|
|
Discussion on Alfalfa hay and donkeys.
|
| Author |
Message |
Member:
patricia
|
Posted on Wednesday, Nov 8, 2017 - 5:02 pm:
I fed my donkey some alfalfa hay along with grass hay this summer. It was fed at rate of 3 to 1, grass hay to alfalfa. Within 2 weeks he began showing signs of laminitis. This donkey is a healthy 26 year old and has never had issues with food and is not overweight. He was very lame. Treated him with Bute and he did respond and seemed good as new in about two weeks. Looking back I think I should have researched whether donkeys could be fed alfalfa. Has anyone had experience with this?
|
Moderator:
DrO
|
Posted on Wednesday, Nov 15, 2017 - 8:57 am:
Hello patricia,
I apologize for the lateness of this response somehow I missed this post then had a long weekend off.
Yes, donkeys can be fed alfalfa but this is rarely needed as the energy and protein requirements of the foodstuffs for burros seems to be less than horses. I think it would be more accurate to say that burros are able to get more out of poorer quality forage than horses. Any change in feed can cause founder from the change in bowel flora and the production of certain types of toxins (see /I{HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Lameness » Diseases of the Hoof » Founder & Laminitis » Founder & Laminitis an Overview} for more on this). I also suspect your burro is like almost every other 26 year old burro and has PPID and therefore predisposed to developing laminitis. for more on this see: HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Endocrine System » Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID): Equine Cushing's.
DrO
|
|
|
