Feeding the laminitic horse

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daisybe33

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I have a 13hh pony who has had a recent bout of laminitis and is on box rest. he is on ad lib soaked hay and happy hoof as per the recommended amount.

He has lost quite alot of weight however and I am not sure what to feed him to put condition on him without it contributing to his laminitis.

(his laminitis is cushings related not weight) he has always been on the slim side.
 
Oh I feel for you!
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I'm going through this myself at the moment. My boy had laminitis last December (toxins in the bloodstream after having Strangles, not feed related).
I usually feed haylage because he coughs on hay but of course after having had laminitis, I'm really wary about feeding it in case he gets another bout of it. After a busy summer of riding, he's lost quite a bit of weight so now I'm trying to get weight back on him safely to see him through the winter.
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I'm currently feeding him good quality ad lib soaked hay, (as much as he can stuff his face with!) alfa-a lite, Spillers high fibre cubes (less starch than the high fibre mix) and sunflower oil (good for safe weight gain and slow release energy for when he's at work)

It's taken me the best part of 6 months to find something which works for us but I think we're getting there slowly.
I hope you sort his feeding regime soon, I know how difficult it can be to try and find the right balance.
I would thoroughly recommend ringing one of the the feed manufacturers helplines and speaking to one of their equine nutritionalists. I spoke to a lovely girl from Spillers who gave me a feeding plan for my boy. Obviously they will recommend their own feeds but it will give you an idea of what you should be feeding. Also, look for feeds that have the Laminitis Trust approved feed marks on them.

Hope this helps and good luck!
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This diet has worked for mine.

This is a great diet for the metabolically challenged - the quantity is for my 14.3/15 hh rescue who is currently not working but is plenty fat enough.

Besides this feed she also gets ad lib soaked hay.

2 mugs (unsoaked) kwikbeet made up with 4 mugs water (acts as a base and supplies calcium to help the uptake of the magnesium) Kwik beet is the lowest beet for sugar and has no added molasses
1 mug micronised linseed (for omega oils, all the amino acids and copper) - use micronised or boil your own. The linseed lozenges have had the oil extracted and they are bound with sugar/molasses
2 tablespoons cal mag (for the magnesium - very important)
2 tablespoons brewers yeast (b vitamins)
1 tablespoon seaweed (general vits and mins)
1 tablespoon mint (because she likes it, it has no sugar and it helps her sometimes stressed out tummy)

I have found Happy Hoof (despite the marketing claims) to unhelpful with laminitics. It does contain molasses which even in very low quantities has been found to cause problems for some. It made the mare on this blog http://barefootblog.blogspot.com very sore very quickly and if we hadn't taken her off it she probably would have got full blown lami. I wouldn't recommend any of the bagged chops/chaffs either.

If you want to feed more 'hard' food you could up the linseed, or depending on your pony's individual sensitivity you could add alfalfa. But don't feed it as a chaff - get unmolassed pellets. The chaffs are higher in sugar, some have added molasses and some horses have issues with the mould inhibitors.
 
Hi OP, I can also sympathise. Henry was penned in for much of the summer and had to come completely off grass. He also lost far too much weight. I started leaving him with ad-lib Hi-Fi Lite. Whilst this has a very light molasses coating, I haven't had any problems with that. I also fed Alfa-A oil on somebody else's recommendation, working up to recommended feeding levels, with a balancer (Bailey's Lo-Cal). It really did the trick and he's looking ideal, now. He also gets a magnesium supplement.
 
i can totally sympathise with you as well. I have a chronic laminitic pony who also could do with weight on her after a bout.
I have found that simple system lucie nuts work well for her. suitable for laminitics and no molasses/cerals in it. i add her magnesium supplement to it
 
Interesting post as my lad is still on treatment for laminitis and has lost loads of weight as he is fed up with everything and being kept confined. He is currently loosing 10kg per week and looking a bit ribby. Whilst this is not ideal, I am sure the vet will be pleased as he was a tubby cob before.
I am not going to adjust his feed too much because I am sure he will put some back on naturally when he is allowed back onto some grass again. Whilst it upsets me to see how he looks under his rug I also know that he is probably better off trying to be kept at this weight from now on.
 
I feed my boy happy hoof, lo-cal and during winter when he needs a bit more weight and condition i use Coolstance Copra. Its a coconut oil based mash which not only do they love but is also safe for laminitics and excellent at helping with weight and condition. My boys coat gleams on it and he puts weight on safely. He has also had a recent bad bout of lammi not feed related.
http://www.stanceequine.com.au/horsefeedproducts.php?CoolStance-Copra-2
 
[ QUOTE ]
I have a 13hh pony who has had a recent bout of laminitis and is on box rest. he is on ad lib soaked hay and happy hoof as per the recommended amount.

He has lost quite alot of weight however and I am not sure what to feed him to put condition on him without it contributing to his laminitis.

(his laminitis is cushings related not weight) he has always been on the slim side.

[/ QUOTE ]

I had very good advice from my vet which I followed to the letter, I also rang the VERY helpful and knowledgable Laminitis Clinic/Laminitis Trust, if you ring them they will tell you exactly how much your pony can have, they recommended happy hoof, unmollassed sugar beet (speedibeet), my horse now also has some spillers high fibre cubes, which he was fed on before anyway.

09051 051051 its a pound a minute i think but well worth it in my opinion
 
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