Now that winter has just about arrived and we’re starting to see a lot of frosty mornings, we would like to give a warning to all horse owners to be careful when grazing your horse, pony or donkey.
On sunny frosty mornings the grass is producing lots of sugars but it’s not using any so they build up in the grass to levels that are a lot higher than in fast growing spring grass. This means that the laminitis risk also increases.
Research over the last decade shows that the majority of equines that succumb to laminitis do in fact have one of two underlying conditions. PPID, commonly known as Cushings is more common in older horses but can occur at any age over 10. It tends to cause muscle loss, sweatiness and a long coat that takes a while to drop out in spring.
EMS, the other condition can occur in any age horse but tends to be in those that are carrying extra weight, especially around the neck and shoulders. This is basically the horse equivalent of type 2 diabetes in humans. The two conditions can occur together.
Get in touch
If your horse, pony or donkey is prone to laminitis or if the signs above seem familiar then ring is at the surgery and speak to us about blood testing for these conditions.
Laminitis & EMS in Horses, Ponies and Donkeys are both treatable.
Please call us on 01825 864268 at any time of the day if you are worried.
