Laminitis - a Public Health Warning!

MrsMozart

MrsMozart

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Spoke to my vet yesterday. We're mvoing fields and planning out who goes where/when.

Vet said she's seen two lami cases in the last two days and these are ponies that live out twenty-four-seven, so there is still some goodness in the grass folks. Be aware!
 
My mare went down with Laminitis 2 weeks ago, i am very carefull with her, but my vet said for some reason this autumn seems very bad for the sugar levels in the grass.
She is fine now as got it very early but having to be masked for the next few weeks until the grass stops growing.
Please be extra vigilant folks.
 
Hope she recovers quickly and well!

I've just opened out the field for the lads - Dizz and Grey Mare have eaten down the top of the grass, but it's not too short, so I have my finges crossed that we're at the right level, i.e. not so short that the grass is stressed, but not so long that it's a stick of sugar!

Will keep weight taping and checking for a pulse for a few weeks yet.
 
I'm pretty confident that if your horses have no underlying issues (latent Cushing's or EMS, etc) are used to time out at grass and are in the slim weight range, grazing them at this time of year should not be a problem. You should still keep a watchful eye on their overall intake, introduction to new grass and most importantly exercise - or lack thereof, but I truly believe these unexpected cases have other issues beyond 'grass'.

That is not to say another reminder to watch what is going on around the ribs and hooves should be kept up throughout the year. If you can't feel their ribs beneath fat or long coat, alarm bells should be ringing loud and clear!
 
Thanks for the warning Mrs M, I'm some considerable way off turning out my girl as she's still on some painkillers, but is getting much much better

I was wondering though, what do people do regarding frost and laminitic prone horses turned out 24/7. Depending on the weather I usually leave mine out until end December but obviousy there are a lot of frosty mornings! Just thinking ahead really, is it ok for frosty grass in the middle of winter?
 
It is still mild and the grass will still be growing; I still see fat horses, unclipped and rugged :( just not neccessary.


I have started to let my two out into the winter field, I started last Monday for half an hour, Tues for an hour and so on; They are now going on it for three hours, in the next few days it will increase, by the end of the week they will be out overnight and in during the day until they have eaten it down, then the size of the paddock with be increased.

Sounds like a lot of hassle, but this is how I have done it like this for the past 8 years it works well with no laminitis so far :)
 
The odd cold nights along with the sunshine is an indicator to get your horses off the grass or at least reduce grass intake.
Hope all those inflicted recover soon and well.
Also don't forget to look at your horses whole diet especially any feeds/treats containg sugars.

Have a look at the articles on this site. Tons and tons of info I'm afraid.
http://www.safergrass.org/
 
Mine are in at night and out during day, if its a frosty morning i give them a small chaff feed to line the tummies, then put a section of hay out to keep them occuppied whilst the frost melts as mine are quite fussy as to what they eat. This has worked well for me. will be rugging up very soon.
 
mollylolly said:
Mine are in at night and out during day, if its a frosty morning i give them a small chaff feed to line the tummies, then put a section of hay out to keep them occuppied whilst the frost melts as mine are quite fussy as to what they eat. This has worked well for me. will be rugging up very soon.
Click to expand...

giving them a 'nothing' feed is also a good idea so their tummy's are full and they don't rush out and eat lots!!
 
My girl had laminitis in March, I have been riding her now for just over a month.

I stable her at night and in the morning she has 1 scoop of Happy Hoof with a small hay net before she goes out with a muzzle on. I weigh and soak all her hay and she is only allowed maximum 5hours of grazing with a muzzle. She was fully clipped 2weeks ago and only has a 100g rug on, she's not having her medium weight for a while yet.

It's hard work and involves lots of trips to the yard but I daren't leave her out any longer.
 
Can young horses (2 yo welsh A) get laminitis? Sorry to "push in" on this post OP....

Basil is rather fat and is on quite good grass - in at night with one section of hay and handful of "safe and sound" just to say thanks for being caught - no breakfast just back out in field.

No rug and will remain so unless it gets really wet and below zero.
 
mine are muzzled during the day and strip grazed at night however I am increasing the amount I move the strip everyday otherwise it becomes very short and poaches easily.. no stable. I let them have the 13 acre field last October with no problems, cant see when I am able to this year however the grass is turning yellow.. does that mean its getting safer?
 
My ponies are out in the main field 24/7 now but both are slim and the grass is rubbish. Cosmo does have the beginning of Cushings but we have kept a close eye on him and can still feel ribs on Cookie (though he is seriously fluffing up for the winter!).
 
Both of mine are on rubbish bald bare grazing, Melly is looking the right sort of weight, but I worry about Seren who is nearly 5 months pregnant, and although carrying a nice body weight and looking good, she has a massive crest, so Im terrified of her coming down with lami! Both girls are clipped (chaser), Seri is lunged 3/4 times a week and Mels is lead out in hand (she cant be ridden or lunged), and Im strip grazing. I dont know what else I can do, and dread seeing a frost, as I have nowhere to put my girls until my shelter goes up!
 
My girl is still strip grazed, this mild damp weather is a pig as we have too much of the green. She is a nice slim 3 - 3.5 but is v sensitive to sugars so I am taking no risks what so ever. Far too warm still for rugs for her as she is super fluffy with just an irish clip. She was too hot in the field in her full winter coat! October has the oddest weather atm!
Frost is a risk wether the horses are out on it all night or turned out onto it in the morning as it raises the sugar levels in the grass as the grass has a stress reaction to the freezing temps. If ours are out overnight and there will be a frost then they get some hay out. If they go out in the morning before the frost is gone they they get a little hay or a scoop of dampened chaff - just to keep them off the grass while it is too sugary!!
 
Visiting various yards across the south it seems there is some confusion about when grass sugar levels are at their peak and the effect of frost on grass.

I recommend everyone reads this article http://www.safergrass.org/articles/nfcfactors.html

from which this (below) is extracted.

Time of day

Levels of NSC will be lowest from about 3 AM to 10 AM. NSC peaks in afternoon, and will start to decline after the sun goes down. Therefore the best time to graze fat or laminitic horses is very early morning. Someone needs to invent a gate opener with a timer for those who like to sleep late. Mine go out at 5 AM for 2 to 3 hours.

Temperature

Nighttime temperatures of less than about 40F (5C) will cause sugar and fructan levels to increase significantly. The duration of the lower temperature will have a direct bearing on the amount of sugars leftover from the day before. A week of nights with freezing temperatures and sunny days can double the NSC content of grass.
 
Ive had to put my Cob in a well eaten field as the grass that was coming through he was going crazy on!! So must be really high on sugar, and hes such a good doer he doesnt need that! He comes in at night for hay and chaff! lol
 
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