laminitis
Feeding for Laminitis by Evangaline Atterby. BSc (hons) Bioveterinary Science. Nutritional Advisor and Technical Assistant at NAF
As the days lengthen - at last! I hear you cry; we have the opportunity to turn our horses out for longer once more. For many of us this is a relief and a welcome break from the constant winter stable routine, but for some, a new menace approaches in the form of avoiding the dreaded Laminitis. By planning ahead however, we can help to minimise the risk to our horses and ponies.
Restricted grazing is likely to be a must if you own a laminitic or a native type, but it is important to ensure they receive plenty of fibre in other forms. Ad lib hay is great and soaking can help to remove some of the sugars which we are so concerned about, whilst non-molassed chop fed alongside should provide all fibre required. The downside of soaking our forage is that we can often lose vitamins and minerals, but don’t fret as these can easily be replaced without adding excess calories or sugar. Balancers are a quick and easy way to rebalance the diet and with many now being pelleted, they are increasingly easy to feed. Look for a concentrated
www.theequinesite.co.uk
version, which offers sugar free flavours, as this will mean you aren’t adding too much bulk or ‘heating’ elements to the diet.
By far the most important factor with laminitic horses and ponies is weight management, so if you have noticed your equine friend is carrying a few extra kilos, then now is the time to act. Fat pads and a cresty neck can predispose your horse to problems such as laminitis. High fibre, low sugar diets along with a suitable exercise regime should help your horse to slim down, but if you feel you need additional support, look for a weight management supplement, combining ingredients like magnesium, noted to encourage movement of fat pads, with marine extracts, long used in human weight management. It may seem counter intuitive to feed more in order to add these, so always look for pelleted products if you can, which can be fed ‘straight’, without the need for added feed.
Gut support is also key when caring for the lami-prone horse or pony. Many are good doers
and so can exist on forage alone, but offering gut support allows them to maximise on their dietary intake without additional sugars or fillers. The gut is the powerhouse of the horse and the benefits of providing five star support to this vital part of the constitution are many and varied. Better digestive transit means a happier tummy too.
MSM, a bioavailable form of sulphur, is also a beneficial ingredient for healthy hooves. Sulphur forms bonds in the hoof, which helps with structural integrity of the hoof wall and laminae, and by offering a supplementary form of MSM we can maximise on the quality of the horn and bonds within the hoof structure; after all, no hoof, no horse. Antioxidants can also be beneficial, flushing damaging free radicals from the system and maintaining healthy hooves by supporting the natural recovery process.
With considered management, many horses and ponies can avoid problems and still enjoy some turn out too.
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