Hay replacer for a mini shetland

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Tappy1

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My step-mum's mini shetland, is getting on a bit now and he has melanomas in his mouth. They don't really bother him, but he's struggling to eat his hay. it's given to him on the ground to encourage his glands to work but we think the 'nomas are getting in the way. Has anyone got any suggestions or ideas?
 
can he "chew" at all?? What can he eat??

I would suggest some kind of low calorie chaff but if he cant chew hay would he be able to chew this?? Other then that some kind of soaked fibre nuts or something.

Can he eat grass?? If so he would be better out with no hay i would pressume.
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I belive that on the veteran horse societty web site there is a hay replacer recipe..... worth a look. i think it is basically high fibre cubes made into a mash with hot water and beet pulp. Def go have a look or phone them if you can't find it on there.
 
Hi-fi lite? or soaked fibre cubes?

Otherwise, lots of people feed older horses simple systems as everything has to be soaked and a handful of feed turns into a huge bucket.
 
Thanks.

He can chew and happily grazes and loves a small amount of hifi lite with a handful of lo-cal balancer in it - we wet his food also.

He has to come in some nights as the big two come in and he wouldn't stay in the field on his lonesome... I think perhaps we'll try some hifi lite and see how he gets on. I just wonder how much to live in his stable overnight?
 
I have a 30 year old Welsh A who struggles with hay even when soaked. He has also had laminitis a few years back. He has Safe & Sound by D and H with some of their Kwik beet. He has a whole scoop of s & s and about a third of beet twice a day and manages to chew it and stays really well on it
 
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I think perhaps we'll try some hifi lite and see how he gets on. I just wonder how much to live in his stable overnight?

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It says on the back of the bag how much to use as a hay replacer.
 
I prefer to start dentally impaired oldies on a short chop hay replacer first - products like Spiller's Happy Hoof, Dengie HiFi Lite and Dengie HiFi Senior are designed to be a similar nutritional equivalent to hay. For my old pony we used to use Happy Hoof as a hay replacer and she found this more palatable than HiFi, but they all have their individual tastes!

If they can't cope with the short chop then you can go down the soaked fibre cube route.
 
hi fi lite, D&H fibergy, spillers happy hoof, all short chop and suitable hay replacers, if her can't eat these try allen and page fast fibre or soaked hi fibre cubes with or without speedibeet depending on his condition.
 
Our 32 year old 11hh chunky Welsh A hasn't eaten hay for 3 or 4 years, though he can still manage to graze. He much prefers Happy Hoof to Hi Fi (and it's fully supplemented), and he has two big scoops am and pm, with Speedibeet. He holds his weight on this and looks great.
 
Badminton do High Fibre Complete Nuggets which are a hay replacer with vitmins. These can be soaked with water and they go into a sort of "slop". Hope this helps! x
 
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