Laminitis and Molasses?

[Ariel301]

This is actually referring to a goat with laminitis, but there is almost no information around on laminitis in the goat, since it is primarily a horse condition, so I thought I'd try the horse people. Let's pretend she's a horse with chronic founder for a while.

She's extremely sensitive to grain, if she eats it, she gets really lame and sick within a day. But she's really super thin and needs something more than hay to gain weight. I've been giving her rice bran, and it helps some but I think she needs more, so I am considering other things to give her. My question is, does molasses have any effect on laminitis? Would it be best to avoid molasses, or is it not a problem?

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

Have you tried beet pulp? I doubt it would completely solve the chronic underconditioning, but it does provide a highly digestable fiber and may help provide calories without affecting her laminitis (?). Purely speculation on my part, we've never dealt with founder. But I have been happy with the results of adding beet pulp.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I really don't think it's the molasses causing the issue with founder/laminitis, but I think it's just any grain. The amount of molasses added to grain really isn't much. Other than rice bran or beet pulp, I'm not sure what you could add. Is this a doe in milk? She may need to be dried off so she can gain.

 

[Ariel301]

She's in milk, but doesn't gain even when dry. We just recently figured out the grain was affecting her, and my grain did not have molasses in it, but a lot of feeds do, so I was wondering if molasses typically bothers chronically laminitic horses. If so, I'll steer clear of molasses feeds just to be safe. I tried beet pulp, she wouldn't eat it.

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

Did you try the shreds or pellets? Soaked or dry? Probably all of the above... Ours love beet pulp- I have yet to have one of ours refuse. But, goats can be picky creatures.

 

[Ariel301]

Our feed store only has shreds. She hates them dry, and will only nibble maybe half a mouthful wet. I'm currently also giving her alfalfa pellets, and the owner of our feed store recommends an alfalfa and molasses feed for putting weight on animals, but I don't know if the molasses is likely to add to the laminitis or not.

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

I've never seen any reference to it... but like you said there is a limited amount of info floating around about laminitis in goats. Since you know already that grain (without molasses) causes her an immediate issue why not try adding a small amount of molasses to her alfalfa pellets without adding grain and see if the results are the same as with grain?

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Has she been tested for Johnnes? And I'm wondering if adding corn oil (or soybean oil) would work to help her gain without causing more founder issues.

 

[Ariel301]

She's negative for Johne's, CAE, and CL. She was on corn oil, up to a half cup a day, and wasn't gaining. But she was also eating 2-3 pounds of grain with that, and I discovered the grain was giving her digestive problems that were in turn causing the laminitis and weight issues (and it doesn't help that she broke one of her pasterns at some point in the past and it was not set right so it's deformed now, and just happens to be the leg that the laminitis is worst in...)

No one out there feeding a laminitic horse? I can't seem to find any information on whether it's ok for them to have feeds with molasses or not, since it's a sugar (aka a carbohydrate) I could see it causing issues.