TOPSPEC has launched a new Donkey Forage Balancer in conjunction with The Donkey Sanctuary which will benefit donkeys the world over. £1 from every bag of the product 
sold will be donated to the international animal welfare charity to support their work to help suffering donkey and mules worldwide.
TopSpec Donkey Forage Balancer is designed to be fed to donkeys from three weeks of age upwards.
The product, which has similar benefits to a multivitamin supplement for humans, provides essential vitamins and minerals plus amino acids, pure specific yeast and MOS (mannan oligosaccharides) to balance forage (usually in the form of grass, straw, hay or chop).
The low protein, low sugar and starch, low calorie but high fibre formula will not promote weight gain and can be used as an important part of a weight reduction programme when the rest of the diet is also calorie controlled.
Using TopSpec Donkey Forage Balancer will promote general health, greatly improve hoof quality and produce a supple skin with a strong coat, and also helps to maintain a healthy immune system.
Said Nicola Tyler of TopSpec:
“Donkeys have evolved to do well on a very low intake of energy and protein. The forage that donkeys eat in UK homes today is very different to that found in their natural desert environment. Trials at The Donkey Sanctuary have shown that they respond well to micronutrient supplementation. TopSpec Donkey Forage Balancer provides a tailored formula of micronutrients in a palatable pellet, making it simple for owners to improve the quality of life enjoyed by their donkeys.”
Faith Burden, Head of Policy and Development at The Donkey Sanctuary, added:
“The new forage balancer we have developed with TopSpec has proven to be beneficial for both sick and healthy donkeys. Earlier this year, we took in a young donkey called Arthur, who at just five years old had been so neglected that he was severely underweight, and lacking not only in body condition but also the essential nutrients needed to return him to health. We began feeding him the donkey forage balancer as part of a comprehensive rehabilitation programme designed to gradually return him to health and improve his body condition. After just six weeks Arthur was 22kg closer to a healthy donkey weight, and was much brighter in himself for having access to the vitamins and minerals his body had been craving during his period of neglect.
“As well as helping sick donkeys return to health, TopSpec Donkey Forage Balancer is also very useful as a ‘multivitamin’ style nutritional supplement for healthy donkeys. With winter weather restricting both grazing and the amount of time donkeys can spend outside, we have found that using the forage balancer in treat balls and buried in feed troughs is the perfect source of enrichment, both in terms of diet and stimulation for donkeys prone to boredom. Unlike some other treats, TopSpec Donkey Forage Balancer is something that donkey owners can use to enhance their donkeys’ diets without fear of causing them harm in the long run. Of course, like all nutritional supplements, the forage balancer should only be used as part of a balanced diet.
“Until this point, there have been no commercially available forage balancers specifically designed for donkeys, a statistic which we have been keen to put right. The new TopSpec Donkey Forage Balancer will not only provide a readily-available product that owners can use to supplement donkeys’ diets, but with £1 from each bag sold going to The Donkey Sanctuary, the product will help suffering donkeys worldwide.”
Benefits of TopSpec Donkey Forage Balancer
- Contains the level of Biotin scientifically proven to improve hoof quality in horses (15mg/500kg horse/day), which in association with the methionine, cysteine, calcium, zinc, copper, iodine and Vitamin A present should greatly improve the quality of new hoof growth. Chelated sources of copper and zinc are included in the formulation to improve its effectiveness.
- Biotin, methionine, cysteine, zinc copper and vitamin A will also promote a supple skin and strong coat.
- High levels of a pure, protected yeast to help maintain normal acidity and healthy conditions in the hindgut.
- Additional MOS (mannan oligosaccharides) to help maintain a healthy digestive tract and immune system.
- A broad-spectrum supplement, vital for donkeys on a restricted, forage-only, diet.
- Generous levels of antioxidants including Vitamins A, C and E plus selenium to help maintain health.
- A highly digestible, high-fibre supplement carrier to stimulate the fibre-digesting bacteria in the hindgut, important for donkeys on restricted forage intake.
Features of TopSpec Donkey Forage Balancer
- Palatable.
- Pelleted, can be fed on its own in a bucket/manger or by hand.
- ‘Non-Heating’, because it is very low in sugar/starch and high in fibre.
- Offers truly comprehensive nutritional support, all in one product.
- Labour saving, no need to mix with other feeds to act as a carrier.
- TopSpec Donkey Forage Balancer is a unique TopSpec No-Grain TM formula, guaranteed not to contain cereal grains.
For free nutritional advice and further information please contact theTopSpec Multiple Award-Winning Helpline on 01845 565030 or visit www.topspec.com
For more advice on the welfare and management of donkeys, as well as the worldwide work of the charity, please contact The Donkey Sanctuary on 01395 578222 or visit www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk.