pony with laminitis feeding peanuts?

Peanuts are actually an excellent treat for laminitic horses. Peanuts are a good source of magnesium, and supplemental magnesium is recommended for insulin resistant and laminitis prone horses for its beneficial effects in glucose metabolism. In order to encourage digestion and absorption of the peanuts, I would grind them in a nut grinder before feeding them. You are not only Not harming him by feeding peanuts, but you are actually providing one of the better magnesium sources available. This makes peanuts one of the better choices as a treat. Roasted peanuts in the shell are considered best for feeding them whole.

But if you buy peanuts not in the shell and don't grind them, they may not be chewed thoroughly to be absorbed and utilized as they should be,and they could conceivably become lodged in the folds of the intestine where they could form enteroliths.

You can buy a manual nut grinder very inexpensively, and can also use all natural peanut butter such as Smucker's makes as small treats that can actually be of benefit.

As for feeding any fruits, they are all high in soluble sugars, raisins being one of the highest among those suggested, and so they aren't recommended for laminitic horses.

Add....on aflatoxins in peanuts, the US government tests all peanut crops used for consumption as human or animal feed, and any with pathogenic levels of the toxin are rejected.

So, if you are in the US, only the untested products such as those found in health food stores where the products are unregulated pose a risk of significant contamination. As long as you stick with FDA regulated, food grade peanuts, they are safe to feed.

no peanuts ever not just for a horse with laminitis. get a new vet that is a little bit more in tune with horse nutrition. I would stick with hay or a raisin or 2 for a treat or some flax seeds (omega 3's are good for laminitic horses) but no grain or anything pretty much just hay no treats. try a little flax seed oil in the bran to increase the taste. it really helps heal them faster

I have a friend with a horse who is insulin resistant (therefore also prone to laminitis) and her vet suggested she could feed him peanuts as treats. It's funny, we were just talking about it at the barn today. Horses with this condition should not be fed anything high in sugars. Carrots, apples, pears, and other fruits are actually naturally high in sugar, though few people realize it. That is why horses with this condition should not eat them. They can be fed anything that is high in fat, fiber, or protein, but not carbohydrates (sugars are carbs).

I'm sure your vet meant that you could give your horse a few peanuts as treats, not to feed him lots of peanuts as his feed source! Contrary to popular belief, a few peanuts will not hurt a horse. But peanuts can contain alfatoxins, which are dangerous to a horse. I would try to find a treat that's safer if you can. You can try alfalfa cubes as treats (break up the big ones by hand so he can chew them and doesn't choke). I've known people who feed cereal as a treat (something whole grain with lots of fiber, nothing sugary).

Just keep trying things that are on his list of allowed foods until he finds something he likes. Uckele makes some non-sugary flavorings that you can add to other feeds to try to tempt a finicky equine to eat them. A friend's horse, who had to eat a special diet like your pony, really liked the apple flavored one. Here's a link to their website: http://www.uckele.com/equine/ezecommerce.cfm?fusea...

But most ponies can maintain their weight on hay alone, so maybe you really don't need to worry about finding something your horse can eat. Instead of treats, just give him lots of pats and praise.

I've never fed a pony peanuts. But I had a Shetland Pony once who liked to eat canned dog food. If she was anywhere near a dog bowl she would eat the food.

never ever feed a horse peanuts! they can't digest them and they can clog their intestine over time. try apple or pear. i have no idea why your vet said that. if they're saying stuff like that, i would find a new vet.

edit: i wasnt thinking, i didnt see the laminitis part. sugar is a bad idea, so obviously dont feed apples like i said! gallop made a good point, if you grind the peanuts it makes them more digestable. the other idea, like she said, is an all naturaly (smooth) peanut butter.