Promoting weight gain in laminitic veteran -Alfa A Oil any good?

Orchardbeck

Orchardbeck

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My 25 yo Arab x is currently living out alongside an 11.2 sec A who is a good doer. She is starting to look a bit on the lean side and I would like her to carry a little more condition. They are in a small (0.5 acre) paddock as I prefer to restrict grazing, although I know the grass is growing but being gobbled up as I can see how much the lawn is growing next to it.

They are both on Dengie HiFI lite molasses free with the Arab on Top Spec Senior and the sec A on Top Spec Anti Lam after speaking with numerous feed advice lines. They have been on this for around 6 weeks, with hay put in the stables which they are free to access whenever.

Before this they were stabled overnight and my older mare was on Naf in the pink senior with HiFI molasses free and added micronised linseed. She is more active than before with being out with the smaller pony.

I'm thinking of going back to the Naf Pink powder but putting her on Dengie Alfa A oil instead of the HiFI lite. I am so tempted to let her in the bigger paddock with more grass but i'm terrified she'll end up with laminitis again, hence being keen to use oil rather than sugar to promote weight gain.

Has anyone any experience of Alfa A Oil - is it any good?

RE Cushings testing - I have a moral dilemma with this as the drugs to treat it should it be proved she has it are financially out of reach for me. I have been giving her Agnus Castus powder for the last year although she can be fussy with it so she hasn't had it for the last 8 weeks or so - this could be significant here.
 
I think I would add micronised linseed as the oil rather than risk using alfalfa, it will work out less expensive in the long term and is safe for laminitics as well as being beneficial in other ways.
 
Be Positive - thanks, I gave her some tonight but she hasn't been getting it since being in the topped, and also with being allowed more.access to grass. Do you think I should continue with the HiFI molasses free, and just add it to that, or is it just a waste of money and maybe she needs speedbeet or something?

I
 
It is tricky to get the diet right for a laminitic, I no longer feed chop to any of mine as I think it is a waste of money, if they get plenty of hay it is just an expensive form of forage that adds little to the diet so yes I would probably gradually change to speedibeet and linseed along with the topspec to keep the vits/ mins going into her.
 
I found Alfa-A gave my veteran lots of energy, not an issue if you arent getting on board! I feed my veteran laminitic hi-fi, spillers senior balancer and baileys keep calm. I noticed a difference in his coat/condition when I changed from speedi-beat to keep calm. I tend to maintain his weight with dry hay but it seems you already give him access to this.
RE the cushings. I cut my costs of pergolide by a 1/3 by getting a prescription from my vet and ordering them online as opposed to buying them dirrectly from the vet, dont know if this would help your situation.
 
If your mare is laminitic I would try to avoid alfalfa/lucerne as it can make some horses sensitive in their feet. Unmollassed beet pulp and micronised linseed would be what I would go for instead.
 
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Quick comment re Agnus Castus. Mine won't eat the powder form, but are perfectly happy to eat the dried berries (look like peppercorns)
 
I'd adjust my feeding strategy depending on how keen your mare is on her bucket feed, and what state her teeth are in (does she need soaked feeds?). It sounds as though you are already feeding free-choice hay, so I'd probably aim to feed an energy dense bucket feed. Chaffs and soaked feed have generally pretty low energy density (soaked feeds because there's so much water in it), so the horse has to eat large portions to really add some calories. Micronized linseed and dry or barely moistened pellets (e.g. grass, alfalfa, high fibre cubes, depending on what you think she may tolerate best) would make a more energy dense feed, simply because the feed wouldn't be so bulky. Copra might be another good option. It has high energy (mostly from fat) and is low in NSC. According to the manufacturer copra can be fed wet or dry.
I think I'd go for alfalfa pellets plus micronized linseed as an alternative to alfa a oil because the feed would be smaller in pellet/meal form and because the type of oil in the linseed has more health benefits (more omega 3 fatty acids) than the type used in alfa a oil (soya oil).
 
I cut out the chaff a while ago for my ponies and now feed much smaller feeds and both look fabulous for it and it's cheaper.

They get Copra, a little speedibeet and top spec balancer

Although officially I think you are allowed I wouldn't feed Copra unsoaked because it's very 'claggy' almost like sand. I feed it well soaked. I believe it's suitable for laminitics
 
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