By: Matthew M. Brendal
FEEDING & NUTRITIONAL DISORDERS DEVELOPMENTAL ORTHOPEDIC DISEASE DOD
This disease may be caused or exacerbated by improper feeding, too rapid developmental growth, bone & joint injury, hormone diseases and heavy training at a young age. The concern of this disease is the improper conversion of cartilage to bone. Symptoms of this disease commonly begin to appear starting at 1 year of age or the beginning of performance training. Foals as young as 2 months may also develop this during rapid growth periods.
Signs of Developmental Orthopedic Disease
Treatment of Developmental Orthopedic Disease
Joint cartilage defects
Cervical malformation
Contracted tendons
Bumps on knees, fetlocks and hocks
Swelling joints or cervical area
Enlarged fetlock joints and horse has upright stance
You should consult a veterinarian for the best nutritional prescription or exercise program. The treatment may require constant changes or modifications of supplements and feed/forage. The basic guidelines would include:
Balance the nutritional intake to regulate proper growth rate
Proper supplements for alfalfa hay to match proper calcium to phosphorus ratio.
Limit feeds high in starches.
Supplementing vegetable oils
Conduct multiple exercise times, instead of once a day. This will include a warm up and cool period. The exercise should not be attaching it to a hot walker, rather it would be better to pony the horse or similar exercises.
This syndrome effects a high percentage of performance horses due to their life style. A horse is designed to eat small continuous meals, not bulk feedings of highly concentrated meals in a short period. A rule of thumb is no more than 3 pounds of grain per meal.
Signs of Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome
Causes of Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome
Nutritional and Management Techniques to Treat (EGUS)
CRIBBING
Cribbing is a syndrome when a horse grabs an object (usually a fence post or a fixed object at withers height) with it’s teeth then stretches as so to place his head and neck in a straight line and begins to rapidly inhale or suck air. The horse becomes euphoric or high from this act. Although the horse may enjoy cribbing it is a very bad habit. This habit can cause damage to the horses teeth, injure the digestive system by swallowing fragments from the fixtures he latches on to with his teeth. Cribbing also causes damage to the fixtures themselves. This should not be confused with chewing of wooden objects out of boredom while in a confined or small area.
Signs of Cribbing
Causes of Cribbing
Nutritional and Management Techniques to Treat Cribbing
SAND COLIC
Alleviate boredom, place horse toy in stall, turn horse out in a pasture for short periods throughout the day, spend time in the stall grooming during the day or any other practices that will break up the boredom for the horse.
Determine the vitamin or mineral deficiency your horse has or provide the horse with a higher quality feed that contains proper nutritional balance.
Equip horse with a properly adjusted cribbing collar.
Painting fixtures the horse cribs on with foul tasting non-toxic materials.
Surgery is the last resort. The surgery involves cutting neck muscles either with a scalpel or laser.
Sand colic is caused by the consumption of soil/sand while eating and does not completely pass through the horse. This is not the same emergency type of colic that is associated with intestinal or impaction colic. Sand colic causes the slow wear of the intestines from a constant sandpapering affect of sand granuals wearing away intestinal linings.
A simple test will determine if your horse has sand colic. Take approximately 6 fecal balls from the suspected horse and mix them in a small bucket half filled with plain water. Let mixture stand for 1 hour undisturbed. If sand is present then its heavier weight will cause it to settle on the bottom. If there is more than 1 teaspoon of sand then you should treat the horse with a sand colic treatment, which is usually psyllium seed husk. You should also determine a plan to reduce the intake of sand. This would include putting the hay in a feeder off the ground or rotating the pasture time more frequently to reduce the horse from consuming grass too close to the ground.
LAMINITIS
Laminitis is a very common condition with a sound nutrition and hoof care program may allow rapid return to normal with no permanent problems.
Signs of Laminitis
Causes of Laminitis
Nutritional and Management Techniques to Treat Laminitis
Restrict or eliminate the horse’s intake of high carbohydrate feeds such as grain.
Restrict or eliminate the horse’s intake of lush grass. The highest level of fructan in grass is around 12:00 PM on sunny days. You may want to stall the horse during daylight and turn out at night.
Good quality hay instead of concentrated feeds or lush grass. Remember to change feeds and feeding routines gradually. Rapid changes in feed schedules, feed amounts and feed types could cause colic or other digestive problems. The rule also applies to overweight horses, reduce gradually until desired weight is reached. When the horse reaches desired weight, increase feed/forage enough to maintain proper weight
If feeding only hay has not reduced symptoms or the condition is stagnant you may try soaking the hay in water for 30 to 60 minutes. The soaking of hay will help lower the water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC = sugars).
Alfalfa hay tends to have less fructan and more protein (amino-acids lysine & methionine) which may encourage hoof growth. Other adjustments in the nutritional plan may be required due alfalfa hay usually being higher in calcium than grass hay. Water soaking your hay prior to feeding may reduce fructan intake.
Add vegetable oil to feed which help feed good hind gut bacteria and stabilizes blood insulin levels.
Eating concentrated feeds such as grain or high carbohydrate feeds without a nutritional need such as growing, reproducing or extreme physical activity.
Eating excessive lush grass high in fructose.
Over eating, the more excess weight a horse carries the more negative impact it has on your horse’s feet.
Low enzyme levels in hindgut or deficient in nutrients.
Retained placenta due to fescue toxicity
Overdoses of drugs or consumption of toxic plants
Repeated impact on hard ground
Illness
Classic saw horse stance with front and back feet forward of natural, normal and comfortable stance.
Excess fat on neck crest and on rump near tail attachment.
Heat in hooves in excess of ambient temperature, throbbing of digital pulse.
Walking as if on eggshells or pain on hard surfaces.
Boredom from stall confinement
Nutritional deficiency, missing needed vitamins or minerals
Need to chew, stalled horses may not get chewing need met
Copying other horses crib
Some say genetics may play a role
Visual observation of horse cribbing.
Excessively worn front teeth.
Large fragments of non-feed items such as wood in manure.
Higher tendency to colic
Increase fiber by adding soaked beet pulp
Feeding of small meals every few hours or free choice hay
Medical stomach treatment
Mostly concentrated feeds such as grain
Feedings in bulk, single large feeding
Low fiber diet
Excessive stall confinement
High performance tempo with high stress
Excessive use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs)
Poor appetite
Poor attitude/Under-performing
Dull coat
Low-grade colic
EQUINE GASTRIC ULCER SYNDROME (EGUS)
