Lami - help me with the logic

[The Moo]

I understand that frosty grass is a trigger.

As I understand it, (in very simple terms) the sunshine on a cold morning tells the grass to grow but the cold temperature is too low for grass growth so the sugars that make the grass grow are stored for later as fructans which is the bad bit.

Too much fructans = lami.

Now, if the pony was turned out overnight, even though the temp gets very low and frosty, there is no sunshine to tell the grass to grow so presumably no fructans/sugars are stored because there is nothing to tell the grass to grow in the first place.

Does that make sense?

[harveydales]

Yes, it makes sense............. I think!

There seem to be so many different triggers and so much not really understood yet about lami that it becomes mind boggling. Frosty grass, very wet grass, certain weeds, worming and a host of other things give Quest the runs and when he has the runs he is more likely to get lami. I'm not convinced it is Fructans in the grass that give him the runs though but maybe it is. I do think that whatever biochemical and inflammatory changes go on in his gut are linked to lami and are also connected to his general sensitivity/itchyness/allergy proneness etc.

So, on frosty mornings I do turn him out but give lots of hay so he can fill his stomach in a safer way. Maybe one day there will be a complete understanding of Laminitis and it's triggers.

[cadeby]

One of our Dales mares is lamintic but she manages to stay out 24/7 in the Winter months. Frosty grass has never (so-far) been a trigger for her. Like Harveydales, we also ensure that she gets lots of hay to fill her belly in the morning before the sun really gets up.

Helen

[pauhla]

My native Heinz 57 on the other hand only gets laminitis in winter appart from one bout in May before he was diagnosed with metabolic syndrome when he hadn't fully recovered from the March one. He comes in when there is a frost warning and doesn't go out till the ground is soft. If it's a hard frost and stays in all day or doesn't thaw in the day then he can't go out till 24 hours after the ground has thawed so the year before last he was stuck in for 3 weeks. Fortunately I had the end of a barn so he had a big area and I was able to bring his best friend in by day to keep him company. A combination of this, magnesium oxide and "safe" foods, plus exercise seems to keep him ok all year round but I have to watch him like a hawk. It's SO annoying that of my 4, the hardiest has to be in at night!!!
So, think of me at 11om tonight, out int he field in my pj's, dressing gown and wellies getting the wee chap in for the night before the frost comes down. At least he's literally over the garden wall so I have the luxury of being able to get him in when I need to rather than being in livery and doing it when I have to which also means he isn't stuck in for as long either.

[nars]

Last year I let my native slive out, but I fed large bales of hayledge so they would not be tempted to eat frosty grass. It worked really well for me.