tasty but low sugar and fat?!

[pippixox]

So my new forest pony is actually not that greedy (just a very good doer) but due to a biopsy showing serious liver fibrosis he is currently on a lot of steroids for the time being to try and bring inflammation down. however, this of course comes with laminitis risk (risks are outweighed by need for trying to help liver right now) and he is on a track with my other 2 horses, and touch wood, 3 weeks in we are keeping him ok.

but.... it took over a week to find something to get him to eat his medication: fast fibre (1/3 scoop soaked over 2 meals) and linseed. if I don't mix in some linseed he will not touch it. tried other things, all low sugar and fat/protein, as I know I need to avoid fats his liver will struggle to process, and sugar due to laminitis risk. but worrying about the linseed.

any ideas? or except that a handful of linseed in order to get a load of steroids into him is worth it? (also on liver supplement which he dislikes, so even if steroids stop I will struggle to get that into him on its own!)

 

[poiuytrewq]

A bit of Speedibeet? Most horses seem to like it and it’s low fat/sugar.
I use it for a horse with a handful of unmolassed chaff to give supplements to a horse who’s had liver problems and it’s all good so far *touch wood!

 

[be positive]

I think that vets are not so concerned about some fat being fed to horses with liver issues as they used to be and linseed is probably a relatively safe type of oil anyway, a small handful to get the meds in is probably better than most things you can give him and better than not getting them in, I would stick with what is working and if possible cut it all down very gradually if you can but not to the point he refuses to eat unless you are able to syringe it in every day, maybe possible once he is on less steroids.

 

[Goldenstar]

Bran ?

 

[ester]

What BP said, I had conversations with a couple of well qualified people on that and they said that actually eliminating all oil is a bit old hat, and that some of a decent protein source isn't a bad idea when you want liver regeneration.

As such F has remained on his 1/2 to 1 mug full a day and it certainly hasn't affected his test results (we didn't biopsy).

My other recommendation on feed would be have you tried agrobs? seemingly ours will do most things for the aspero chaff and anything for the hay cobs soaked! (F had started turning his nose up at FF, speedibeet could take or leave, same with oats, grass chaff not that interested, did like pure feeds a lot but I wasn't keen, agrobs was revolutionary!)

 

[pippixox]

My other horses are on a handful of speedibeet and oat chaff (switch to grass chaff in the winter) but he just turns his nose up at it! Even in a slightly more generous quantity.
Maybe he is just determined to be special!
Thanks for replies, will continue with linseed for now.