Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Badger and Joe


Badger's IV cath had been removed before I got there this morning, which I take as a good sign.  Vet was in an er surgery and I didn't get to talk to him and he didn't call me.  

I have some questions for all of you.  What would you recommend as a low starch low sugar feed to mix the psyllium in?  I have been researching and many LS feed are alfalfa based.  Triple Crown showed no alfalfa or corn but main ingredient is wheat middlings.  Looking for no alfalfa or corn but don't know much about wheat middlings.

Regarding what to moisten the feed pellets with:  vet uses Aunt Jemima syrup!  I have been blending banana and water to make a runny paste but it just takes such a large amount of feed for the volume of psyllium to stick to.  None of the donkeys have ever gotten feed before this.   I was thinking maybe carrot juice?  I will have to research sugar and starch uptake on the juices.  Any info would be greatly appreciated! 

CARB'S TAIL PRE-BADGER

CARB'S TAIL WITH BADGER!


Badger tugging on Carb's tail

7 comments:

  1. Yikes, that's a lot of missing tail. Emma chewed on Tessa's tail once and at a section. I sprayed her tail with deer repellant and that ended that. The stuff is rather repulsive, but it worked and I only had to do it once.

    As for feed, that is a tough one. I use Timothy hay pellets. A handful soaks up into a fairly large pile. That is what I use to mix vitamins with and what kept Ramsey still and quiet for all of his bandage changes. I get them at tractor supply. They are made by Standlee and the only ingredient is Timothy hay. They have worked well for me. If you need to make them a tiny bit sweet, a teaspoon of molasses dissolved in water goes a long way.

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  3. Hi! Carrot juice is good or apple juice, like DD says a tiny bit of molasses goes a long way in water. Honey is also great for getting things to 'stick' and donkeys love it, again a little goes a long way.

    Timothy hay pellets sound good. Wheat middlings are a high fibre by product of grain production and are a normal part of most low starch pellets. They're perfectly safe and are not the grain part of the cereal. Sounds like the Triplecrown would also be fine with that in mind, I've had a quick look at the specification and they would be within the limits for donkeys if fed in small quantities for giving supplements.

    Good luck with Badger!

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  4. Could you use Sugar free syrup if you're worried about the sugars? Glad the IV is out!

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    1. Well there's/ a thought. great one! i will go check the labels, what are they sweetened with sorbitol or saccharin maybe- I have no clue. I use syrup so infrequently that I buy the pure maple syrup, it lasts me over a year!

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    2. That is an interesting idea, although I would check with the vet first as the sugar substitute could be bad for donkeys. I know xylitol is toxic to dogs....I have no idea if any of them are safe for equines. I never even thought of trying it.

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