manage horses during these tough times, covering areas like:

➡️ Breaking down the different hay qualities
➡️ What to look for in hay and behavioural changes
➡️ How to work around changing hay types or reintroducing pasture
➡️ Feeding straw as part of the diet

Read more and download our guide here >>>
https://thompsonandredwood.com.au/feeding-horses-during-drought