Kind of a strange question here.... I have 2 chinchillas and I give them pressed Hay/alfalfa cubes occassionally. Well anyway, one of my dogs "discovered" the box of cubes and had several of them on the ground munching them down. So the other night I broke one up in 3's and offered it to all 3 dogs just to see whats up and they ate them like it was the greatest thing. Is there any benefit to letting them eat one once in awhile? Or is it something they really cant digest and would be no benefit? I thought maybe they have something in the alfalfa to bind it together like molasses or something but it just smells like hay, just thought it was interesting that they think its so great.
i don't think it will hurt. i give the rabbits and guinea pigs timothy and other kinds of grass hay, and both the cats and luc think that it's just the greatest ever. nothing bad has happened yet not sure on the nutritional value though.
If they aren't allergic, and it doesn't make them vomit or affect their poo (which you likely would have observed by now, if it did), then I don't see any harm.
I wouldn't feed it to them until after they'd eaten their "real" food, just so they don't fill up on empty filler.
I know alfalfa is used with horses to help them bulk up during the winter, but I don't know if dogs would utilize the nutrients the same way.
Melissa Thom Webboard User Reg: 12-04-2007
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it's basically fiber block and I don't see an issue as long as they chew it. If they're downing the whole block in a gulp though I would be alarmed since it will expand by alot depending on your manufacturer. If you'd like to see how much drop one in a water bucket.
Thanks for the replies. One of my dogs has bad allergies but I've been watching him and he doesnt seem to be reacting to them, which I was worried because when I gave him alfalfa powder his itching seemed to get worse so I quit that. Yes they chew them up so no problem there and there poo's seem fine except maybe they are a bit bigger than normal. I thought maybe because I dont feed veggies in their raw food that they were missing something so thats why they are so crazy for them but I'm not sure about that. Well they have a new treat to add to their list Guess alittle extra fiber isn't bad for anyone, including dogs-
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Hay Cubes
#213704 - 10/28/2008 09:52 AM 
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Re: Hay Cubes
[Re: Kathy West ]
#213710 - 10/28/2008 09:57 AM 
not sure on the nutritional value though.
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