Pat Harris om kolik, mavesår og forfangenhed hos heste (engelsk version)

Pat Harris om kolik, mavesår og forfangenhed hos heste. Artiklen er knyttet til HorseConsults kurser om hhv. kolik, mavesår og forfangenhed.

Af: Pat Harris, Equine Studies Group, Waltham, UK

For dansk version af artiklen - læs her.
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Colic & gastric ulcers
Colic is distressing for both the affected horse and its owner, the treatment may be expensive and is not always successful. This talk will discuss potential nutritional factors that might be involved and why. But most importantly it will suggest some nutritional practices that might be of value in either managing or reducing the risk.

The optimal feeding of horses is a combination of art and science. The science provides the information about the digestive and metabolic processes, the nutrient requirements and the principles behind feeding practices etc. The art is the ability to convert this theory into practice for the individual horse, its needs, likes and dislikes. Fortunately for us, many horses are able to survive and prosper because of, or despite, the diets we feed them.

However, under certain circumstances what or how we feed our horses may result in disturbances to normal gastrointestinal function which result in conditions such as colic and gastrointestinal ulcers. Though defined as abdominal pain, colic in horses has increasingly been taken to represent the large group of intestinal diseases which cause abdominal pain, and at least 6 different types of colic have been recognised (including impaction, spasmodic and sand). Diet is frequently incriminated as the major causative factor in many colics.

Clinical signs of Gastrointestinal ulcers also may include abdominal discomfort, reduced appetite, weight and body condition loss, diarrhoea, and particularly in foals, a loss of vitality, dorsal recumbency, grinding of teeth and from recent work the onset of crib-biting may indicate the presence of gastrointestinal lesions. Diet can either increase or decrease the risk of gastrointestinal ulcers.

This talk will discuss potential nutritional factors that might be involved and why. It will also suggest some nutritional practices that might be of value in either managing or reducing the risk of individuals developing certain types of colic as well as gastrointestinal ulcers.

Laminitis
Laminitis is a very painful condition that is unfortunately seen only too frequently in some animals especially ponies. Managing the acute or chronic laminitic horse or pony tends to be both upsetting and frustrating. This talk will discuss what may trigger an attack of laminitis, what is the sequence of events that results in the problem and most importantly what can we do to reduce the risk.



Laminitis can affect any horse of any shape, size, breed, colour or type although there appears to be an increase of incidence in overweight animals, small to medium size horses (especially certain breeds) and in particular ponies.

There are many potential causes of laminitis including forms that result as a consequence of a primary disease elsewhere in the body for example retained placenta, an endocrine imbalance (e.g. Cushings), and certain toxaemias. Increasingly we now recognise the role that Insulin resistance may have in this condition.

Laminitis is perhaps most commonly associated, however, with certain feeding and managemental factors that will increase the likelihood of a potential attack whatever the type or breed of horse.



It is obviously important to be able to recognise and treat the condition in its early stages so that the pain and suffering is kept to a minimum. However, ideally we would like to be able to recommend certain interventions/ countermeasures that would help to avoid or prevent the condition from occurring in the first place.

Obviously as pasture associated laminitis occurs at pasture then the easiest way to avoid the condition is to prevent access to pasture and to feed forage alternatives that are known to be low in rapidly fermentable material. For the majority of horses total restriction is not always a viable or desired option for financial, welfare and health reasons. It also may not be necessary for those animals that are not predisposed to (i.e. have an increased risk of developing) laminitis. For those animals identified at being at high risk of developing laminitis, although total restriction to pasture may be the ultimate countermeasure, a less dramatic solution would be to restrict access at high risk times of the year and the day.



This talk will discuss what may trigger an attack of laminitis, what is the sequence of events that results in the problem and most importantly what can we do to reduce the risk. It will also discuss managemental and dietary regimens that either reduce the risk of significant insulin resistance from occurring or help to improve insulin sensitivity.

Ifølge gældende lov om ophavsret må teksten kun gengives eller mangfoldiggøres med kildehenvisning og efter skriftlig tilladelse.