A big part of my donkey care program is about supportive herbs and natural supplements. Garlic and ACV (apple cider vinegar) are an important cornerstone of the basic health care support I can provide. Both are inexpensive and contain multiple benefits. You may already know of the multiple benefits they provide humans. They do pretty much the same thing for our donkeys!
My vets have told me I have some of the healthiest looking donkeys they’ve ever seen. I contribute that to a natural feed plan, exercise, regular farrier trims, and natural health support supplements. Since I take in rescue donkeys that have not had these advantages natural supplements such as herbs can gently help get them on the road to recovery faster than without.
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I’m going to get right to it here and talk about why ACV is an important component to add to your donkeys feeding program.
Benefits of Adding ACV to Your Donkey’s Care and Feed Plan
- Promotes healthy joints
- Enhances skin and coat
- Balances PH
- Boost immune system health
- Helps dissolve calcium deposits
- Improves urinary tract health
- Stimulates digestion
- Help resist internal and external parasite build-up
- Contains beneficial enzymes
- Flushes toxins
- Has natural antibiotic properties
- Helps calm a nervous donkey
- Can help repel insects
- May improve and relieve arthritis
Plus they really love it! Sometimes its what I like to use to encourage them to eat something boring, like hay pellets. I have often had rescue donkeys that are so used to eating sweet feed that they don’t want to eat anything else. A little ACV usually gets them eating healthier stuff and starts them on a road to health in more ways than one.
Now, if ACV does all that why add garlic? Let me tell you why it’s another great easy and highly beneficial supplement to add to your donkey care and feeding plan.
Benefits of Adding Raw Garlic to your Donkeys Care and Feeding Plan
Garlic can also be used as a daily health support preventative supplement. In the past, I have added garlic powder to my donkeys’ food but that form of garlic that isn’t as helpful as raw garlic. Approximately 80% of garlic consists of sulfur compounds. Raw garlic contains a compound called ‘allicin’. That is what gives garlic most of its beneficial properties.
- Increases Bile flow
- Fights infections
- It’s antiseptic, antibiotic, antiviral and anti-fungal
- It’s great for respiratory health because of it’s antibiotic and expectorant properties
- Repels parasites both internal and external.
- Reduces pathogen organisms in the intestinal tract but leaves the gut flora intact.
- Stimulates brain function
- It contains trace minerals such as zinc and copper. Both necessary for equine health.
Garlic is one of the most widely used herbs in horse supplement products today. It’s safe to feed routinely but safe to increase dosages in case of fighting an infection.
The allicin in garlic is active after being crushed, sliced or chopped. It’s less potent when dried. Raw garlic can be fed directly to donkeys or used in infusions. Some people choose to steep in honey or molasses to fed but many donkeys can’t handle that kind of sugar on a daily bases.
A large equine dosage recommendation is 3 to 4 cloves a day or 15-30 grams of powder a day.
Why an ACV Garlic Infusion is my Favorite way to feed
With the powder not being as beneficial, I prefer to feed raw, but there is a problem with feeding raw garlic.
My donkeys don’t like it raw. Raw garlic can give an unpleasant burning sensation to the mouth and stomach. It can cause digestive upset for some.
By infusing it with ACV I accomplish 2 things:
- ACV helps preserve the beneficial compounds of the raw garlic without causing burning or digestive upset.
- It combines 2 health-supportive supplements in one container. One less thing in my feed room!
My Donkey Care ACV and Garlic Infusion Recipe
This is so simple!
- A quart of ACV
- 5 Cloves of crushed garlic
Combine and let sit. Give large donkeys 2 oz poured over fed and smaller donkeys 1 oz. I pour over hay pellets.
This is gentle enough to feed every day if you want to or just occasionally when you feel like your donkey might need a health support boost.
Want to SEE how simple it is? Watch this youtube video of me making it.
Donkey Care: ACV and Garlic
There are many supplements that can help donkeys for general good health. I don’t know of a more beneficial, easy to make or inexpensive one than this infusion.
Interested in learning more about Natural Donkey Care?
Check out my Essential Oils for Donkeys ebook on Amazon. It’s also available for free to my level 2 and 3 tier Donkey Training Group members. This book will teach you how to start a basic kit of essential oils for your donkeys, go over safety guidelines and give you recipes using your kit. Click the picture and check it out!
Also, check out these articles for making your own DIY Natural Donkey Care products:
Homemade Fly Spray for Donkeys,
Fly Repellent Ointment for Equine [Free Recipe]
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