Can horses still get laminitis this time of year or is grass dying

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thinlizzy

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Just wondering my boys fine but lots of rich green grass in field im hacking him out in walk four times a week for nearly hour and a half/two bringing him back into work his field is huge and there is lots of grass can he get laminitis this time of year ?Or am i ok ?Just a question he is a on the fat side due to none work until recently
Thank-you
 
Unfortunately, yes they can. They can actually get laminitis at any time of the year. I had a Shire which got it in February - it took the vet a long time to diagnose it (too long, we lost her).
In September the grass has another growing spurt, so is particularly dangerous, especially this year with the warm, wet weather.
Your best course of action is probably to muzzle him. I prefer this to strip grazing as this encourages them to move around the field. It is thought that wild ponies don't get laminitis as frequently as domesticated ones because their feet are constantly moving, which is better for them. You may have to experiment with muzzles to find the best one for your horse and PLEASE remember to use a field-safe headcollar, which will break open if the horse catches it on something, to attach it to.
It's always a balancing act trying to keep them at a suitable weight, especially at this time of the year when they possibly can be a little heavier to go into the winter.
Good luck!
 
I always think that this time of year is more dangerous in terms of lami as everyone associates it with spring grass, when really if you have a lami prone animal ANY time of year is risky. Warm, wet weather such as we're having now are prime grass growing conditions.
If you're at all concerned about your chap, restricting access to the risher grass may well be a good idea:)
 
Thankyou for your quick replies ill hack him more as well hes only walking so it wont hurt and keep him in for a few hours and research muzzles he has a lot of rich green grass
 
I'm pretty sure the Laminitis Clinic actually state that they get more cases of laminitis referred to them in the autumn than they do in the spring! So definitely be very careful and muzzle, strip graze, part-stable or do whatever suits your animal to restrict grazing and reduce his weight.
 
TGM said:
I'm pretty sure the Laminitis Clinic actually state that they get more cases of laminitis referred to them in the autumn than they do in the spring! So definitely be very careful and muzzle, strip graze, part-stable or do whatever suits your animal to restrict grazing and reduce his weight.
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I was just about to say this too - I think it's stated on their website. Unfortunately, my family are all like "oh, it's not spring now, let's let the ponies out on all the yummy green grass" and I have to say no and look mean!
 
The next few months are probably the most dangerous..I know my fields have greened up significantly recently. Warm, wet and sunny makes for a dangerous time for laminitis.
My lad came to me a week before Christmas with full blown laminitis so it really can be anytime of year especially if your horse is already overweight.
I would concentrate on getting his weight down asap and restricting his grass intake.
If your horse is prone don't ever be complacent:)
 
Any time of the year is dangerous for a lami prone horse but the autumn 'flush' is certainly very dangerous.

Muzzles are great as not only do they restrict your horse's intake of grass, but studies have shown (as someone else already said) that the horse moves around more with one on - thought that they are searching for the longer grass that can push through the muzzle.
 
They can get laminitis at almost anytimeof year, with spring and autum being the worst, it just depends on the grass, we have had lots of wet but warm weather so the grass will be rich.
be careful, you dont want it flaring up.
 
This is the worst time as we're having a lot of rain followed by sun. My poor horse has to be muzzled nearly all year round! I thought November last year would've been safe but oh no! She got it!
I think some areas have richer grazing than others. The place I'm at now has caused a few more problems than my last so she is muzzled more. :(
 
The answer is yes as everyone has said, but just to mention a horse/pony doesn't have to be fat to have lami....it's not a weight thing, the weight doesn't help as it's the sensitive lamini in the foot that is inflamed. As grass is the major cause of it then you do find the two go hand in hand, but a skinny pony can also get it.
A pony on starvation on really short grass is more likely to get it again as it's the short sweet grass that they eat before you even see it that is the worse. (We have a 27 year old pony that is prone and he has been out on long grass all season without a problem, as it's grown past the point of having the sugars in it. He is a little different as he doesn't have many teeth so eatting the short sweet stuff is impossible for him.)

Remember if you are restricting grazing then you are to provide hay etc.... in the stable as it's not good for the gut to be starved for hours and then released again on the grass.

Muzzle is the best idea and the exercise is good for the weight.

They can get Lami of hard feed etc as well, it isn't restricted to grass only....also illness can bring it on.

Sorry went on a bit there didn't I.
 
Sammii819 said:
The answer is yes as everyone has said, but just to mention a horse/pony doesn't have to be fat to have lami....it's not a weight thing, the weight doesn't help as it's the sensitive lamini in the foot that is inflamed. As grass is the major cause of it then you do find the two go hand in hand, but a skinny pony can also get it.
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You are right that skinny ponies can get laminitis as well, BUT being overweight long term is thought by the experts to make horses and ponies more susceptible to laminitis (similar to the way overweight humans are more likely to get type 2 diabetes). So, whilst it is important to restrict sugar and starch rich feeds (ie grass, highly molassed feeds, cereals such as oats, barley, maize, wheat and cereal-rich nuts and mixes), it is also really important to keep an animal's weight down to a healthy level.
 
My old boy got laminitis in October; the vet said that laminitis is as common in the autumn (if not more so) than in the spring, as often in the autumn there's a lot more wet weather about, plus frosty mornings. Its best to avoid turning out anything remotely prone to laminitis (or even not prone!) onto lush grass when its a frosty morning, especially when its sunny, as the frost combined with the sunshine has a chemical process (sorry I don't understand the bio-science!!) which means that there will be more fructans in the grass, which is not good. If you can, wait till the frost has gone before turning out.
 
Overweight horses are more pre-disposed to Laminitis. This means that to avoid an incident of laminitis you need to keep the weight of your horse down so that you can just see it's ribs and he is slightly tucked in at the haunches.

Laminitis is triggered off by a number of different things such as Concushion of the feet on hard ground, an infection, Insulin Intolerance, Cushings Disease or an Excess of worms such as emerging encystead small read worms (not detected in a worm count and a specific wormer required to control them).

I would suggest that your horse is grazed in a small paddock or alternatively buy some electric fencing and fence off a small paddock moving it slightly each day to allow some strip grazing.

Under no circumstances attempt to starve your horse just reduce it's food intake.
 
horses have been known to get laminitis in the middle of winter. also sutumn grass is richer than spring grass because of the sun so can be stronger and more likely to get laminitis in autumn than spring
 
sorry but everybody is correct horses can get laminitis at any time , the hardest thing to understand is that it is not always feed /nutrition that triggers it
 
Hes never suffered from it but i had a native who had it before i got him so i am aware i only feed chaff <dobson and horrell> and a handful of pasture mix if i dont ride him i leave him in a few hours with hay .Is that ok vets visiting end of month im going to quiz her too and get a muzzle
 
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