Laminitis Grazing Management

You often hear of horses developing laminitis when turned out on fresh pasture in the spring.

Laminitis grazing management. Use grazing muzzles or turn out horses on drylots. Avoid grazing lush pastures especially between late morning and late afternoon hours since plant sugars are the highest during these times. Horses suffering from insulin resistance ir and or cushing s disease as well as horses and ponies with the easy keeper phenotype are often. This will also help maintain an appropriate body weight body condition score which helps protect against development of laminitis and some diet related disorders.

Restrict pasture intake during spring or anytime the pasture suddenly greens up. And other british researchers have studied the benefits of a well fitted grazing. And if laminitis is a possibility feed a low sugar starch diet and restrict grass by using a muzzle strip grazing or setting up a track and allow grazing only when sugar levels are likely to be lowest remember sun 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.

Laminitis can strike horses in the fall too. Laminitis is a serious. Avoid grazing for all horses at risk of laminitis. Grazing is likely to need to be restricted in overweight horses or those prone to laminitis.

Some horses develop laminitis due to a sudden shift in diet such as gorging on grain or grazing lush spring grass and this is considered acute laminitis other horses develop chronic laminitis as a result of metabolic issues such as insulin resistance metabolic syndrome and obesity. Often overlooked triggers that come into play especially in the autumn include hormonal environmental and barn management factors. Lush fast growing grass is high in soluble carbohydrates which can raise blood glucose and insulin levels. Laminitis grazing management can help you to do this.

Be strategic in choosing turnout times. Feeding management prevention we must carefully manage pasture turnout roughage and grain intake in horses and ponies that are at risk of developing laminitis or are currently affected. If in doubt don t graze. Laminitis is an inflammatory disease of the leaflike laminae that suspend the coffin bone within the foot.

The best way to deal with laminitis is preventing the causes under your control. Grazing can be restricted by using electric fencing to strip graze setting up a track system or by using a grazing muzzle. Treatment and management acute.