Avoiding Laminitis In Pasture

Laminitis grazing management can help you to do this.

Avoiding laminitis in pasture.

Research has shown that pasture induced laminitis occurs at times of rapid grass growth. Avoid grazing lush pastures especially between late morning and late afternoon hours since plant sugars are the highest during these times. However sugar glucose and fructan content can fluctuate throughout the day and over several days. Make dietary changes slowly.

The best way to deal with laminitis is preventing the causes under your control. Avoid grazing for all horses at risk of laminitis. So prevention of laminitis is two fold. Limit pasture intake particularly when sugar content is expected to be high and prevent manage insulin resistance.

The lower part of a plant may contain the highest amount of sugar. If you are concerned about their weight or their risk of laminitis then you should also try to avoid grazing them at times when environmental conditions indicate that wsc levels could be elevated or when there is lots of grass available that will inevitably increase their intake. As your horse pastures spring back to life it may be wise to consider limiting your horse s pasture grazing time. If your horse has been on a specific type of hay or other forage over the past few months do not suddenly turn it out on pasture for the bulk of every day.

There are several steps owners can take to avoid pasture associated laminitis in the spring. Therefore we must carefully manage pasture turnout and. Avoid grazing pastures with a lot of seed heads. Managing pastures seek veterinarian approval before grazing horses prone to or with previous episodes of laminitis.

In a 2016 study menzies gow et al followed 446 animals on pasture over a period of three years. Spring is the peak time for grass associated laminitis in most parts of the world. There was no increase of fructan in the pasture when laminitis cases appeared nor no indication of diarrhea or hindgut upset. There are several steps owners can take to avoid pasture associated laminitis in the spring.

Theoretically at least every horse is at risk of developing laminitis if he gorges himself on enough young pasture grass in a short enough period of time to result in severe gut upset. If you have a sensitive horse you must manage pastures carefully. If your horse has been on a specific type of hay or other forage over the past few months do not suddenly turn it out on pasture for the bulk of every day. First what it s not there is zero evidence to support the idea that naturally occurring spring pasture laminitis is related to fructan and hind gut.

Restrict pasture intake during spring or anytime the pasture suddenly greens up. You can effectively treat or better yet prevent it but only if you understand the mechanism. Use grazing muzzles or turn out horses on dry lots. Make all dietary changes slowly.