What Should I Feed My Pony Prone To Laminitis?

Hay – The Core Feed For A Laminitis Diet The basis of any diet for a horse or pony prone to laminitis or suffering acute laminitis is hay. The best choice of forage is one that is low in sugar, starch, and fructans (non-structural carbohydrates or NSC).

What is the best feed for laminitic ponies?

Fast Fibre, Veteran Light and ‘L’ Mix are designed specifically for horses and ponies prone to laminitis and are high in fibre and very low in starch and sugar, each with a combined level of under 10%.

What do you feed a laminitic prone horse?

Hay is likely to form the bulk of the diet for an EMS/PPID/laminitic horse. Late cut, native species grass hay is likely to have lower sugar levels than early cut improved species (e.g. ryegrass) grass hay. High fibre haylage may also be suitable.

How do I stop my pony from getting laminitis?

The best way to deal with laminitis is preventing the causes under your control. Keep all grain stored securely out of the reach of horses. Introduce your horse to lush pasture gradually. Be aware that when a horse is ill, under stress or overweight, it is especially at risk.

What can make your pony more likely to get laminitis?

Any horse or pony can be affected by laminitis, but some can be more susceptible than others. Up to 90% of laminitis episodes are linked to an underlying hormonal disorder², while excess weight gain can more than double the risk of laminitis developing¹. Fat scoring your horse will help monitor their weight.

What can you not feed a laminitic horse?

You should NEVER feed a feed to a laminitic horse if it has any of the following ingredients: Oats, corn, wheat, rice or barley. Millrun, millmix, bran (rice or wheat), pollard. Any form of steam flaked, micronized or extruded grain.

What foods cause laminitis?

It has become evident in recent years that although the over consumption of grass or feed high in starch or sugar is still commonly associated with horses developing laminitis, up to 90% of cases have an underlying hormonal cause.

What are the 3 inciting causes of laminitis?

There are 3 main causes of laminitis: Overload, Inflammatory and Metabolic.

• Overload Laminitis. Relatively less commonly, horses can get laminitis from overload, typically associated with non-weight bearing conditions in one limb thereby overloading the opposite limb.
• Inflammatory Laminitis.
• Metabolic Laminitis.

What are 4 causes of laminitis?

Laminitis can be caused by many factors, including overeating (obesity), working on a hard surface (commonly referred to as road founder), running high fevers, exposure to black walnut shavings, and stress. Ponies are extremely susceptible to laminitis, especially when fed rich, lush forage.

How long does a laminitic episode last?

It takes weeks to months for a horse to recover from laminitis. In one research study, 72% of animals were sound at the trot after 8 weeks and 60% were back in work.

How do you stop a pony from foundering?

To avoid grass founder:

1. Allow the horse to fill up on hay before turning out on grass for a few hours.
2. Place a grazing muzzle on horses predisposed to foundering to limit their forage intake. Grazing muzzles limit grass intake but allow the horse to exercise throughout the day.

Does soaking hay help laminitis?

Horses that require a low-sugar diet, such as those with laminitis or insulin resistance, might benefit from soaked hay. Soaking Orchardgrass hay for an hour, for instance, can reduce NSC by approximately 40%.

Is long grass better for laminitis?

Most horses do not need the high nutritional value and benefit from the many fibers and the low nutritional value of long grass. Because older grass also contains less sugar, this is also safer for horses that shed in the summer or are sensitive to laminitis.

Can you get laminitis from hay?

Too much can lead to laminitis due to raised blood insulin. When grass is cut and dried to make hay, the sugars will continue to metabolise and therefore decrease in concentration until the moisture levels are below 40%.

What months are worse for laminitis?

Cold weather often seems to trigger laminitis – we usually see an increase in laminitis cases as soon as the weather turns cold (snow/ice/frost) each winter.

Does grass have less sugar at night?

Provided the weather is warm enough, fructan stored in the stem is used for growth overnight. This, in addition to the fact that grass can’t photosynthesise without sunlight, means that WSC levels will be lower at night.

Does Bute help laminitis?

NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) e.g. Bute, Danilon, Metacam have historically been the mainstay of laminitis treatment.

Can laminitic horses have salt licks?

Some toys which do not involve treats or licks – such as jolly balls can help keep horses amused. Non calorific licks – such as salt licks can also keep horses entertained.

Should you starve a laminitic horse?

Overweight or laminitis-prone equines should never be starved as this can cause further metabolic complications. Forage intake must not fall below the equivalent of one percent of the horse’s body weight per day and, for those on a strict diet, will need to be weighed.

What is the most common cause of laminitis?

What causes laminitis? Laminitis is usually a consequence of an underlying hormonal disorder and/or an inflammatory condition. Hormonal disorders which contribute to many laminitis episodes include equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID, or equine Cushing’s disease).

Can a horse with laminitis eat grass?

High amounts of sugars in grasses can bring about laminitis in horses susceptible to the disease. Susceptible horses should have limited grazing or no grazing.