Diet Planning

Watch out for Laminitis

With the spring months now upon us and the warmer, summer weather on the way, for some horse owners it can only mean one thing – watch out for laminitis! With four products approved by the Laminitis Trust - Alfa-A Lite, Alfa-Beet, Hi-Fi Lite and Healthy Hooves - Dengie has the widest choice of products available for helping you to manage your laminitis prone horse or pony.

Too much choice can be confusing and so it is important to understand a bit more about each product in the Dengie Laminitis Trust approved range to decide which is the most appropriate for your horse or pony.

Alfa-A Lite

Alfa-A Lite combines pure alfalfa with a low sugar coating and mint flavouring. As Alfa-A Lite is pure alfalfa it has a higher energy or ‘calorie’ level than Hi-Fi Lite making it more appropriate for laminitis prone horses and ponies that are back in work, or that need a little extra help to maintain condition. The added mint flavouring also makes Alfa-A Lite particularly useful for fussy feeders.

Alfa-A Lite can be used as the sole ‘bucket feed’ alongside one of the broad-spectrum vitamin and mineral supplements from the Natural Vitality Vits & Mins range to provide a balanced ration.

Case Study - Monty
Monty is an 18-year-old, 15hh laminitis prone cob who has been owned by Suzanne for 16 years. Suzanne initially contacted the Dengie Feedline for advice in 2005 and subsequently Monty has been successfully maintained on a ration of Dengie Hi-Fi Lite and restricted grazing. However, with an increased workload this winter Monty has struggled to maintain his ideal bodyweight so Suzanne contacted us again for some further advice.

Suggested Ration:
Alfa-A Lite - up to 2.5kg (approx 6 large round scoops)
Alfa-Beet - 0.5kg (1/3 scoop dry weight before soaking)
Natural Vitality Senior Vits & Mins - 90g (2 measures from the tub daily)

Alfa-Beet

Combining alfalfa and unmolassed sugar beet Dengie Alfa-Beet provides a source of very digestible fibre. Alfa-Beet can be fed in small quantities to laminitis prone horses and ponies that hold their weight easily to provide additional digestible fibre and to increase moisture intake, or in larger quantities to laminitis prone horses and ponies that are in work or that need to gain weight.

Alfa-Beet is very versatile and can be added to any ration in place of traditional sugar beet and as it must be fed soaked it is particularly useful for older horses and ponies that have poor dentition and struggle to chew. Alfa-Beet has a convenient 15-minute hot soak or 2 hour cold soak time, but can also be left to soak overnight.

Case Study - Imp
Indian Imp is a 23-year-old 16hh TB gelding who has always been prone to laminitis and in recent years has been diagnosed with Cushing’s disease. Imp has generally held his weight well on Dengie Hi-Fi Lite, but his owners felt that he needed a little extra to support him in his senior years.

Suggested Ration:
Hi-Fi Lite - 2kg (2 measuring bucketfuls, available on-line at www.dengie.com)
Alfa-Beet - 0.25kg (dry weight before soaking)
Natural Vitality Senior Vits & Mins - 90g (2 measures daily)

Hi-Fi Lite

Hi-Fi Lite combines alfalfa and top quality cereal straw with a low sugar coating and has the lowest combined energy, sugar and starch level of any horse feed on the market. This makes Hi-Fi Lite particularly suitable for laminitis prone horses and ponies that need to lose weight or that maintain weight very easily. Hi-Fi Lite can be used as the sole ‘bucket feed’ in addition to a broad-spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement such as Natural Vitality Leisure Vits & Mins to provide a balanced ration.

Hi-Fi Lite can also be used to partially or totally replace hay and has around half the amount of sugar compared to average hay. This can be particularly useful as laminitic horses and ponies often have to spend many hours in their stable. Providing a bucket or two of Hi-Fi Lite alongside their usual forage ration provides your horse with a choice of fibre and can help to keep them occupied for longer.

Case Study - Cai
Cai is a 16hh laminitis prone sports horse. When her owner Deborah first contacted the Dengie Feedline in 2005 she was keen for Cai to lose weight. As Cai was stabled due to her laminitis it was an ideal opportunity to start a weight management programme and so her feed intake was gradually restricted to 1.5% of her bodyweight to promote weight loss, providing a total of 7.5kg of feed per day.

Suggested Ration:
Hay - 5kg
Hi-Fi Lite - 2.5kg (8 large round scoops)
Natural Vitality Leisure Vits & Mins - 60g (2 measures from the tub)

Healthy Hooves

Dengie Healthy Hooves combines multiple fibre sources including pellets for added interest and real garlic for great palatability. Healthy Hooves is a nutritionally complete, low calorie fibre feed suitable for laminitis prone horses and ponies and those that require a low sugar and starch ration. Due to the added biotin Healthy Hooves is also ideal for horses and ponies with cracked or crumbling hooves.

When fed at the recommended quantities no additional vitamin and mineral supplement is required so Healthy Hooves is ideal if you prefer the ‘all in one’ option. However, like all other complete feeds Healthy Hooves must be fed at the recommended quantities to get the full benefits. If you have an overweight laminitis prone horse or pony that also has poor hoof condition it may be more appropriate to feed Hi-Fi Lite or Healthy Hooves in smaller quantities alongside Natural Vitality Leisure Vits & Mins and Natural Vitality Coat & Hoof for similar benefits but with fewer calories!

Case Study - Sunny & Pavlova
Sunny is a 13 year old Welsh Section B gelding and Pavlova is a 15 year old Welsh Section A mare. Both ponies have previously had laminitis and are now maintained on restricted grazing all year round. Sunny and Pavlova are ridden regularly and also take part in Pony Club activities.

Their owner Nichola contacted the Dengie Feedline for advice in June as Sunny had gone off his usual ration so she was looking for an alternative feeding regime. As both ponies were prone to laminitis and Pavlova in particular had poor hoof condition Dengie Healthy Hooves was suggested.

Suggested Ration:
Dengie Healthy Hooves - 1kg (2 large round scoops) per pony

Nichola contacted the Feedline again in September and although she had only been feeding Healthy Hooves for a few months her farrier had already commented on the improvement in Pavlova’s hoof condition. Both ponies appear to find Healthy Hooves really palatable and Nichola is thrilled that it contains everything the ponies need without the need for additional supplements.

For further information on managing your laminitis prone horse or pony call the Dengie Feedline on 0845 35 5115 or email feeds@dengie.com to request a copy of our ‘Feeding Horses or Ponies Prone to Laminitis’ leaflet.