putting weight/condition on a laminetic

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xxmariexx

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my boy suffered laminitis at the beggining of the year and spent 6 months off, he's not suffered again and we think it was stressed induced, he's been back in work for 4 months now and a lot leaner although he wasn't actually that fat, he's on 1 scoop of happy hoof twice a day and his actuall owner has been introducing alfa a, i was slightly worried as i didnt think he would be allowed this but his weight has dropped a bit proberly due to being worked harder and being colder (he's also fully clipped) just wondering what else i could add to feed to him to help him not drop any more wieght without it affecting the laminitis? help much appreciated
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My boy is laminitic and i feed him coolstance copra to gain weight and condition. Its a coconut oil based mash which can be fed warm or cold. Low in starch and sugar so safe for laminitics and really does work. Its from Australia so not widely known here yet but more and more people have been posting about it on here. It doesnt necessarily sell itself as a conditioning feed as it is used for various things but its fantastic for safe weight gain. My lad has also had the shiniest coat this summer!
http://www.stanceglobal.com.au/Staging/Equine/Home/Products/CoolStance.aspx
 
he has 8lbs of soaked hay over night and 6-8 lbs during the day depending if he's been in the field (good grass) for the morning, he doesnt always finish it all,he's not a massive hay eater but i do give him a bit extra if he's put to bed early or if i know im going to be there a bit later the nx day! maybe ill try lower the happy hoof but add alfa beet? does that sound ok? someone else suggested wheat midlings to me today, but i thought this just sort of filled them up instead of actually giving them anything worth while? and as for a bit of alfa a that his owner gives him...is this a no go or would it be ok for him? bearing in mind we're pretty sure it was stressed induced and not diet/fatness!
 
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Oil, straights or boiled barley.

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Not for a laminitic
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Can you just up the Happy Hoof or maybe try a balancer like Bailey's Lo Cal
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Sorry - the oil is ok just not the cereals ie barley.

I don't know much about Alpha A oil but I would be wary of anything that piles the pounds on. I thought it was a conditioning feed.
 
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Oil, straights or boiled barley.

[/ QUOTE ] Cereals such as barley are very high in starch and therefore totally unsuitable for laminitics.
 
well ive had a nose on the dengi website, think i may try the alfa beet as its approved, ive always given him sugar beet in the winter anyway and was a bit worried i wouldnt be able to this year, ill see how that goes and if not ill try the coconut stuff
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thanks for the help!!
 
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Sorry - the oil is ok just not the cereals ie barley.

I don't know much about Alpha A oil but I would be wary of anything that piles the pounds on. I thought it was a conditioning feed.

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It is thought that being overweight increases a horse's tendency to laminitis, so obviously you don't want to feed a horse to the point of obesity.

However, the dietary triggers of laminitis are soluble carbohydrates, such as sugars and starches. Some laminitics do have a tendency to be underweight (particularly if they suffer from Cushings) so if you want them to maintain an acceptable (but not fat) condition, then you need to give feeds that are highish in calories, but not high in starches and sugars.

Foods such as Alfa A Lite, Speedibeet and AlfaBeet have been assessed by the Laminitis Trust to have a low enough threshold of starches/sugars to be suitable to be fed to laminitics, even though if fed in sufficient quantities they can be useful for weight gain.

To summarise, it is high levels of starches and sugars that are the danger. Calories (ie MJDE/kg) are not in themselves dangerous, UNLESS fed to the extent that the horse becomes overweight.
 
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ive always given him sugar beet in the winter anyway and was a bit worried i wouldnt be able to this year

[/ QUOTE ] You can give him unmollassed beet (such as Speedibeet which is 5% sugar) or AlfaBeet, but not normal mollassed sugar beet which is about 20% sugar.
 
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My horse had toxic laminitis and wasn't overweight.

To increase her weight (after she recovered from the lami obviously) and after doing research on the internet, speaking to feed companies etc, I fed her on speedi-beet, hi-fi lite and lo-cal balancer. If she needed a bit more oomph then I changed the hi-fi for alfa-a lite and gave her a low starch mix or cube.

Hope this helps.

W.
 
Hi, Marie,

My laminitic lost too much weight after being penned in, this year and I also wanted to put a little condition on him, without adding too much starch to his diet, as he had no oomph when being brought back into work. I was recommended Alfa A Oil. I'm happy to say he's got much more Oomph, with no negative side effects and he's been on that for about 4 weeks (not at recommended feeding levels, though). I mix it in with hi-Fi Lite and Bailey's Lo-Cal Balancer. The difference in his muscle mass is very noticeable, even under winter fluff.
 
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TGM - I love they way you make the minefield of feeding understandable
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Thanks, Kal40 - it is good to know that someone understands what I am blathering on about! I know it makes sense to me, but I am never quite sure if it makes sense to other people reading it!
 
you sayit was stress related have you stop the stress factor to save a nother attack coming on? I would say if you want to put weight on saftly stick with ya happy hoof remove the alfa a and pop him on spedi beet or fibre beet!
 
Mine was a very poor doer and I kept him at a good body condition with Alpha A oil and speedibeet (all recommended by vet / laminitis trust etc). Fundamentally as someone explained very eloquently above - low starch (that's why his hay is being soaked) etc

Hope he does well.
 
Just to add:
Having had a wee look on the Dengie site, I have noticed that Alfa A is not approved by The Laminitis Trust bt Alfa A LITE is so I would maybe mention that to her owner
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