Is Orchard Hay Good For Horses With Cushings?

Even though horses with Cushing’s syndrome are older, feeding a grain diet that is specifically labeled for senior horses is not advised as these feeds are high in sugar. Instead, a horse with Cushing’s syndrome should be fed an all-forage diet consisting of grass hays such as Orchard or legume hays such as Alfalfa.

What kind of hay is best for horses with Cushings?

Alfalfa averages 10-15% NSC, and oat hay is very high, averaging 22%. 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 Cushings?

Horses and ponies diagnosed with PPID/Cushing’s Disease should be fed a low sugar and starch diet.
Horse Feeds for those that maintain a healthy weight:

• Hi-Fi Molasses Free.
• Healthy Hooves.
• Healthy Hooves Molasses Free.
• Alfa-A Lite.
• Alfalfa Pellets.

What hay is best for Laminitic horses?

Hay – The Core Feed For A Laminitis Diet
Safer-type forages include Timothy, Teff, and Rhodes grass hays. Avoid hays containing high amounts of fructan such as ryegrass, oaten, wheaten, or barley hays. If you are unsure of the NSC level of the hay or chaff, you will need to soak it in water to leach the sugars out.

Can horses with Cushings have grass?

Pasture grasses can have a high NSC content, especially during the spring and fall seasons, and the risk of colic and laminitis is greater when horses are on pasture. Since laminitis and founder are more common in horses with Cushing’s disease, pasture grazing should be severely limited or totally avoided.

Is orchard grass hay good for horses?

Orchardgrass is one of the highest quality grasses that is a good hay option for horses, cattle and other livestock. In cattle, sheep and goat diets, it produces a superior body weight gain and milk production compared to other grasses, making it a great choice for pregnant, lactating and even growing animals.

Is timothy or orchard grass better for horses?

Orchardgrass and timothy hay are both excellent, but orchard grass gets the nod as the best of the two. It has a higher protein and calorie content and balanced calcium and phosphorus levels.

What triggers Cushings in horses?

Although the cause of the condition is not completely understood, it is thought that as part of the ageing process some horses develop enlargement of part of the pituitary gland (the pars intermedia), which produces excessive hormones that are important in controlling various body functions.

How do you reduce cortisol in horses?

Studies show regular exercise may reduce a horse’s cortisol levels. However, the high-intensity training and competition schedule of a performance horse or a situation where a horse is working with discomfort may cause the opposite response.

Can Cushings horses have carrots?

Because insulin and blood sugar absorption may not be functioning properly in Cushing’s horses, dietary management is a must. Horses with PPID are not to be fed high sugar or high starch foods such as traditional grains, treats – like apples and carrots, or pasture grass.

Is orchard grass hay high in sugar?

Most cool-season grasses, like orchardgrass and fescue, can have high sugar content. Timothy and crested wheatgrass tend to be medium in sugar content, as are most warm season (native) grasses.

Is orchard hay good for laminitic horses?

Horses that require a low-sugar diet, such as those with laminitis or insulin resistance, might benefit from soaked hay. Soaking Orchardgrass hay for an hour, for instance, can reduce NSC by approximately 40%.

What type of hay is lowest in 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.”

How long do horses with Cushings live?

Vets encourage owners of Cushing’s horses to decrease the amount of carbohydrates they feed (e.g., grains or other concentrates), maintain the horse at a healthy body condition score, and ensure his diet is properly balanced. Well-managed horses should live about five to seven years or more past diagnosis.

Are Oats good for horses with Cushing’s?

Even though oats are the grain lowest in sugar and starch, at around 45 to 50% starch they are still far too high in starch for horses on a low sugar and starch diet, eg insulin resistant horses, horses prone to laminitis, those with disorders like Cushings or PSSM etc, as well as many horses who are prone to ulcers,

Can a horse recover from Cushings?

A horse cannot recover from Cushing’s disease, but it can be managed and a horse can live a quality life with effective treatment.

How much orchard hay should I feed my horse?

In general, a high-quality Timothy, Orchard or Grass hay is calorie-dense and provides adequate nutrients to keep your horse healthy. With that in mind, start by feeding 1.5-2.5% of the horse’s total body weight per day in hay alone. Example: If your horse is 1,000 pounds, start by feeding 15-25 pounds of hay each day.

What hay is not good for horses?

Bahiagrass: This grass hails from the southern coastal plains. It’s typically found in pastures, so the stuff they make into hay is not that great for horses. Overly mature Bahiagrass hay can cause ergot poisoning, so buyer beware.

How long is orchard grass hay good for?

5-6 years
Orchardgrass is very marketable hay due to its nutritive value, palatability, and visual appeal. Orchardgrass is likely to last 5-6 years before interseeding is necessary.

How is Cushing’s disease treated in horses?

Treatment is fairly simple. It consists of an oral medication (Pergolide) in the form of a tablet given once daily. PRASCEND is a FDA-approved formulation of pergolide. The dose may need to be increased or decreased depending on the individual horse’s response.

What is the healthiest grass for horses?

Grazing perennial cool-season grasses
We then determined that horses preferred mixtures of endophyte-free tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, Kentucky bluegrass and timothy. This mixture also yielded well, withstood grazing pressure, and met the nutritional needs of most classes of horses.