Haylage

[Sue&Tasha Green]

Can haylage be fed to ponies with laminitus?

[Pixie]

Personally I would not as it has a much higher nutritional value than hay. Also it is slightly sweeter in smell and being damp I would think that the fructans are higher in it therefore being worse for lamanitics. I have a horse prone to laminitis and I would never feed her haylage as she would just gorge on it. They say the best thing for lamanitics is poor quality, but not mouldy or dirty, meadow hay, which has a low nutrutional value and can therefore be fed in larger quantities without the worry of being too much, after all lamanitics should not be starved!! I feel so sorry for them my poor horse ia always on a diet :(
Hope this answers your query!;)

[chev]

Pixie's right - haylage for laminitics is a bad idea. Alfalfa products are good; some are even marketed specifically for ponies prone to laminitis, and although not many people think of it these days, feeding straw is also a good alternative. Oat straw is best, or try agricultural merchants for fodder straw, and mix with hay. Providing a mineral lick will help provide elements that less nutritious hay and straw don't. Hope that's of some help.

[Sue&Tasha Green]

We finished all our hay yesterday and so my mom rang up the place where we normally get it from and they have some but it can't be used for 6-8 weeks, instead they offered us barley straw and said it was good for horses on box rest (my horse is on box rest for 8 weeks), my mom asked it it could be used for ponies with laminitus and she said yes as it didn't have too much stuff in it but slightly more than hay. Well, we searched through the internet and books to see if we could find information on barley straw, we found that you can use it as bedding and you can throw it in ponds to stop algae forming! At the moment my mom and dad are out with the lorry going to pick up 20 bales, does anyone know if you can use it for ponies with laminitus?
Tasha
Ps- sorry for the essay

[chev]

Yes you can. Barley and oat straw are the two types recommended for use for horses. Just make sure that there are none of the prickly awns in it; unlikely these days anyway. You would be as well to give a broad spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement to balance this though - feed it in a chop aimed at laminitics, like alfalfa chop. Feeding straw is good for reducing boredom and digestive problems as it takes longer to eat.

[Sue&Tasha Green]

Thanks, we got some hi-fi yesterday to feed her bute in, it's recommended by thr laminitus ttruse so we should be ok. We have also got her a muzzle for when she is allowed to be turned out.
Tasha

[ros]

You do need to be a bit careful about feeding straw; it's much coarser fibre than hay and can occasionally cause impacted colic. I've never had to feed it myself, but most books recommend it's fed chopped. The Hi-Fi Lite is a straw/alfalfa fibre replacer. The straw makes for low calories and the alfalfa gives you good quality protein and minerals that are required for strong hoof growth (important for laminitics). Trouble is, of course, it works out quite expensive if you use it as a complete hay replacer. But I think if you were to feed a decent quantity of Hi-Fi Lite, plus some straw, and allow some access to grass (a little does no harm) you'd do OK. An alternative is to get a grazing muzzle. That way the pony can exercise and socialise, and have some grass intake but at a slower rate.

[chev]

It is true that straw has been associated with impaction colic, more usually because of the awns (not normally present now). Problems occasionally arise with high lignin (that is the woody fibre found in straw and to an extent poor hay) diets; as they pass through the gut and the water is absorbed it can mean the remaining food is too "dry" for the gut to move effectively, causing impaction colic. It shouldn't be a problem if the pony is not prone to colic and fresh water is always available. Feeding carrots and turnip will also help prevent it. Stress is a bigger cause of colic in horses confined to a box than anything. Grazing in-hand with the muzzle will also safeguard against the possibility, but the risk is not that high really.

[ros]

No, I think you're right, Chev. On a mainly straw diet I'd want to be a bit careful, but I never worry if, say, my horses pick at a fresh straw bed for a change.