Avoid laminitis with Manuka Haylage
Horses with diseases including insulin resistance, Laminitis and Cushing’s disease experience very high levels of blood insulin when feeds or forages containing more than about 12% sugars (non-structural carbohydrates) are fed. Recent research (Asplin et al. 2007) has shown that these high insulin levels can cause laminitis.
Horses with these diseases must be maintained on a ‘low sugar’ diet to avoid laminitis.
A diet that is low in ‘sugar’ is an essential part of the management of horses affected by insulin resistance, laminitis and Cushing’s disease. One of the most difficult, yet most important parts of the diet to get right for these horses is the type of forage that is fed. Many grass hays contain more than 12% sugar and are not suitable for sugar sensitive horses. The sugar content of hay is also highly variable and almost impossible to predict by looking at a bale, making buying suitable hay difficult.
Manuka Haylage now provides owners of horses with these diseases a consistently low sugar forage alternative. Haylage contains just 2.5% sugars on an as fed basis. When compared with other commonly used forages, this makes it one of, if not the lowest sugar forage available (Table 1).
Because of the way Haylage is made it contains consistently low levels of sugar. The following diagram explains the production process and why the levels of sugar are so low:
It's easy to open your bag Manuka Haylage and once opened store in an airtight container.
Botulism is a form of poisoning caused by the toxin produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum.
Research has now shown that lucerne can be used to prevent and in some cases treat gastric ulcers in horses.
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