Diet Planning - Feeding horses with allergy and intolerance
Lumps and bumps, or an unexplained change in behaviour? Although feeding is definitely not always to blame when it comes to allergy and intolerance, it makes sense to evaluate the horse’s current ration as a starting point. Here we provide our top tips for feeding horses with allergy or intolerance.
Top Tip 1: Keep things simple!
Getting to the bottom of the cause of an allergy or intolerance can be really tricky. It therefore stands to reason that putting your horse on a ‘simple’ ration with fewer feed ingredients, as often suggested by vets recommending an elimination diet, can make things a little easier.
The simplest feed from the Dengie range is Dengie Alfalfa Pellets. These are just pure pelleted alfalfa with nothing else added – no molasses, preservatives or binders. Providing 10MJ/kg of Digestible Energy, Alfalfa Pellets have a similar energy level to a Pony Nut, but are based on only one ingredient. Dengie Alfalfa Pellets can be fed dry or soaked to form a mash.
Top Tip 2: Looking for a cereal free diet?
All of the Dengie Fibre Feeds are free from whole cereal grains. The Alfa-A range is based on pure alfalfa with different coatings for different situations and is suitable for working horses or those that struggle to maintain condition. The Hi-Fi range combines alfalfa with other fibre sources such as cereal straw or high temperature dried grass and is suitable for horses at rest or in light work that maintain their condition with ease. Simply choose a fibre feed most suited to your horse’s needs and feed alongside a Natural Vitality Vits & Mins supplement or Dengie Balancer to provide a balanced ration.
Top Tip 3: Looking for a molasses free diet?
Dengie has the answer with 5 fibre based products that are all molasses and cereal free! Alfa-A and Hi-Fi Molasses Free are the newest additions to the Dengie range. Other molasses free products in the Dengie range include Alfa-A Oil, Alfalfa Pellets and Alfa-Beet. Dengie Natural Vitality Vits & Mins and Balancers are also molasses free.
Top Tip 4: Healthy from the inside
A large part of any animal’s immunity is within the gut. Horses have evolved to eat a fibre based ration and would naturally spend 16-18 hours per day eating. The stresses of domestic life such as competition and travel can disrupt the population of micro-organisms within the horse’s digestive tract. This can lead to loose droppings and poor coat condition.
Natural Vitality Digestive Health Plus combines a prebiotic with live yeast and brewers yeast which help to create favourable conditions in the horse’s gut for beneficial fibre digesting bacteria to thrive. Natural Vitality Digestive Health can be fed at a concentrated level at times of stress or may be fed daily at a maintenance level.
Ensuring your horse receives a balanced ration with respect to vitamins and minerals is another way to support your horse from the inside, especially as vitamins and minerals have an important role as antioxidants and therefore within immune function. If feeding a fibre only ration or less than recommended amounts of a feed with added vitamins and minerals then ideally a broad-spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement from the Natural Vitality range or a Dengie Balancer should be added to the ration.
Top Tip 5: Provide extra skin support
Some supplements contain specific nutrients or ingredients to promote good skin which is particularly useful if your horse has come out in lumps and bumps or is very itchy.
Natural Vitality Coat & Hoof contains a blend of nutrients including alfalfa, biotin, methionine and zinc as well as high levels of omega 3 essential fatty acids for overall improved coat and hoof condition. Natural Vitality Coat & Hoof also contains Yea-Sacc for improved fibre digestion and gut health. Natural Vitality Coat & Hoof is particularly beneficial for horses and ponies that have poor coat or hoof condition and for show horses and ponies where exceptional coat and hoof condition is a must for showing success.
Omega-3 essential fatty acids have received much attention in recent years and are a constituent of cell membranes. Research has shown that cell membrane structure is enhanced when omega 3 intake is at optimum levels which is vital for creating healthy skin. Natural Vitality Joint & Condition is a natural pure hemp oil supplement that provides omega 3, 6 & 9 fatty acids. Joint & Condition can be used to top dress a horse or pony’s ration to promote fantastic coat shine, skin support and general joint health.
For friendly feeding advice tailored to your horse’s individual needs please contact the Dengie Feedline on 0845 345 5115 or visit www.dengie.com
