The perfect feed?

[Equi]

I usually just have happy hoof/molasses free type chaffs. Noone -needs- feed as all quite good doers so its just a token feed.

Having problems with two though,
1) mini shetland 22 - won't eat metformin in the chaff. Is rather cresty/fat paddy and overweight but has (touch wood) never actually gone into laminitis. Will eat it a little better with linseed oil, but i don't like the extra calories.

2) american mini 19 - won't eat the supplements for arthritis (science supplements) with plain chaff, will eat it begrudgingly with loads of grass nuts and oil but again doesn't need the extra calories although is not as prone to being overweight as #1, won't eat the feed sloppy so it ends up being quite a substantial feed twice a day just to get the supplement in.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Have you tried a pure meadow grass chaff? Nothing else added so lower in starch and sugar than some of the pre mixed chaff and you don’t need to feed a lot as it’s tasty. For a pre mixed chaff I use Pure Easy in the winter as a token to add supplements to, in the summer they get HoneyChop Lite and healthy. It’s never received with nearly as much enthusiasm as the Pure Easy is ?. Both mine are good doers, one is ex laminitic and the other has EMS so like you I have to be very careful with what they eat.

 

[Equi]

I actually have a bag of that at the yard (was giving to the big man before he was pts) so i can try it, but i still think they will turn their noses up. they ate the chaff fine before the meds/supplements cause it was all they got, but they seem to need more encouragement now lol

 

[HappyHollyDays]

In that case how about grating some carrot and mixing it in so the supplements stick to it. Just adds a bit of variety and if finely shredded it can’t be picked out and the chaff left.

 

[Goldenstar]

I would soak a few grass cubes and try that .

 

[HappyHollyDays]

I would soak a few grass cubes and try that .

Appears that’s already been tried.

 

[Equi]

In that case how about grating some carrot and mixing it in so the supplements stick to it. Just adds a bit of variety and if finely shredded it can’t be picked out and the chaff left.

I can add a little, but with them being so tiny i really don't want to add a lot and i know a lot of lami sites etc discourage carrots/apples etc (again though #1 has never actually as far as i know/as far as i have experienced had laminitis..she could just be a really cresty animal lol her son is rather cresty too at 4 but he was only gelded last year)

I would soak a few grass cubes and try that .

Tried, and works to an extent. Worried about the calories and amount needed for such a tiny bub

 

[RHM]

When my fell was on metformin the only thing he would eat it with was Saracens shape up. I got a few samples from them and he thought all their food was delicious. My thought process was that he could have a small amount of what was “naughty” as the benefit of him having his medication out weighed a small amount of feed. I know how frustrating it is when they won’t eat - good luck!

 

[I'm Dun]

I can add a little, but with them being so tiny i really don't want to add a lot and i know a lot of lami sites etc discourage carrots/apples etc (again though #1 has never actually as far as i know/as far as i have experienced had laminitis..she could just be a really cresty animal lol her son is rather cresty too at 4 but he was only gelded last year)



Tried, and works to an extent. Worried about the calories and amount needed for such a tiny bub

If you use emeral green grass nuts they are lower sugar and starch. A tiny handful of grass nuts swells up to a large feed. The lowest sugar/starch feed I've found is pink mash, but mine dont find it that appetising. I mix it with grass nuts and its wolfed down.

 

[ycbm]

Best I ever found was Saracen Re-leve which blow up from 100g to a decent amount to hide stuff in and they love it. With one I used a bit of Re-leve in bran to get a bigger amount to hide it in.
.

 

[catkin]

what would they think of their food if it was top-dressed with some dried mint?

 

[Equi]

Is the re-leave long lasting? I remember having it once and everyone liked it but I can’t remember how long it lasted being open, One bag of food goes a looooooong way lol

 

[I'm Dun]

re-leve contains far more sugar and starch than grated carrot, which you didnt want to add. Its also got oil added which further bumps up the calories

 

[The Xmas Furry]

I won a bag of Spillers Fibre Lite molasses free earlier this year. Had no idea which one I was going to feed it to, or even if I was going to give it away.... havent fed their feeds for years.

Gave little A, all of max 32", some damped and she loved it! Previously she's turned her nose up at most things, so has usually had a pinch of everything that B Fuzzy has. She now gets half a mug damped well and clears her mini bucket every time. I do think the bag will last her till winter though! ?

 

[HappyHollyDays]

It’s really difficult, diet food is bland, boring and horrible to eat but to get the drugs or supplements into them sometimes you have to do the opposite of what your brain is telling you. At this point anything is worth a try have a look at the feed companies and study their ingredient analysis and then ask for samples to see which ones they will eat. I would much rather give them a tiny amount of something they like which gets eaten drugs and all than tons of something so you can hide the additives. As long as the starch and sugar is hovering around 5% mark and ideally less than 10% and you don’t go overboard with quantities it’s worth a go.

I’m a big fan of Emerald Green and I’m sure they used to do a meadow grass chaff but I can’t find it on their website anymore but at YHL they were handing out lots of little samples so they are very much worth a call. Really nice family run firm who know their produce rather than a massive company.

 

[TPO]

What about a mash to mix meds into rather than a chaff?

Fast Fibre is low calorie and Pink Mash is approx 11mj/kg iirc but again a tiny really does expand when soaked.

Fat cob gets a very small cupped single handful to mix minerals into. When ita soaked its volume increases ten fold. That amount is plenty for his balancer and what not.

 

[ycbm]

re-leve contains far more sugar and starch than grated carrot, which you didnt want to add. Its also got oil added which further bumps up the calories

It does, but just 100g blows up into quite a big feed and if it's still not enough the Re-leve was enough with my ones to flavour bran so they would scoff their nasty minerals.
.

 

[ycbm]

Is the re-leave long lasting? I remember having it once and everyone liked it but I can’t remember how long it lasted being open, One bag of food goes a looooooong way lol

I used it at least 2 months old, kept in a plastic box.

 

[SEL]

I use kwikbeet mixed with chaff for all of mine - hides supplements and drugs well. 2/3 Stubbs scoop made up with 3 x water so it's very wet and that makes 6 meals with the draft getting twice what the others do.

Very little goes a long way with the fatties!

 

[I'm Dun]

It does, but just 100g blows up into quite a big feed and if it's still not enough the Re-leve was enough with my ones to flavour bran so they would scoff their nasty minerals.
.

But so do much lower calorie feeds. Releve is not suitable for a lammi prone mini no matter how much it fluffs up. It certainly didnt fluff up anywhere near as much as just speedi beet, or pink mash when I used it. I guess because its the sugar beet element that expands and its only part sugarbeet. The ingredient list reads like a non no for the good doer or lammi prone


NGREDIENTS

• Soya Hulls
• Dried Sugar Beet Pulp
• Pea Flakes
• Soya Flakes
• Blackcurrant Flavour
• Grass Pellets
• Soya Oil
• Molasses
• Sunflower Extract
• Dicalcium Phosphate
• Sodium Chloride
• Maerl (calcareous marine algae)
• Vitamins & Minerals

 

[ycbm]

But so do much lower calorie feeds. Releve is not suitable for a lammi prone mini no matter how much it fluffs up. It certainly didnt fluff up anywhere near as much as just speedi beet, or pink mash when I used it. I guess because its the sugar beet element that expands and its only part sugarbeet. The ingredient list reads like a non no for the good doer or lammi prone


NGREDIENTS

• Soya Hulls
• Dried Sugar Beet Pulp
• Pea Flakes
• Soya Flakes
• Blackcurrant Flavour
• Grass Pellets
• Soya Oil
• Molasses
• Sunflower Extract
• Dicalcium Phosphate
• Sodium Chloride
• Maerl (calcareous marine algae)
• Vitamins & Minerals

If the horse needs the meds or minerals to live and will eat it in nothing else, as was the case with one of mine, then there is little choice.
.

 

[RHM]

If the horse needs the meds or minerals to live and will eat it in nothing else, as was the case with one of mine, then there is little choice.
.

This!
I think we all know in an ideal world we would try and avoid some of those ingredients but when feeding medications some things have to give a little. Providing a small handful isn’t going to kill them but the lack of medication might. Sometimes you just have to choose your battle.
Has anyone tried powdered metformin? I tried my fell ponies to see what the fuss is about and it tastes like absolute poison! Good luck getting it down them without something to sweeten the deal!

 

[Equi]

That’s what I have and yes I tried it too. It’s horrible, really horrible lol

 

[Leah3horses]

What about a tiny handful of soaked speedi beet? Less than 5% sugar & starch. I feel your pain, I have tiny minis too. My old girl will only eat her Prascend in a tiny bit of damp micronised linseed... that's another option for you...yes, ML is higher energy than most but is oil based energy, not sugar and is a whole food,not processed with additives . Never had a problem with it, in fact that's all my minis have as feed in winter and doing fab at 27and 20.

 

[RHM]

That’s what I have and yes I tried it too. It’s horrible, really horrible lol

The taste still haunts me ??

 

[hollyandivy123]

I usually just have happy hoof/molasses free type chaffs. Noone -needs- feed as all quite good doers so its just a token feed.

Having problems with two though,
1) mini shetland 22 - won't eat metformin in the chaff. Is rather cresty/fat paddy and overweight but has (touch wood) never actually gone into laminitis. Will eat it a little better with linseed oil, but i don't like the extra calories.

2) american mini 19 - won't eat the supplements for arthritis (science supplements) with plain chaff, will eat it begrudgingly with loads of grass nuts and oil but again doesn't need the extra calories although is not as prone to being overweight as #1, won't eat the feed sloppy so it ends up being quite a substantial feed twice a day just to get the supplement in.

have you tried marmite..........hides the taste of anything

also oil, although calorific does not affect insulin regulation as much in small doses ok