Our Feeds for Laminitis

An area that often causes confusion is that products that are lowest in energy (calories) can still be higher in sugar. It is important to remember that all of the Dengie feeds are relatively low in sugar, it’s just that when they are compared to one another, some contain more sugar than others. For example, alfalfa is naturally very low in sugar but contains more energy (calories) than other fibre sources such as straw, and so using alfalfa helps to keep the sugar content down, but the energy (calorie) level will be slightly increased.

Grass and molasses are two ingredients which contribute higher levels of sugar to feeds. However it is really important to assess the total sugar content of a feed, rather than just the ingredients list, as grass may be combined with other fibre sources such as straw which helps to dilute the sugar content within the feed as a whole. Molasses may also be included at low levels, meaning that the overall sugar content within the feed could still be relatively low.

If a feed doesn’t contain molasses, then a light oil coating will typically be added. This is because fibrous ingredients such as grass, straw and alfalfa are very prone to shattering and can make a feed look very ‘bitty’. The coating provides some moisture to reduce the shattering and also helps to disperse other ingredients such as herbs, vitamins and minerals through the feed. Oil coatings provide more calories than molasses which is simply because oil is more energy dense than carbohydrates such as sugar.