Is steamed hay good for Laminitic horses?

Soaking hay and steaming it can benefit horses with respiratory issues, laminitis and those that are sensitive to sugar or require low potassium content. Dry hay can be very dusty, which may trigger respiratory problems in horses, particularly those with equine asthma aka chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (heaves).

Does steaming hay help laminitis?

Steaming hay with Haygain retains nutritional value, improves palatability and helps manage respiratory issues, laminitis, insulin resistance, colic and post-surgery recovery.

Does steaming hay get rid of sugars?

Steaming and soaking hay both reduce the number of particulates that your horse can breathe in and can reduce the “sugar” levels in the hay.

What hay is best for laminitic horses?

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

What are the benefits of steaming hay for horses?

Steaming hay kills live mold and increases DMI of low mold hay, compared to soaking. We don't know if there's a benefit to feeding dead versus alive but wet moldy hay to horses. Regardless, neither soaking or steaming should replace the main goal of feeding hay with low mold and dust content.

How to feed a horse with laminitis

How long can you feed steamed hay?

If the hay cannot be fed straight out of the steamer, it can be fed up to 24 hours later. If it is decided to steam the hay up to 24 hours before feeding, it should be stored in a clean dry area off of the ground so that there is the least amount of contamination as possible.

Does steaming hay remove nutrients?

Soaking hay and steaming hay are strategies that are used to reduce respirable dust particles for horses but may result in variable nutrient losses, including nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) and minerals.

What type of hay has the lowest sugar content?

Low sugar hay is extremely important in a horse's diet due to its health properties and the enormous benefits it can offer. While lucerne usually has lower sugar than a lot of grass hays, it more often than not tests HIGHER in sugar, starch & protein compared to our Low Sugar Hay.

What hay has the least sugar?

If you are looking for low-sugar hay for a metabolic horse, it's all about how the hay is grown and managed. Teff can be as low as 5% sugar and the only other hay that's this low in sugar is bluegrass straw—which is also used a lot for metabolic horses."

What can you not feed a horse with laminitis?

Avoid feeds which provide high levels of starch per meal as these horses tend to be sensitive to increases in blood sugar and insulin. Supplements: Horses with laminitis may benefit from supplemental magnesium and chromium, both of which assist in sensitivity to insulin.

Do hay steamers work?

Haygain Steaming uses substantially less water than soaking hay, a less effective and outdated method of reducing respirable particles from forage.

How long should hay be soaked for laminitis?

Soaking hay for 12 – 16 hours in cold weather and no more than 3 – 6 hours in warm weather can help to reduce WSC content by up to 50% in some cases.

Does soaking hay reduce sugar?

Soaking hay before feeding is one way to lower the sugar levels, but it reduces more than sugar. Soaking hay is one way to reduce the amount of sugar in the hay, but it should only be used as a stopgap method until a more appropriate hay can be found.

Is hay or haylage better for horses with laminitis?

Haylage is, however, higher in protein, and more digestible than hay giving it a higher DE content. As a result, horses generally tend to do better on haylage, so it's often not ideal for overweight horses and those prone to weight gain, metabolic and laminitic horses, unless it is a high-fibre, lower DE variety.

Can you steam hay after soaking?

If not, then research has shown the most effective method to reduce the WCS content is to soak the hay for nine hours first and then steam. This combination of soaking and then steaming will leach four times the amount of WSC compared with single steaming and reduces the bacteria (increased by soaking) by up to 99%.

Does steaming hay lower NSC?

While steaming does slightly reduce NSC, one of its benefits is that it does not strip important nutrients from hay, so it's not your stand-alone choice for horses that need low-NSC hay.

Can Laminitic horses have alfalfa?

A supplement containing protein, vitamins, and minerals will help the horse heal damaged tissues. For thin laminitic horses, consider providing calories from beet pulp (without molasses), alfalfa hay or cubes, soy hulls, or vegetable oil.

Can a horse get laminitis from hay?

Feed a low energy forage

Hay is more suitable for horses and ponies at risk of laminitis than haylage. For those prone to the disease and/or overweight, feed hay that has been soaked for 12-16 hours.

Can horses with laminitis eat grass?

Quick facts. High amounts of sugars in grasses can bring about laminitis in horses susceptible to the disease. Susceptible horses should have limited grazing or no grazing.

What time of day is the sugar content highest in grass?

Sugar content of grasses is higher in the afternoon than in the morning and sugar content is lowest at night, so grazing should be restricted to the safest times of the day to graze, early morning and night times.

What hay is highest in sugar?

Oat hay tends to be higher in nitrates and also high in sugar (NSC), so this hay is not an option for insulin resistant horses. Here's a comparison chart so you can see the differences between alfalfa hay, timothy (grass) hay and oat hay.

Does Timothy hay have a lot of sugar?

Timothy hay is considered a medium sugar hay. This warm-season grass measures at the low end of the normal range for ethanol soluble carbohydrates, measuring between 4.7 percent and 10.9 percent.

Are hay steamers worth it?

Overall, I think if your horse has any dust related problems, investing in a hay steamer is a must, even if you need to make do with one of the cheaper options. If your horse is fine and happy with dry hay or just soaking the occasional dusty bale, I think if you can afford a Haygain, it is definitely worth having.

Does steaming hay make it more palatable?

Steaming hay produces more hydrated and easily digestible forage making the feed more palatable for the horse. Handling steamed hay will effectively reduce the risk of humans developing dust-related respiratory problems.

What temperature should hay be steamed?

Steaming involves placing hay in a specially designed chamber and passing steam through it. Hay is steamed for approximately one hour and the temperature should reach above 80°C (176°F) for a minimum of ten minutes before the hay is removed.