Laminitis risk in poor doers

annareeves0

annareeves0

Active Member
Dec 18, 2007
3,301
13
38
55
Bournemouth, Dorset
I understand the whole think about weight management in good doers, restricting grass, potential metabolic disorders, the role of obesity etc etc in laminitis.
What I don't understand how this relates to my poor doer. I believe Logan has some long standing worm damage and as Rosie is piling it on he is struggling to maintain and his ribs ate only just covered, visible on movement. I have long grass available that we could let him onto for maybe an hour or two a day for a boost but I'm really worried that sudden rush of food will be really bad for his whole system and make him lami prone.

Thoughts please, especially from barefooters :)
 
I doubt he would get laminitis but he might possibly colic depending on how much other forage he is eating.

Perhaps you could give him his normal hay and feed first so he doesn't scoff, plus he will have something in his gut to help mix with the fresh grass, then slowly build up the time on the long grass.

A lot depends on the weather really, another month and the long grass should be going to seed and will be less potent.

I have a lami pony and she is fine on the very long grass, its the short fresh stuff I have to worry about.
 
I have a poordoing laminitic so it is possible. she doesn't have cushings either (tested twice now ....) and no obvious reason for it. it can happen. and I agree, soon the long stuff will be safer than the luminous short stuff!
 
Would just start shorter - 20 minutes while you tack up eye and build it up - then you can monitor his soundness.

Have you worm counted/blood tested him recently to make sure the worms arent resistant and still there? :) xxx
 
Long grass is far safer than short. Horses require a huge volume of fibre - but not necessarily rich fibre, and short grass will always be higher in sugar than long - it is inherently stressed, usually over grazed, add to that the odd frost (even in the summer, it can frost), and you have a very high sugar feed.

If he is poor, I would turn him out on longer grass. Most horses don't get laminitis, it is the exception, rather than the rule.

He may get slightly runnier poos, but personally I would not fuss about it - give him a week on longer grass and he will be fine. You will have no need to then feed him concentrate/bucket feed.

He sounds like he needs some proper grazing.
 
Ditto the above. Long grass and a per/pro biotic to help him get the most out of what he's eating. When I first turn Littles out onto extra grass he gets his usual dose of pink powder doubled to help him cope and not get sloppy poo. Seems to work for us.
 
Half an hour everyday really shouldn't do much harm. When my little welsh b mare is looking a bit ribby/poor I let her graze on my long grass for 30-45mins daily and it does her the world of good. :smile:
 
How is he doing Anna?

In addition to posts - sugar sensitivity is not related to weight or ability to maintain weight - it is often the case that fat, good doing ponies get laminitis with the blame labelled on grass. And a lot of underweight ponies where it is cushings or concussive etc - I think grass is overlooked as a cause for poor dooers also.

It's kind of like children and E numbers - it's not the case that only overweight children are affected badly by E numbers.

Likewise conditions such as ems are not limited to fat ponies, but certainly more prevalent in overweight ponies.
 
my poordoer came in a bit footy a few days ago. with her it's not cushings and not concussive. various vets have been, various tests were done .... she's in work, not overweight .. go figure!
 
notpoodle said:
my poordoer came in a bit footy a few days ago. with her it's not cushings and not concussive. various vets have been, various tests were done .... she's in work, not overweight .. go figure!
Click to expand...

But I think often other causes are looked at with poor doers - with fatties it pretty much always seems to be "grass" as the cause by vets and nothing else looked at. There is a misconception that only overweight or good doers can be sensitive to grass. That's not the case.

It is almost like an allergy in a way. The grass is broken down in the system, and it releases sugars. Breakdown of sugars releases toxins in the gut. It is believed to be an inability to cope with the toxins released that causes the changes to the connections between laminae and hoof wall. It matters not whether fat or thin, big or small, pink or green - each horse copes differently with the toxins from grass. Some never bat an eyelid, others show mild to moderate sensitivity eg over certain surfaces at certain times of year, others have multiple episodes of more significant "laminitis" - it is all believed to be gut related from breakdown and intolerance of sugars.

Sorry I'm on nights and I can't write what I'm trying to say very well! Basically weight and how food efficient they are makes no difference any horse can be sensitive to grass sugars.
 
newrider.com
Top Bottom
Back