Best feed for a treat-ball for a laminitic/PPID pony

[NinjaPony]

Looking for some suggestions of what I can put in a multisided treat-ball to keep my naughty welsh pony entertained when in his dirt patch or in his stable! He loves toys and I thought it might be a nice way to mimic 'grazing' style behaviour in the absence of any grass.... His weight is very strictly controlled so I'm looking for a very low sugar/starch feed that would be an extra fibre source alongside his soaked hay. I can't put his small bucket feed in as it has all his meds in and I want to make sure he actually eats them. He will also be getting a hay-ball to roll around his bare field!
Has anyone found a good fibre source that works well with a treat-ball?

 

[Chinchilla]

simple systems do pelleted forages which might be useful?

https://www.simplesystemhorsefeeds.co.uk/products/feeds.asp?id=1&name=Pelleted Forages

 

[Quigleyandme]

I used to put high fibre cubes in my Shetland’s treat ball.

 

[Griffin]

You could try something like hay cobs from Thunderbrooks (although you may be able to get similar cheaper from a different brand). High Fibre cubes are a good shout too.

 

[TPO]

You could put chaff in the treat ball too as it slows down the nuts/treats coming out

 

[Nari]

I use high fibre nuts. It's worth reading the ingredients, and if needs be ringing the companies for starch and sugar levels, as not all high fibre nuts are the same.

I find that if you put a small quantity in they come out more slowly, so if you want to keep him occupied longer then two, or even three, balls with fewer nuts in each will keep him busier.

 

[cauda equina]

simple systems do pelleted forages which might be useful?

https://www.simplesystemhorsefeeds.co.uk/products/feeds.asp?id=1&name=Pelleted Forages

Mine love Haycare

 

[ester]

well I was going to suggest celery lol.

 

[MyBoyChe]

Following with interest as wondering the same. I was wondering whether chopped up strawberries and a few grapes would be OK as pony likes them both. Trouble is fruit is sugary so probably not

 

[ester]

MBC safe treats list

 

[Nari]

I don't think I'd want to put anything wet or damp in a treat ball as it would almost certainly stick to the inside and they aren't easy to clean out.

 

[NinjaPony]

Thanks for the ideas! I'm interested in Simple Systems because they do a Timothy Chop which would be great for my other boy who is allergic to oat straw and maize (.... only my horse....) but really doesn't need the calories from Alfa-A now he is retired. Lucerne is alfalfa no? From the website the High Fibre Lucie pellets look the best for my laminitic boy and would be able to go in a treat-ball. A lot of the general 'high fibre' cubes are quite high in sugar and starch I noticed when I was looking at feeds for him. I'd only put in a handful at a time, he's only 11.2hh! Good idea about the chaff, I've been considering getting him some honey-chop oat straw to give him some extra chewing fibre, I suppose that could go in the treat-ball too to keep him entertained?

 

[Nari]

Yes lucerne is alfalfa. Just be a bit cautious with much alfalfa and laminitics, while it is low in sugar and starch it can still have quite a high feed value (DE) and some laminitics have a problem with the high levels of protein in it. Bear in mind that it's the overall amount of sugar, starch and calories eaten that's important, so as long as the rest of the diet is good you probably have some leeway for a small amount of something in a treat ball.

 

[NinjaPony]

Yes that was my concern! It’s a minefield! But yes I’m probably over thinking it, it would just be to keep him occupied given that he has a restricted amount of hay and feed. It’s just I’ve been so careful with his diet that I’m paranoid now!

 

[NinjaPony]

Just to update in case anyone else is looking for similar feed advice- I went with Dengie alfalfa pellets. Very low in sugar and starch, and essentially exactly the same as the much more expensive simple systems offering. Much lower in sugar and starch than various high fibre cubes I looked at. High in protein, which is good for a pony on a very restricted diet. He gets a decent sized handful in his treatball every night and he loves them! It’s worked really well at keeping him occupied and he hasn’t had any footy episodes.