Is alfalfa good for a horse with Cushings?

Alfalfa can be a good option for a horse with Cushings if they are a hard time holding their weight because it is more calorie-dense than grass hay.

What is the best feed for a horse with Cushing's?

Horses and ponies diagnosed with PPID/Cushing's Disease should be fed a low sugar and starch diet. As alfalfa is naturally low in both sugar and starch, there are a number of feeds in our range that are suitable.

Is alfalfa high in sugar?

Alfalfa Has Low Starch and Sugar Content

The alfalfa plant has a very low content of both starch and water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) such as sugars and fructan. When oil is added as a coating to alfalfa, sugar levels are typically less than 5%.

Is alfalfa hard on horses kidneys?

Alfalfa (lucerne) products, whether hay, cubes, or pellets, are not known to cause kidney problems in horses.

What are the benefits of feeding alfalfa to horses?

Alfalfa hay is an excellent source of energy, protein, calcium and some other nutrients for horses. Its concentrations of protein and calcium meet the nutrient needs of horses in high levels of production, such as growth and lactation, but exceed the nutrient requirements of horses in other life stages.

Is Alfalfa Hay Good For Horses - When

Can you feed a horse too much alfalfa?

Alfalfa hay can cause diarrhea in a horse that overeats it because the hay is rich and full of nutrients. Overeating alfalfa can also cause a horse to have excess gas, develop laminitis, and founder.

Can alfalfa put weight on a horse?

Alfalfa is higher in calories and protein than grass hays, which makes it an excellent choice to help to add weight to a thin horse. If your horse tends to be wasteful with his hay, he may eat more when offered alfalfa hay cubes or pellets.

Is alfalfa good for older horses?

Therefore, the key to feeding older horses is to use high quality protein from sources like alfalfa, soybean meal and canola meal without oversupplying their requirements.

How much alfalfa should I feed my horse a day?

Horses can normally eat 1.5-2% of their body weight in hay, which equates to 18-24 lbs. of hay per day.

Is timothy hay or alfalfa better for horses?

Alfalfa hay is typically higher in protein and essential nutrients than timothy hay, making Alfalfa a better option for more active animals that need a high protein diet. Alfalfa also has more calories per pound than timothy, so it's generally the preferred choice of sport horse owners.

Can a laminitic horse eat alfalfa?

Feeds with a combined sugar and starch content of less than 10% should be fed to horses with laminitis. If horses are underweight and need to gain condition, consider adding alfalfa-based forages as they contain more calories per pound, but are low in sugars and starches.

What is the best hay to feed a horse with laminitis?

Generally, a mixture of grass hay and alfalfa is the best hay combination for horses prone to laminitis.

Does alfalfa cause colic in horses?

Rich alfalfa hay can also cause colic, so we recommend feeding a grass hay or grass/alfalfa mix. Changes in management or a horse's routine can be stressful and contribute to colic risk as well. Water is also very important, as a horse with minimal exercise needs to drink 4-5 gallons a day to remain healthy.

Can you reverse Cushings in horses?

The Right Medicine PPID cannot be cured, but its effects can be controlled with medication and management. The drug most commonly used to treat horses with PPID is pergolide mesylate, a dopamine agonist that helps to regulate the pituitary gland.

Can horses with Cushings have grass?

Horses and ponies with both diseases have an increased risk of laminitis on grass. If your pony has not been tested for ID, or his ID has not been stabilized with diet, exercise and medications, then I don't recommend allowing him any time on grass, no matter the season.

How long can horses live with Cushings disease?

Well-managed horses should live about five to seven years or more past diagnosis. In severely affected horses, however, laminitis and recurrent infections are time-consuming and expensive to manage and can shorten the horse's anticipated life expectancy dramatically.

Are alfalfa pellets or cubes better for horses?

Alfalfa cubes overall are better than pellets for our purposes. Pellets can't be a substitute for alfalfa hay, but cubes can. Alfalfa cubes are convenient, provide high nutrient value, and have little waste.

Can too much alfalfa cause laminitis?

Because alfalfa hay is more nutrient dense than typical grass hay, more care needs to be taken when feeding alfalfa. Alfalfa hay can cause horses to founder and develop laminitis due to the excess nutrients provided by the high quality hay if too much is fed.

Can you feed a horse just alfalfa pellets?

Therefore, alfalfa pellets can be used to add pellets to a horse's diet but it is not necessary. The impact that pellets have on a horse's diet is minimal. Alfalfa pellets for horses usually come in fifty-pound bags and can be found at almost any feed store.

What age is considered senior for horses?

By age definition “senior” horse has been defined as 15+ years of age. Due to improvements in veterinary care and nutrition, horse routinely live 25-30 years of age, some into their 40's. It is not uncommon to see horses in late teens and twenties performing at high levels.

Does alfalfa cause ulcers in horses?

Two recently published studies reported that feeding alfalfa chaff increased the incidence and/ or severity of glandular ulcers.

What is the best thing to feed an old horse?

Good quality grass hay and corn or a complete pelleted ration for mature (not aged) horses are the feeds of choice. Avoid legumes (alfalfa and clover), wheat bran and beet pulp due to high calcium (legumes, beet pulp) or phosphorus (wheat bran) content.

What should I feed my old horse to lose weight?

Chopped hay should be premium quality, with alfalfa or a mixture of high-quality grass hay and alfalfa probably the best choices. If chopped hay is fed, a vitamin-mineral supplement should be offered. These supplements often come in the form of a pellet and can be moistened to increase palatability.

How many alfalfa cubes do you feed a horse?

So if you're feeding nothing but alfalfa cubes, you should feed 1.5 to 2 percent of the horse's body weight per day. If you're giving it in addition to hay and/or grain, the total of everything should add up to 1.5 to 2 percent of the horse's body weight.