Elderly donkeys with dental problems may struggle to eat long fibres; to maintain a healthy digestive tract and natural behavior it is important to provide an alternative fibre source. Trickle feeding of donkey friendly, short chopped, chaff products throughout the day encourages the donkey to maintain natural feeding behavior and should assist with maintaining a healthy body condition. Chaff products should be soft, laminitic friendly with low sugar levels and should be safe for feeding as a sole diet, the addition of an appropriate balancer will ensure the donkey is receiving adequate nutrients. The base diet of short chop can also have additional fibre rich products added if further condition is required. When chaff can no longer be adequately chewed a complete feed of soaked fibre cubes and an appropriate balancer may maintain quality of life for an extended period. | Elderly donkeys with dental problems may struggle to eat long fibres; to maintain a healthy digestive tract and natural behavior it is important to provide an alternative fibre source. Trickle feeding of donkey friendly, short chopped, chaff products throughout the day encourages the donkey to maintain natural feeding behavior and should assist with maintaining a healthy body condition. Chaff products should be soft, laminitic friendly with low sugar levels and should be safe for feeding as a sole diet, the addition of an appropriate balancer will ensure the donkey is receiving adequate nutrients. The base diet of short chop can also have additional fibre rich products added if further condition is required. When chaff can no longer be adequately chewed a complete feed of soaked fibre cubes and an appropriate balancer may maintain quality of life for an extended period. |