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Chickpeas- safe Horse treats?
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Rita Chavez
I bought a bag of roasted, salted chickpeas to snack on. Turns out Stetson loves them, too! Would they be considered a safe treat to give him? According to the label there are 2g of sugar per 1 ounce serving. I’m having a hard time figuring out what is too much. He hasn’t had any handfed treats since his diagnosis in June.
Thanks,
-- Rita C. and Stetson (2001 Tennessee Walking Horse/Gelding, diagnosed IR) Aiken, South Carolina USA June 2021 https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/album?id=265166 https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/files/Rita%20C.%20and%20Stetson
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Rita,
There are several safe treats we know about: Beet-E-Bites, Stabul Nuggets available from Chewy, and Uckele Equi-Treats. Are you feeding a whole ounce at a time? Or just a few? How much starch in an ounce? Here's more information on treats from Files that you may find helpful: https://ecir.groups.io/g/main/files/Treats%20for%20Horses/Safe%20Treats%20for%20IR%20Horses.pdf Using 2 grams of sugar alone as ESC, these chickpeas still have more carbs than the combined ESC and Starch of 1.7 grams in an ounce of Nuzu Stabul1 and the Stabul treats. This is according to my own analysis of a 10 bag lot of Nuzu Stabul1 in 2018. Assuming the starch in chickpeas is reasonable -- it could be a resistant starch that is safe for EMS horses -- a few chickpeas would probably be fine. We need to train ourselves to have a very light hand while treating our metabolic horses. My mares are thrilled with a single treat the size of one or two chiclets. -- Cass, Sonoma Co., CA 2012 ECIR Group Moderator Cayuse and Diamond Case History Folder Cayuse Photos Diamond Photos
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Chickpeas seem to be about 60% starch and 10% sugars, but who knows what kinds of starches. Split peas have similar starch levels but less sugar and we recommend them occasionally. It may be the salt he’s craving. Is he getting plenty of that in his meals? I’m with Cass in that moderation is key.
-- Martha in Vermont
ECIR Group Primary Response July 2012
Logo (dec. 7/20/19), Tobit(EC) and Pumpkin, Handy and Silver (EC/IR)
Martha and Logo
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Rita Chavez
Cass and Martha, thanks for your comments! I only gave him a few, like maybe 10 chickpeas. They’re not really that salty and he’s getting 4 Tbs/day of iodized salt plus has loose free-choice. I think it’s just something he’s missing that he used to enjoy - a treat. I’ve been super cautious and I’ll look into some of those safe treat options from the files mentioned. Thanks!
-- Rita C. and Stetson (2001 Tennessee Walking Horse/Gelding, diagnosed IR) Aiken, South Carolina USA June 2021 https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/album?id=265166 https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/files/Rita%20C.%20and%20Stetson
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