Feeding the Laminitis Prone Horse or Pony (Elementary Level)
Read the following information and then complete the quiz questions at the end of the page to test your knowledge and earn AMTRA points.
This resource will introduce you to the following topics:
- What is laminitis?
- Signs of laminitis
- Dietary links to laminitis
- Introducing Dengie Feeds for those prone to laminitis
What is Laminitis?
- Laminitis occurs when the laminae, a layer of tissue that bonds the hoof wall to the pedal bone, becomes inflamed.
- This causes severe pain as the hoof wall is rigid and doesn’t expand to accommodate the inflamed laminae.
- In very severe cases the laminae fails, allowing the pedal bone to rotate downward and even push through the sole of the foot.
Credit: HorseWyse
A systemic problem
- 90% of laminitis cases are thought to be due to an underlying endocrine issue such as:
- Laminitis caused by endocrine issues is called endocrinopathic laminitis.
- It is vital to work with a vet to determine the underlying cause and provide suitable treatment.
Signs of laminitis
- Pottery – short/stiff gait
- Weight shifting from leg to leg
- Reluctance to turn or pain on turning
- Heat in the feet
- Reluctance to pick feet up
- Behaviour change
- Sometimes the horse may rock back on their heels in the ‘classic’ laminitis stance.
Key risk factors of laminitis associated with the diet
Laminitis risk is increased with obesity and insulin dysregulation.
To manage laminitis risk, we therefore need to:
- Maintain horses at a healthy bodyweight – see Feeding the Overweight Horse: Elementary Level
- Lower the non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) content of the diet to reduce the glycemic and therefore insulinemic responses to feeding.
- Dengie’s Laminitis Risk Calculator can help to identify those most prone to laminitis.
Click on each tab below to reveal the definition
Insulin Dysregulation
Occurs as a result of obesity and means horses have a more exaggerated response to feeds containing sugar and starch.
NSC
Non-structural carbohydrate – an analytical term that describes the sum of simple sugars, fructan and starch.
WSC
Water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) – the sum of simple sugars and fructan which, when added together with starch, provides the NSC value.
Where do NSCs come from in the horse’s diet?
- The majority of NSCs in the horse’s diet often comes from grazing and conserved forage, and so these will require managing to control the horse’s weight and NSC intake.
- When selecting conserved forage, it is recommended to analyse it. Selecting forages with less than 10-12% NSC is recommended for those prone to laminitis.
What about the bucket feed?
- It is much easier to reduce the intake of sugar and starch in the bucket feed than in forage.
- For the overweight, laminitis-prone horse, there is little rationale to feed anything in the bucket feed other than a double handful or two of a fibre feed that is low in calories, sugar and starch, with a broad-spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement or balancer to provide a balanced diet.
- Feeds that contain less than 10% sugar and starch added together will typically be suitable.
- Not all laminitis-prone individuals are overweight or in light work – using highly digestible fibre sources and added oil are the best way to supply energy without significantly increased levels of starch and sugar. An equine nutritionist will be able to provide further guidance on this, depending on the individual horse’s condition and level of work.
Dengie feeds for laminitis-prone individuals
To help horse owners easily identify feeds that may be suitable for their laminitis-prone individual, we have a number of products that carry our Green Cross logo.
As many laminitis-prone individuals are overweight or good doers, all of these products are low calorie.
- 8.5MJ/kg of digestible energy, 2.5% sugar and 1.5% starch.
- Combines chopped and pelleted alfalfa and straw with a rapeseed oil coating, mint & fenugreek.
- Use for good doers and those in light work that are laminitis-prone.
- Feed alongside a broad-spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement or balancer to balance the ration.
- 7.5MJ/kg of digestible energy, 7% sugar and 1.5% starch.
- Combines chopped straw and alfalfa with a light molasses coating.
- Can be used as a total forage replacer if required – supplying less sugar than average hay.
- Feed alongside a broad-spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement or balancer to balance the ration.
- 8.5MJ/kg of digestible energy, 2.5% sugar and 1.5% starch.
- Combines chopped and pelleted alfalfa and straw with a light rapeseed oil coating, vitamin & minerals premix, and garlic.
- When fed at the recommended quantity of 500g (approximately 1 Stubbs scoop) per 100kg of bodyweight, no additional vitamin and mineral supplement is required.
- Supplies biotin for hoof quality.
- Supplies MSM for healthy joints & stronger hooves.
Additional Dengie products for the laminitis-prone individual
As all of Dengie’s products are fibre based, we have many more feeds in our range that are suitable for the laminitis-prone individual, including those that are overweight, underweight, or in hard work.
Products that supply less than 10% sugar and starch added together are generally suitable and, looking at the ingredients list, these feeds will typically be free from whole cereal grains and contain low levels of or no added molasses.
One such example is Meadow Lite with Herbs, which contains very low levels of sugar and starch, at 3% and 0.5%, respectively. At 5 MJ/kg of digestible energy (DE), it is very low in calories and so is ideal for good doers.
Low Calorie Options
High Calorie Options
Summary
- Maintaining a healthy weight and managing the intake of NSC are key to keeping the laminitis-prone individual healthy.
- Look for feeds that indicate they are suitable for laminitis prone individuals or alternatively those that provide less than 10% sugar and starch added together.
- Dengie’s Weight Management Guide is full of useful information and advice to keep horses and ponies at a healthy weight and to manage their laminitis risk.
Test your Nutrition Knowledge!
It’s now time to put into practice what you have learnt about feeding the laminitis prone horse or pony. Answer all the questions below correctly to receive your Dengie Nutrition Certificate, plus you can earn TWO AMTRA Suitably Qualified Person (SQP) points. To ensure your points are awarded please make sure that you include your unique AMTRA number in the box provided with your details.
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