tell me about laminitis and frost please

[JLD]

having got through spring and summer teetering on the brink of lami and managed to avoid it with very strict routines/grazing limitation, now coming into autumn I am aware of the frost risk but as it is our first year with him at home I wondered if people could share their experience/ routines ideas etc ? is it just the first frosts or is it frosts all winter that are the problem ? thank you

 

[lottiepony]

My reply is not going to be of any use but will follow this with interest as my horse had laminitis for the first time ever this year and I'm keen to avoid anything that could trigger it so be good to hear others experiences. Previously I would chuck her out in frosty conditions but now it's another worry!!

 

[touchstone]

Mine is fine out in frosty conditions, providing there is plenty of hay to eat. Frost all day isn't a problem for mine, but I find that a sunny day following a frosty morning is much worse, so keep grazing well restricted on those days.

 

[Soup Dragon]

I believe that it is the sun melting the frost that causes the problem and I cannot turn mine out on frosty mornings due to this. Fortunately I work from home so wait for the field to have been frost free for a least an hour before turning her out. I have also been known to leave her out at night and then bring in before the sun is up in the morning to make sure she gets as much turn out as possible. Hay out in the field would be ideal as they seem to prefer that to the frosted grass but not a option for me.

 

[Turks]

My understanding is that the grass carries more starch/sugar when its v. bright and sunny but frozen so the grass cannot use that energy to grow. It is the stored energy (sugar/starch) in the grass that's the real problem. Its the same with drought. The grass has all the energy from the sun but can't grow due to lack of water hence the energy is stored rather than converted to grass growth. Turn-out is better at night in these circumstances.

 

[kellybee]

Yes, the frost followed by sunshine can double NFC levels in grass. There are some articles here. The first summer we had our shetland she came down with laminitis despite being on restricted grazing. She was in a complete mess within a week, and was on a bare paddock with soaked hay all summer. Winter came around and she was underweight yet much better, but the first sign of frost she was worse than ever, even on restricted grazing. Someone recommended magnesium oxide, and I'd read mixed things about the effects of Agnus Castus on laminitics. So, I started feeding her on both at a rate of 1tsp of each twice a day. It cost me roughly £10 a month to supplement her.

Last winter she lived out until January when the stables were finished. My horses had a large round of old hay out in the field at all times, and her weight crept up slowly. I was very concerned about the laminitis, given the fact we had lots of hard frosts followed by sunny days especially after the previous winter's laminitis attacks. To make matters worse she kept escaping under the hedge onto the lush public footpath next door. However, since feeding the supplements, she hasn't been so much as footy. Her weight is much more appropriate to her frame - I can still feel her ribs but they aren't on display any more (she carries her excess weight underneath). She goes out 24/7 on short but not restricted grazing. I tend to rotate my non-lammies, and put her onto the field they've grazed short. When they move, she goes onto the paddock they've just come off.

I don't know if it's the mag ox or the agnus castus that does the trick or both, but she has been sound for 18 months now. The odd few times she's escaped the fields for greener pastures next door, she's come in with a huge grass belly, but had no heat, pulses or lameness. Bear in mind she got out several times last winter and gorged herself silly on sun-thawed morning grass next door before I retrieved her with no resulting problems. My pony has gone from skinny and in pain to a healthy weight and lammy free. I should probably add that I have reduced her supplements to once per day now too, with the same results. I do feed her a little micronised linseed which has certainly changed the condition of her feet. I don't think it helped that her feet were brittle and prone to chipping, but the ML seems to be helping with that too. I think promotion of healthy growth can only be a good thing.

All I know is, that these supplements have changed my pony's health dramatically. She was so poor with all the lammy precautions, and being the greedy breed that she is, clearly didn't have the best quality of life. Supplements have changed that and without them I'm sure we'd have had her PTS by now. The vet tells me that Mag Ox can block calcium intake, so I do take her off it for a few weeks every now and then when it's milder, but this is what's worked best for me, as well as keeping her on short grazing and making sure she has hay (unsoaked now) and plenty of it. It may or may not work for everyone, but this is my experience. Winters were worst for her, but didn't have any trouble at all last year.