Spring to It!

In our blogs, we cover conditions and ailments which can prompt animals to require veterinary care and also share insight to help animal owners in their interactions with veterinary practices in these situations.

As the move to spring sees our gardens flourish, so does the grass in our horses’ paddocks. This bountiful growth comes with a health warning for the horse.

Grass starts to grow at 6 degrees C and above. We can see it starting in our lawns at home. Spring grass undergoes a seasonal change, altering the nutritional value of grazing. These changes can have a metabolic and physiological impact on the horse.  Issues to look out for include colic (stomach ache of varying degrees of severity) and laminitis (which can damage the laminae in the feet leading to rotation of the pedal bone in the foot which, in the worst cases, can penetrate the sole of the horse’s foot).

Colic can be triggered by many things, but sudden changes to diet, like increased grass quality, or a change from the horse being stabled to having more time turned out, can trigger colic. Colic can range from mild digestive discomfort from trapped gas or faeces, to twists in the intestines which can require surgery and are life threatening. In the worst colic cases, euthanasia may be necessary.

Laminitis is understood to be linked to sugar intake which increases in spring grass. It can also be a response to concussive forces, such as racing on an unsuitable surface. Laminitis can lead to severe lameness, and in the worst cases, may require euthanasia if the pedal bone in the foot rotates to the point it penetrates through the sole of the foot. Signs of laminitis include: the horse may lie down more than normal, refuse to move, have a bounding digital pulse and stand with his weight rocked back onto his heels in an attempt to reduce the pain in his feet. Once the horse has had laminitis or colic, the risk of recurrence increases.

Tips to avoid laminitis and colic include:

• Turn the horses out at night when the sugar release in grass is lower.
• Muzzle the horse so he has to work harder to get the grass into his mouth – thus reducing ingestion.
• Strip graze – using electric fencing to create walk strips which reduces the access to grass and requires the horse to move more frequently to graze.

Tips for animal owners when seeking veterinary care:

• Make sure you are aware of who your out of hours veterinary provider is, ensure you have their contact details.
• Familiarise yourself with your insurance policy and what you are and are not covered for before agreeing to estimates.
• Ensure you are the decision maker for the horse (i.e. you are the owner, not sharer or loan)
• Always have your horse’s passport to hand if needed in an emergency vet appointment.