Rosehips good or bad ?

[Lovely jubbly]

My horse has had a mild case of laminitis X-rays all clear bloods showed EMS so started soaked hay etc..but has anyone fed Rosehips ? I know they can help With lami but are they high in sugar for EMS. Some websites say safe to feed and may lower blood sugars and others say differen.

 

[Barton Bounty]

Not for lami but BB does love them, I pick them for him

 

[HappyHollyDays]

I do feed rose hips in winter to my EMS and ex laminitic ponies but I pick them and then dry them in the aga rather than feeding them fresh. They are packed with vitamin C which is severely lacking in most horses on a restricted diet especially during the colder months. I have never had any problem with them increasing DP’s insulin in winter but it’s not something I would happy feeding in summer. Reducing insulin in EMS horses is all about low sugar, low starch and fast exercise to get the lymphatic system draining efficiently to reduce the toxins in the liver. Just in case you haven’t heard of it a very good supplement for both laminitic and EMS ponies is milk thistle as it cleanses the liver naturally.

 

[Lovely jubbly]

Thanks I will have a look at Milk Thistle she’s been on Rosehip powder for about a year now for arthritis and it’s been great for that, but the last thing I need now is more sugar.

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

Mine all help themselves from a very long hedgerow of Rosa rugosa hips, my dogs do too. They are a fabulous source of good things, but I am guessing sugar content might be too high for some if taken fresh off the bush.

I was staggered to see the price of them. Time I started gathering and packaging I think.

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[HappyHollyDays]

Mine all help themselves from a very long hedgerow of Rosa rugosa hips, my dogs do too. They are a fabulous source of good things, but I am guessing sugar content might be too high for some if taken fresh off the bush.

I was staggered to see the price of them. Time I started gathering and packaging I think.

Natural Rosehip Supplement for Horses | Elite Equine

Elite Equine rosehip supplement supports all-round good health, a robust immune system, healthy joints and suppleness.

eliteequineuk.com

It’s interesting how animals forage for themselves. Mine love blackberries in autumn and fresh growth hawthorn before it gets all prickly. Rosehips are so easy to do, a bit time consuming though so to speed up the process I cut them off the hedgerow using scissors.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Dried stinging nettles are good to feed if they have laminitis.

Mine love hawthorn and the tops of thistles

 

[Hollylee1989]

Agree with dried stinging nettles, my vet said hawthorn dialates the blood vessels, so another good one if you have access to this in the field. Ours love it

 

[Lovely jubbly]

Yes I have just read up on nettles being good. We have hawthorn and blackberries all around our field..I’ve seen her eat the hawthorn leaves she loves them.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Just be careful feeding nettles, they are high in iron and not what an EMS pony needs in vast quantities as it overloads the liver.

 

[Surbie]

I pick loads of rosehips in winter and freeze to add to feed. Archie loves them. Also loves blackberries etc too but those frozen berries are for livening up my brekkie, not his!

 

[Burnttoast]

I do feed rose hips in winter to my EMS and ex laminitic ponies but I pick them and then dry them in the aga rather than feeding them fresh. They are packed with vitamin C which is severely lacking in most horses on a restricted diet especially during the colder months. I have never had any problem with them increasing DP’s insulin in winter but it’s not something I would happy feeding in summer. Reducing insulin in EMS horses is all about low sugar, low starch and fast exercise to get the lymphatic system draining efficiently to reduce the toxins in the liver. Just in case you haven’t heard of it a very good supplement for both laminitic and EMS ponies is milk thistle as it cleanses the liver naturally.

Horses make their own vitamin C, though - they don't need it in the diet unless they have a non-functioning liver (the liver produces L-gulonolactone oxidase which allows horses to convert glucose to vit C). In fact humans are about the only mammal, as far as I remember, that needs dietary vit C.

 

[cobgoblin]

Horses make their own vitamin C, though - they don't need it in the diet unless they have a non-functioning liver (the liver produces L-gulonolactone oxidase which allows horses to convert glucose to vit C). In fact humans are about the only mammal, as far as I remember, that needs dietary vit C.

Humans and guinea pigs.

 

[Burnttoast]

Humans and guinea pigs.

Thanks, I thought there might be at least one other species. Strange thing to have in common with GPs!

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Horses make their own vitamin C, though - they don't need it in the diet unless they have a non-functioning liver (the liver produces L-gulonolactone oxidase which allows horses to convert glucose to vit C). In fact humans are about the only mammal, as far as I remember, that needs dietary vit C.

Thank you, that is interesting. Horses with EMS often have issues with their livers and previous advice has been that an animal on a very restricted diet should be supplemented with small amounts of Vit C. With the advance in veterinary understanding of EMS that may have changed though so I shall see if I can find anything more up to date for my own education.

 

[Lovely jubbly]

I’ve contacted the company where I get my powered Rosehips from they said they are completely safe to feed to horses with EMS as sugar/starch is very low due to them being dried out before crushed.
Said they are good for flushing the liver which will help with the lami and new research is showing that in some horses it’s lowering insulin levels

 

[Burnttoast]

I’ve contacted the company where I get my powered Rosehips from they said they are completely safe to feed to horses with EMS as sugar/starch is very low due to them being dried out before crushed.
Said they are good for flushing the liver which will help with the lami and new research is showing that in some horses it’s lowering insulin levels

How do they think drying them changes levels of sugar/starch? Sugars are stable molecules and can't be removed by drying. Weight for weight, you get a lot more sugars in dried fruits than in fresh ones. I do also wonder what they mean by 'flushing the liver'. It sounds incredibly unscientific

 

[stangs]

I’ve contacted the company where I get my powered Rosehips from they said they are completely safe to feed to horses with EMS as sugar/starch is very low due to them being dried out before crushed.
Said they are good for flushing the liver which will help with the lami and new research is showing that in some horses it’s lowering insulin levels

If you want to improve the liver, feed Milk Thistle and/or Vitamin E. (ETA: If you're worried about the liver, get a blood test and make a decision re medicating based off that. I don't see the point in 'flushing the liver' if there's nothing wrong with it.)

Rosehips are less sugary than 'domestic' fruits like apples, but they are still fruit (though wild fruit) and therefore aren't particularly low sugar. If I were you, I'd ask the company for the numbers, not just their opinion on if it's okay.

Do you have a link to this research?